Calanques climbing

Crag: En Vau, Calanques, Provence
Routes: Sirene Lieutard (uD- 4+,4+,3+,4:led p.1,3), Face a la Mer (f5+:led), La Saphir (uAD+ 4+,3,5,3+:led p.2,4)
A legendary venue, but visiting it and doing it some kind of justice in a single day was always going to be difficult given the distance from the caravan and the length of the walk-in. The fact that we achieved it was very satisfying, if a tad wearying. We reached the car park after 2 hours and a 160km+ journey. The parking is deliberately distant from the Calanques, for the excellent reason that this is a truly stunning locale located right next to a huge metropolis. En Vau was an easy choice: the most classic and beautiful Calanque of all. The walk-in reminded me of the walk in to Petra. Initially, you get the odd tantalising glimpse of the sea and the calanque, but then it remains hidden from view as you drop down into twisting limestone valleys. The walls get ever higher and the valley ever tighter until, eventually, you emerge at the beach with dazzling white limestone cliffs and aiguilles all around. However, the beauty of the place doesn't really reveal itself until you begin to climb, so we selected the grand old classic of Sirene Lieutard for our first route - by necessity, an easy climb that we could move quickly on. This takes a weaving line up the beautiful pillar 200m inland from the beach (Le Sirene). I led a nice first pitch up a long 30m rib, at around UK HS or a little harder, inevitably quite polished. Steady and satisfying climbing, with good nuts, pegs and occasional bolts to protect. A tricky move up a little chimney gains a belay just left of the rib line. Vic led up p.2, a very steep start for the grade, ultra-polished in places (given 6a by some). A move right to the arete gains easier climbing up the broken gully. Just scrambling now, as I continued across the broken gully to 'thread the needle' by climbing through a huge hole and emerging on a final ridge to breathtaking views of the Calanque. In fact, the top belay on Sirene Lieutard was the first time we really appreciated the stunning beauty of the place, and must rate as one of the finest belay stances I've ever had! A short pitch up the rib gained the top. A nightmare descent followed, as inadequate guidebook descriptions meant we had to traverse across several gullies before eventually locating a tortuous (and very hot) descent through steep crags that kept us unsure until we emerged on a traverse path to the beach. This lost us over an hour of valuable time (and many kcals of energy!), so after a quick bite I grabbed a quick ascent of one of the routes on the Petit Aiguille, the obvious little needle that rises behind the beach and has been climbed on since the nineteenth century. The line was Face a la Mer, a f5+ which goes up an obvious weakness - a series of grooves and corners - to the top. After lowering off, another team infuriatingly got in front of us for Le Saphir, another famous 'mountaineering' route of En Vau, which is the classic way to end a day in the calanque (by climbing out along the ridge). After a frustrating sun-baked wait, Vic led the polished first pitch - a dazzling white pillar of limestone with deep blue sky beyond - giving me the rambling second along a narrow, horizontal Alpine ridge. Just walking really, but truly stunning views in all directions. Vic led a long, merged third up the final pillar. This was tricky to follow given the weight of my sac (with a day's provisions in it) but splendid climbing again on good polished holds. I then led an easy final pitch up the arete in a magnificent position to the plateau. Lovely ambience as we finished, evening light with some light sea mist drifting in. A long, hard walk-out along the plateau followed.