The sport climbing crag of Kampafka is situated west of the village of Mytikas of Alyzia in the Acarnanian Mountains and specifically it is a seaside cliff of Tserekas.
Even though the area of Alyzia is popular during the summer months, the unique history and nature make it appealing for year-round visits. Visitors can marvel at ancient engineering of castles as well as an ancient dam, to walk among the traditional villages, and visit the last remains of Abies Cephalonica forests, which once covered the area.
With a southeastern aspect and just 50m from the sea, the crag is in climbing condition year-round. During the summer the routes are in shadow after 3pm. The crag has routes with difficulties from 4c to 7c and heights of 15m to 33m. The limestone cliff offers unique climbing due to the numerous holes found throughout, as well as the excellent view towards the island of Kalamos.
Note: Due to the proximity of the crag to the sea, special attention must be given to the condition of bolts and anchors.
Access
The crag of Kamplafka is located on the road of Palairos - Mytikas, about 2,7Km from the center of Mytikas, and 300m before the turn of the Kamilafka peninsula, where the road continues north towards Palairos. Access to the broader area is possible either from Vonitsa to the north, or Astakos to the south, and from there a mandatory approach through either Palairos or Mytikas respectively. The base of the crag is obvious, with an iconostasis, road signs, and a large rock with discernable red trail markings. From the small parking area at this point, a steep trail to the crag begins with the total access time requiring less than 5min.
Climbing history
The crag was discovered in 2003 by Dimitris Katsoulas who found retreat equipment (slings) from previous attempts, probably by Italian climbers. Also, he was informed by local George Tsagkaris, that once as a young beekeeper, he had climbed there using wood-pegs which were later found.
Modern climbing activities began in earnest in 2004 with the route “Aspondos filos” (6a, 32m) by Dimitris Katsoulas - Giannis Rizopoulos, as well as the following establishment of three more traditional routes with the contribution of Spyros Liontakis and Panagiotis Katsoulas. In 2005 it was realized that the crag had sport climbing features and with the help of Spyros Liontakis for the cleaning, the existing routes were bolted by Dimitris Katsoulas. Between 2007 and 2010, Dimitris Katsoulas established ten new sport routes via top-down bolting.
Due to the proximity to the sea, the bolts presented signs of erosion and as a result in 2014 the crag was re-bolted using 316L bolts by Nikos Roditis with the contribution of equipment by Dimitris Katsoulas. In 2016 Dimitris Katsoulas, Nikos Roditis, Iraklis Moysidis, Dimos Yfantis, Giorgos Katsoulas and Pigi Krikochoriti established an additional ten new routes.
