Woodland Workings

Well what a difference a day makes...

No Costa Blanca sunshine today! It's been a wet Welsh day of working in the woods at the Colwyn Bay Forest School. It was, however, the kind of day where at least everyone was kept active as it was the only way to stay warm! We were rather proud of our efforts this morning; building this saw horse. 

Things brightened up a bit in the afternoon when we went orienteering in the woods by the Conwy estuary (By this I mean, just showers, not torrential rain!).

 

Didn't get back to The Cottage until just after 8pm, but made sure there was still time for a quick pancake session before collapsing into bed...

 

Travelling - Sunshine to Snow

There was actually a thick sea mist when we woke up this morning; we could bearly see the ground from our elevated position. But by the time we'd fixed a brew, the sun had burst through in spectacular style and we were treated one last time to this amazing view.

It should have been a short leisurely drive to the airport at Alicante, but an accident had closed the road, so we suddenly found ourselves on a huge detour that over doubled the distance, but thankfully we arrived in time (via a toll road!) to return the car and check-in without too much stress. Having left the warmth and sunshine of Spain, we arrived in Manchester a few hours later to falling snow and contrasting driving conditions that only got worse the closer to Wales we got!

 

However, by the time we arrived back at The Cottage, the storm had passed and the mountains of the Carneddau were plastered in a beautiful new white coat that was dazzling in the afternoon sunlight.

I think the evening is going to be spent re-adjusting, unpacking and preparing for what looks to be another busy few days. What a totally fantastic week of sunshine, climbing, exploring and just hanging out it's been. I think we'll need a holiday to get over it!... ;-)

Double Crag Day - Climbing at Sax & Marin

Last day of sunny bolt clipping for a while, so decided to make the most of it. Couldn't resist going back to Sax, but also managed a bonus visit to the excellent crags of Murin as well. 

 

The weather was the best yet, so we had to pop down to the beach before heading off as it's not every day we get to dip our toes in the Med after breakfast.

It seemed even quieter than ever outside. Not even any trams as we crossed the boulevard.

 

That's the view of our pad (the right-hand block) from the waters edge. 

 

If we'd had more time we might have stayed at the beach, but time was ticking and there was first class rock to be climbed!

 

This time, there was no Sat Nav drama and we had the entire cliff to ourselves. It seemed mad to be hiking up with extra jackets in my rucksack, but once the shadows arrived, we knew it gets cold up there! The 'Alpine Attack' that Lowe Alpine have given me to test, easily fitted everything in and is super comfy to carry.

 

We started off with a brilliant climb that had a hanging belay, just inside a cave at the top of the first pitch.

 

Clare then had daunting task of leaving the comfy cave ledge and pulling through some overhangs straight off the stance - 40m above the ground. Exhilarating exposure!

 

I then had to follow and we were soon reunited at the top, feeling very happy indeed.

A quick walk down and we were ready for more of the same.

 

Once the sun moved off the main face, we re-located to the lower (and warmer) Marin, our second crag of the day, where we climbed two of the classic routes. The last one was just before it got dark, so Clare zoomed up in one giant 40m pitch to conclude our efforts of this particular trip.  

Given the very last minute decision to come here to the Costa Blanca (or Spain at all for that matter), we are both, very surprisingly pleased at how fantastic it's been. Even better, is the fact that it's also probably been one of the cheapest trips we've ever done. I'm going to do the workings out later, but it will be interesting to compare with other places. Having had such a great week, how could we have afforded not to! 

Sax - Penas del Rey:

- Super Directa 6a,5+***

- Directisima 6a** (first pitch)

- Andurina 6a,5+**

Marin - Sector Classico:

- Placa Gris 5,5+***

- Jhony 3*,4*** (in one pitch)

Climbing at Sax, Costa Blanca

 

Went on a little adventure inland today to the amazing cliffs near Sax. This is one of the reasons to travel to these continental sport climbing areas - for fantastic climbing on large, smooth sweeps of limestone, covered in tiny pockets, holds and plenty of bolts. Oh, and bathed in plenty of winter sunshine! 

The last part of the drive there got the Sat Nav a little confused and the hire car driver a little nervous, but it was actually all ok and not the 4x4 track it looked like it might turn into! Rock climbing really does take you off the beaten track!

