Grey Rock is located in the Cape Aya Nature Reserve between Golden Beach and Silver Beach. The Crimean mountains consist of limestone rocks, and the Gray Rock at Cape Aya consists of marl rocks mixed with clay. Despite the presence of clay, the rock is quite hard, although it is constantly washed away by rainwater.
Water runoff and weathering have made channels in the structure of the Gray Rock, therefore the rock is often called "Halva". The beach under the Gray Rock is also sometimes called Halva, although on maps it is called "Gray Rock Beach". This place looks very beautiful both from the sea and from above, from the Great Sevastopol Trail.
If you are resting and swimming on the Silver or Golden Beach at Cape Aya, then you definitely need to plan a walk to the Gray Rock. From the Silver Beach you have to climb about 200 meters up a steep slope to the Great Sevastopol Trail and then follow it to the east about 800 meters to the Gray Rock. The trail goes even closer to the Golden Beach.
At every turn of the trail and on the Gray Rock you will see very picturesque landscapes of the protected nature corner of the Crimean Mountains. The Great Sevastopol Trail begins in Balaklava and stretches for 117 kilometers, but the 6-kilometer stretch from Balaklava to Fig Beach can be called one of the most beautiful. Gray Rock is in the middle of this route.
There is a small beach at the foot of the Gray Rock. It is covered with large pebbles and slippery stones, so almost no one goes swimming here. This attracted nudists who come here from the Golden Beach in the summer season. However, if you have a desire to sunbathe without a swimsuit, it is easier to go by boat from Balaklava to Fig Beach, and from there walk to Commander Beach. It is located among the stones, covered with small pebbles, comfortable for swimming. There are also many nudists there.
