On the road in Greece as a family in a VW bus

At some point we decided we needed to write a list. Scorpions, lumpfish, praying mantises, flamingos – we had various animals in our head, but Samuel wanted to document everything properly and know the total number we had seen. We titled the document ‘Animals in Greece’ and came upon an impressive 53 different varieties of animals, as, ultimately, it was because of the animals that we went to the end of the Balkans – on a kind of zoological road trip. Maybe also partially because of the fabulous limestone cliffs that can be climbed here, but that’s a little secret only mum and dad know.

We’re meant to be away for five weeks to make the journey worth it and so that there’s enough time for extensive insect field research, ornithology and, of course, botany. That’s why we chose to travel in spring, as that’s when everything is in bloom and bursting with colour. Only mum and dad know about this right now, but school starts in autumn, meaning it won’t be quite so easy to travel around outside of the increasingly busy peak summer season. We therefore pack everything in the VW bus that the limited space will allow: from the climbing rope, landing net and swimming trunks to the magnifying box, as well as Samuel (five) and Jonah (three) – and, of course, the much too full toy box.

Van life: at home outdoors

Five weeks in really limited space, five weeks without best friends, five weeks spent virtually constantly out in nature – will this be the ultimate way of grounding ourselves or will it simply be stressful? Both options seem eminently possible before we set off, as packing alone takes us several days. However, we and the kids are camping veterans and have been travelling around with our bus since the kids were babies. We spend the holidays outdoors in nature, not in hotels, but five weeks in a row is something entirely different, even for us.

Our ingenious plan can be summarised quickly – there is no plan. Firstly, we don’t even get around to making a plan due to the game of Tetris that is packing, and, secondly, having a plan is overrated anyway. We want to celebrate spontaneity and to be taken (ideally) wherever the sun is shining, the flowers are in bloom and the birds are tweeting. The only things we booked in advance were the ferry crossings. The route overland across the Balkans was much too far for us and, what’s more, a swaying boat trip including overnight stay on the ship is an exciting start to the coming adventure for the kids. We also have a first taste of the slowed pace which would characterise this trip south.

We arrive in Patras in the north of the Peloponnese peninsula after a somewhat rough voyage. The most sensible option seems to leave the port city behind us as quickly as possible. We head for a now fairly well-known destination on the east coast that we know is home to many cliffs: Leonidio. We have often seen climbing in the region photographed in relevant magazines over the last few years. There was even talk here and there of this being the ‘new Kalymnos’ – which, of course, sets the bar quite high, but we had also heard positive reviews from friends. After about three hours, we reach a small village with winding coastal roads that gives us a taste of what we can expect over the next five weeks: lots of bends, narrow roads, slow speeds. Even though Greece is usually marketed to tourists with pictures of islands with deep-blue seas and little white houses, the majority of the rugged country is surprisingly mountainous. Just what we were looking for!

The pretty little village of Leonidio is around four kilometres from the coast, but the cosy camping ground Semeli is right on the shingle beach. It’s lovely and empty here at the start of April, but still usually too cold for swimming – climbing trees and stacking rocks is no problem though! Meanwhile, we, the parents, open up the new climbing guide to Leonidio and are initially completely overwhelmed. So many cliffs, almost an unending selection! Where should we begin? It doesn’t really matter because the cliffs here are all five-star quality. From grey rock slabs to deep-red sinter overhangs – everything that limestone has to offer, in its various forms, is here.

Magnifying box and climbing harness

The climbing harness quickly stops being the most important piece of equipment – instead it’s the magnifying box. The boys spend hours collecting every little thing they find, scuttling around and curiously examining each animal.

Wonderful rope swings can also be hung in the overhanging caves. Mum and dad climb and the kids swing – a fair distribution of tasks. You can even sit out here in the heavy spring storms. It’s an initial endurance test for the little ones, but they stay in high spirits even when it’s wet and cold – the camping trip has been perfect gauged. After an hour of storm and rain, all the cliffs are wet, meaning squiggly snails come out and crawl around, which is just as exciting. Something else for the list.

Zig-zagging through Greece

We liked Leonidio so much that we could have stayed there the whole five weeks, but Greece is big and our appetite for discovery even bigger. So, we have to move on at some point. We drive a bit further down through the Peloponnese region towards the south, taking the winding roads through the unending, desolate interior and then back along the coast. Beyond each bend is a deserted bay with a dream beach. We stay in Kyparissi for a couple of days, as there are great opportunities for climbing here and you can enjoy a handmade spinach strudel from George in his little café afterwards. ‘Lots of famous climbers come to my café, eat strudel and drink wine. They can really party, I’ll tell you that,’ the talkative old man explains. There is even a route near his village called ‘Thanks George’ in his honour. He’s quite proud when you tell him how beautiful the prominent sinter line is, but when you ask whether he has ever climbed it himself, he simply laughs.

One of the sectors is even right on the beach, meaning the options for climbing and swimming are just two minutes away from one another. Samuel then discovers a new animal for the list in a hole on the route – however, it is one which we would rather not have included on the list: a horned viper. He is fascinated, but we are now all a lot more careful about where we put our hands.

Too many exciting things on the way

You could easily spend another five weeks in this place, but as we said, we have to push on. We actually want to travel to the relatively unfamiliar north of Greece, Macedonia and its mountain lakes. However, to do so we have to first go from the Peloponnese region to the ‘real’ mainland. With some much more beautiful nature to explore, we leave Athens on our right. Instead, we spontaneously end up on Greece’s second-largest island: Euboea. It is so close to the mainland that you can simply cross over onto it by bridge. We heard that there is a popular climbing area, the even newer Kalymnos, in the island’s mountainous region: Manikia.

There are cliffs galore here in the interior, including large walls with fantastic multi-pitch routes. Beyond that, though, there’s not much. In Manikia itself there’s precisely one taverna that you’ve first got to hunt down. There’s also a big meadow with goats where we are able to park the camper van. Fabulous solitude and great opportunities to play: wood for the camp fire and goat bones to tinker with. In the meantime, we cook pasta with salad – we don’t need anything else in the wilderness to be happy.

A number of other beautiful places across Greece follow, such as the Lefkada peninsula with its surreal turquoise bays, the famous Meteora with its even more surreal sandstone rock towers, along with ancient monasteries on top that are still mystical despite all the streams of tourists, the small coastal village of Mytikas with its fantastic red climbing area from which you can watch dolphins (something else for the list!), the imposing Vikos Gorge, the Grand Canyon of Europe, surrounded by picturesque stone villages, and finally the Varassova limestone mountain – oh Varassova!

There’s so much to discover – not just in the north where we actually intended to go, although we didn’t make it. There were too many exciting things on the way, and it was also still refreshingly cool in the mountains. How are the kids after five weeks of pure nature? Relaxed and cheerful as can be – just like their parents. At least until the day another animal jumped onto our list: a flea.