Attention Croatian Explorers!
We are shifting the dates of the Paklenica meet by approximately 10 days. The new dates will be 14th to 21st October. Apologies to anyone who had fixed the original dates in their diaries.
This is primarily because of the availability of flights. Ryanair finishes its regular service to a lot of Croatia at the end of September. Easyjet flys until end of October and there are many options from a considerable number of UK airports. Lufthansa is also an option from the UK, but needs changes.
Split is convenient for the Paklenica National Park, but so is Zagreb. Zada is close but flights seem to finish before our trip. It’s probably worthwhile looking at options we may not have considered.
An additional benefit of bringing the meet forward is that it no longer clashes with the AGM, so why not come to Paklenica and then go to the AGM to tell everyone how awesome it is.
Our intended base is Starigrad. For those who wish to camp or make it part of a campervan tour, the 4* Camping Paklenica is open until end of October (camping@bluesunhotels.com) (+385 23 20 90 66) “By the sea, on level ground and mostly under trees. Close to the village centre. Restaurant, swimming pool, travel agency, beach bar. Walking distance to Paklenica National Park”.
For those who intend to fly and not camp, there are plentiful AirBnB options. We are seeing apartments for 2 people at around £40 per night. Larger groups would no doubt work out cheaper.
Get in contact if you are interested and we will start a WhatsApp group which you can choose to join if you wish. This might be useful for accommodation and perhaps car sharing. A few members had already indicated interest. Please can you reconfirm if these new dates suit you.
We are told that there are routes in the sun if it’s chilly and routes in the shade if it’s hot. Lots of walking options in the National Park.
Please contact Tony Halliwell or Paul Lewis for more details or to be added to the meet’s WhatsApp group
And, to repeat: (according to UKC)
“Paklenica National Park is a large area in the south of Vele bit mountain range where two large canyons cut across the Velebit mountain from the land to the Adriatic sea. The area of the park designated for climbing is the bigger (western) of the two canyons, called Velika Paklenica. Here there are literally hundreds of bolted single-pitch routes as well as hundreds of multi-pitch routes (mostly bolted) up to 400m high. Brilliant, awesome and yet suitable for all from beginners to aspiring Adam Ondras and a great holiday destination for sun loving families too!
The rock is karstic limestone which offers excellent friction, where not polished. Generally the climbs feel quite hard at the grade, especially those in Anica kuk!”