Greece · Leonidio & Kyparissi
Kapi Reborn
A newer pillar line with a pretty 45 m slab to start, a single interesting 6a+ crux on P4, and a final orange corner. It makes a good step up from Mignonette.
6a+7 pitches180 m
Mignonette
Kokkinovrachos (pillar at the right end of the main wall) · Leonidio & Kyparissi · Greece
Bail with caveatsBolting confidence: medium
The easiest multi-pitch on Kokkinovrachos, following the easy-angled arête and pillar above Leonidio, with tufas, crimpy walls and a great view of the town. Rock is good apart from the scrappy P2–P3.
- Hardest pitch
- 5c+
- Pitches
- 7
- Length
- 175 m
- Approach
- 30 min
- Aspect
- S
- South-facing
- Rope
- 1×80 m
The route
Overview
The easiest multi-pitch on Kokkinovrachos, the red wall above Leonidio. Seven short pitches follow an easy-angled pillar with slabs, small corners and water-drop pockets, never harder than about 5c. Bolting is close and the belays are chained, so it suits a first multi-pitch or a relaxed day. It is the busiest long route in Leonidio: expect queues, town noise and stones from parties above on the scrappy middle pitches.
The climbing
Pitch by pitch
5a445c5c5c5b+
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5a | 30 m | Topo grade 5a; one 2019 report thought 5b. The first bolt is fairly high. Comfortable belay. |
| P2 | 4 | 20 m | Easy, scrappy ground (the 2019 report suggests 4c). Often linked with P3, though a 2020 party advises against it because of rope drag. |
| P3 | 4 | 25 m | Easy with one harder move (5a according to the 2019 report). Poor rock. A large loose block was reported at R3 in 2019. |
| P4 | 5c | 20 m | A short traverse to the first bolt, then a slab on poor holds that needs good footwork. Reports call it the most technical pitch; one graded it 5c+. |
| P5 | 5c | 25 m | Good holds and good bolts. The belay is offset to the right and partly hidden; several parties have missed it. |
| P6 | 5c | 35 m | The longest pitch. One report mentions a couple of longer gaps between bolts. R6 was reported missing in 2019 and, in 2020, as two bolts joined only by a maillon and a piece of cord. |
| P7 | 5b+ | 20 m | The most exposed pitch, with rock a little worse near the top (5c in the 2019 report). Finishes on the plateau. |
Getting there
Approach
To the parking
Leonidio, east coast of the Peloponnese. Drive out of town on the road to Vaskina and park at the second hairpin, the Douvari sector parking (signs for Douvari, Kokkinovrachos, Red Rock, Hospital). You can also walk from the village in about 40 min.
On foot · about 30 min
About 30 min from the Douvari parking. Take the track that runs above Leonidio. After 300 m a path climbs towards the Douvari sector (sign). At the first junction, about 50 m short of Douvari, leave the Douvari sign and follow red dots up and right on a steep zigzag scree path. Keep right until you reach the cliff. Follow its base past the starts of Ramisi and Mira. The path drops, then climbs about 80 m to the foot of the route. There is no name at the base (it has worn off). Look for the bolt line on the pillar. Kapi Reborn starts just to the left and has been climbed by mistake.
Finding the route · 2 photos
OverviewThe pillar at the right end of Kokkinovrachos that Mignonette climbs, seen from the side (May 2022). The party described the line as obvious on the pillar.Photo: eusebio · CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 OverviewThe red cliffs of Kokkinovrachos above Leonidio, seen from the Agios Nektarios viewpoint on the edge of town.Photo: Patrice78500 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Map of the walk-in
- Crag
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Point from OpenStreetMap node 13450285322 (Ramisi rock, Kokkinovrachos)
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Contains the route point. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.
Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.
Coordinates: 37.17236, 22.85832 (crag)
Getting down
Descent
Two options. (1) Abseil line in the gorge to the east: from the top-out go right for a couple of hundred metres to a large cairn on the cliff edge, then follow red dots down a bushy scramble into the gorge (approx. 37°10'21.5"N 22°51'36.7"E) to a platform. Two abseils: camptocamp gives 30 m then 40 m. The second needs an 80 m rope or two ropes. Then cross the scree back to the base. The path to the anchors is easy but exposed in places. (2) Walk off: follow red dots across the plateau to a group of farms (about 10 min), reach the Vaskina road 100 m higher, and walk 6 km down the road or hitch.
Retreat
Bailing off the route
Bail with caveats
You can probably abseil off from the lower five belays, but the route is not meant to be abseiled. The belays are chained and the pitches are 20 to 35 m, so an 80 m rope should reach belay to belay. Expect to abseil through parties below and over loose rock on P2 and P3. R6 has been reported missing or joined only by a maillon and cord, so do not plan to abseil from it.
- Retreat from
- R1 to R5, which camptocamp describes as chained. R5 sits offset to the right and P4 starts with a short traverse, so those abseils will not run perfectly straight. No escape ledge or walk-off part-way is documented.
