Overseas Meet – Frankenjura, Germany

Meet organiser: Christoph

Venue

Climbing is generally all sport climbing, but a few slings and nuts are good to have in the lower grades. There are definitely a lot of easy rocks for beginner to learn to climb with a lot of (sharp) pockets up to quite hard stuff or even Action Directe if some dare. If people want I can choose by then a few possible rocks for all grades so that everyone has some fun.

Half way during the week we could do a beer tour through Nuremberg or have a boulder session in Cafe Kraft or E4. Two quite famous boulder gyms there (depend on the weather).

In general, weather should be alright in September. Not too hot not too cold and we fill definitely find rocks that are in the shade or quickly dry if it pours.

Suitability

There are thousands of routes in Frankenjura, covering a huge range of grades. Although pretty much everything is bolted, it is worth brining a small selection of nuts and slings to supplement the bolting when needed.

To get a feel of what is on offer check out this UKC article.

Accommodation & In-Country Transport

We are staying at the Gasthof Eichler campsite in Obertrubach. We have 14 beds reserved for SCC members in the onsite bunkhouse. This will save on needing to bring all your camping gear as well as climbing gear with you.

All the spaces in the bunkhouse have now been taken.

We have secured some additional spaces in the onsite ‘huts’ on the campsite. These are basic and have a mattress on the floor and a table. There is 1 x 2 ‘bed’ hut and 1 x 4 ‘bed’ hut so you will be sharing. They are unheated and you will need to use the facilities at the campsite. Hot water is 50 cents. The cost is 5 EUR per hut, plus 10 EUR per person, night.

If you would like any advice on booking something please join us in the Discord channel or Facebook group. Or email the committee.

To guarantee a bed in the bunkhouse sign up with a deposit below. If 8 or more spaces are filled this will cost 18 EUR per person per night which will be 127 EUR pp for 7 nights (Sat 9th – Sat 16th). If less than 8 spaces are filled this will cost a bit more. We need to let the bunkhouse know numbers asap so sign ups are only open until 27th. After that you will need to arrange your own accommodation.

If you wish to camp, or stay in a van you will need to contact the campsite directly and organise this with them. Price is 9 EUR per person per night.

There are several options for transport. Which ever method you choose you need to be checked in, pitched up (if applicable) and ready to be quiet by 11pm local time. There are no late arrivals. People cannot sleep in cars / vans in the car park – they have to be on the campsite.

• Drive to Frankenjura. It is approximately 700 miles, and around 13 hours of driving with a Eurotunnel or Ferry crossing on top plus any tolls, each way. Realistically it is 2 days travel each way.
• Train to Frankenjura. London > Brussels ~ 3 hours / Brussels > Forchheim ~ 9.5 hours. Approx £200 – 300.
• Fly to Frankenjura. There are direct flights with Ryanair from Stansted > Nuremberg that take approx 1.5 hours. There are indirect flights from Heathrow that take 3.5 hours – 4 hours. Both are approx £200 – 250 with checked luggage.

Those that take the train or fly will need to organise hire cars between them. At the moment this is around £300 for the week for an estate sized vehicle. It is a ~ 45 min drive from Nuremberg airport to the campsite, or ~ 30 min drive from Forchheim station.

In general, having a car is necessary as Frankenjura has a lot of rocks all scattered around the area, so walking isn’t really that feasible.

Other Stuff

Insurance

Everyone will also need their own travel insurance to cover their holiday. Be aware that any existing travel insurance you have may not cover rock climbing so you might need to take out specific cover for this trip. Some suggestions include: SportsCover Direct, Snow Card or The BMC