- Point of no return
- None is documented. At R6 only one 20 m pitch of 5b+ is left to the plateau, and R6 is not a reliable abseil station, so from there finishing is the practical way off.
- Carry
- 1×80 m rope, or two ropes. A maillon and some cord in case a belay is not rigged as expected.
- Basis
- Part stated, part inferredCamptocamp states the belays are chained and trip reports describe the state of R6; the guide's advice is not to abseil the route. That the abseils reach on an 80 m rope is inferred from the pitch lengths.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Hazards
- Descent abseils: the Panjika guidebook's '2×30 m' was wrong in 2019. The second abseil is about 40 m. A party with a single 60 m rope had to prusik back up and wait for help. Use an 80 m rope or two ropes.
- Belay R6: reported missing in 2019. A November 2020 report found it in place but unchained, joined only by a maillon and cord. Do not count on it for abseiling the route. Later reports do not mention it.
- Belay R5 is offset right and easy to miss. Parties who miss it run P5 into P6 (about 60 m) and run out of rope or quickdraws.
- Loose rock on the easy pitches P2 and P3, and a large loose block at R3 (2019). Stones get knocked onto parties below.
- The path to the gorge abseils is exposed in places.
- No route name at the base, and Kapi Reborn (6a+) starts just left. A 2026 party climbed it thinking it was Mignonette.
Sun and weather
Conditions
South to south-east facing and in the sun for most of the day; the concave red wall is a heat trap. Reports from November and May found it too hot by midday and recommend an early start. Sources give October or November to March or April as the season. Town noise carries up the wall. Queues at the base and on the pitches are common.
Usual season · Jan to Apr, Oct to Dec
JFMAMJJASOND
Sun on the wall · S-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
- January (usual season): not yet worked out
- February (usual season): not yet worked out
- March (usual season): not yet worked out
- April (usual season): not yet worked out
- May: not yet worked out
- June: not yet worked out
- July: not yet worked out
- August: not yet worked out
- September: not yet worked out
- October (usual season): not yet worked out
- November (usual season): not yet worked out
- December (usual season): not yet worked out
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
Estimated from the wall's aspect only. Ignores surrounding terrain, gullies and the wall's exact shape. Clock times are local to the wall (Greek time), for the 15th of each month.
Climate figures for Leonidio & Kyparissi are not available yet
What to carry
Gear
One 80 m rope and 15 quickdraws (camptocamp). A 2019 party used 2×60 m half ropes. Helmet. No trad gear needed.
Checklist
- Quickdraws
- 15
- Rope
- 1×80 m
- Helmet
- One each
- Abseil device and prusik
- The descent or the retreat involves abseiling
- Maillons or spare karabiners
- To leave behind if you retreat
- Cord
- Mentioned for retreat
Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo
From climbers
Reader reports
Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to Mignonette.
Worth knowing
Tips
- Start early and walk off: this is the most popular long route in Leonidio and it gets hot.
- Do not abseil the route. It blocks other parties and R6 is not a proper abseil station.
- Hitching down the Vaskina road usually works; several reports got lifts.
- A 2020 party took 2.5 h for the route; another took 1 h 45 min.
- The neighbouring Kapi Reborn (6a+) and Mira (6b) are the next steps up on the same wall.
Open questions
Where sources disagree
- Pitch grades: camptocamp (following the topo) gives 5a, 4, 4, 5c, 5c, 5c, 5b+. The 2019 olympusmountaineering report regrades them 5b, 4c, 5a, 5c+, 5c, 5c, 5c. The guide above uses the topo grades and mentions the others.
- Overall grade: 5c on rockaroundtheworld and alpinetrek, 5c+ in camptocamp's header and on olympusmountaineering.
- Abseil lengths: guidebook 2×30 m (reported wrong), camptocamp 30 m + 40 m, a 2018 report 20 m + 40 m. All agree the second is about 40 m.
- R6: missing (2019) versus present but unchained (2020).
- Aspect: S on camptocamp; a 2020 report says it is really E to SE.
Provenance
Sources
- Camptocamp – Leonidio: MignonetteUsed for: approach, topo pitch grades and lengths, descent options, gear, history
- Olympus Mountaineering – Multi-pitch climb on Kokkinovrachos, MignonetteUsed for: pitch character, missing R6, loose block, gear, first ascent year
- Rock Around The World – Leonidio, MignonetteUsed for: approach, queues, abseil length error and 60 m rope incident
- Camptocamp – trip report, 11 Nov 2020Used for: name worn off, R5 missed, R6 unchained, aspect, walk-off time
- Camptocamp – trip report, 31 Mar 2018Used for: loose rock, abseil descent details
- Camptocamp – trip report, 31 Oct 2021Used for: crowds, noise, bolting quality
- Camptocamp – trip report, 21 May 2022Used for: 40 min walk from village, missed R5, road walk-off
- Camptocamp – Kapi Reborn trip report, 23 Mar 2026Used for: confusion with Kapi Reborn at the base
- Alpinetrek blog – Climb in LeonidioUsed for: overall grade, season, helmet advice
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Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.