 

The rock is simply brilliant here. And warm enough for skins too! Pure pleasure.

 

Comfy belay ledges too.

 

And you get to finish on a little summit! Unusually for bolted climbs, you have to walk off the side of the peak, but it only takes a few minutes and someone has even cemented a few foot holds onto the scrambling section!

 

We climbed several routes, all of top quality. Never desperate, but all requiring some thought and nice moves.

 

The views were far reaching above the almond tree orchards.

 

 

Most of the routes have been well bolted, but there was traces of older times - including some wooded wedges in the cracks and the odd old piton - don't think I'd like a hanging stance off either thanks!

 

The car was parked down by the orchards where the blossom was in full bloom.

 

 

It got cold quick once the sun left the crag and by the time we walked away, we were back in down jackets again. It was well worth the drive, but late by the time we were back at the coast; but not too late for a celebratory drink!

 

Sax - Penas Del Rey;

- Blanes 4+,4+***

- Tupungato 5,5+***

- Amor Brujo 6a*,5+*****

Bikes on the Boulevard - A day of work, rest and play

Thought we'd have a change of scene today and go for a bike ride! And why not - the apartment that we are staying in has some bikes that we can borrow and outside the house is 12km of perfectly flat beachside cycling. It seemed rude not to.

But not straight away of course! Best to lie in for a bit and watch the sun emerge from the haze of clouds out on the horizon.

The day was actually quite overcast, but plenty warm enough as we peddled out way along the deserted boulevard towards Alicante.

 

We stopped for a little gym session on some beach equipment that had pull-up bars and balance beams, before we reached the end of the line.

 

We also found a couple of swings to have a go on.

 

It's a funny mixture of views here. In one direction are palm trees, sand and ocean...

 

Then turn around and 'surprise!' there's a huge tower block, tram line and McDonalds.

 

We did stumble across a tiny delicatessen, where we purchased a baguette for lunch (but mostly so Clare could ride with it in her shopping basket)!

After trundling back home, we had a late lunch before Clare ran a work webinar. Afterwards, our friends came round for dinner which made for a very enjoyable rest/work/social day indeed.

 

Climbing at Sierra de Toix, Costa Blanca

The crags of Sierra de Toix were one of the first areas to be bolted for 'sport climbing' back in the 1980s, so we thought we should pay them a visit. The routes are good, but some of the bolts are now showing their age so be careful!

The day actually started with a little rain, so there was no rush to get out and about. By the time we'd made it though a good sized breakfast, some coffees, pastries and a few jobs, things were starting to dry out. As a kind of 'sight-seers curiosity', we drove past the 'holiday paradise' of 'Benidorm' to see if it really is as bad as people make out. It's an impressive skyline, with huge hotel skyscrapers that must literally be able to accommodate millions of people. We didn't go though the centre of town, but if the outskirts were anything to go by, we weren't missing out. Interestingly, as we drove home in the dark, there were hardly any lights on in any of the buildings, so presumably, the place must be empty right now. Very strange.

The crags are on the edge of a resort development, so the view looking down was a bit like looking down onto a toy town or model village, with perfectly planned roads, apartments and swimming pools.

 

The vibe when we arrived was much different at Toix, with many teams climbing and abseiling up and down various routes, all shouting commands and questions at each other in various languages. What with all the development below, the noise of the other climbers and a strong wind blowing, it was a far cry from the peace and tranquillity of yesterday! As it turned out, (because we arrived later in the day?) the groups soon began to leave and as (loosely) arranged, we soon found our friends hanging off a nearby cliff.

 

We were moving really well after a few days of 'warming up' and climbed quite a few routes in a short space of time. Some of the classic longer routes that we wanted to do were exposed to the wind, so once the other teams had left, we nipped up them too - the air temperature was in the twenties, so at least it was a warm wind.

 

Just before it got dark, the sun appeared through the haze of clouds to give a really cool sunset. I tried to take a picture, but it doesn't really do it justice.

 

It only takes two minutes to walk back to the car, so we really could make the most of the extended daylight by climbing until well past 7pm.

Sierra de Toix - Costa Blanca:
- Renov 4+, 5**
- Black Route II 5**
- Red Route II 5+,5**
- Espolon Limaban 4,5*** (great line, terrible bolts though!)
- Dedi UBSA 5**

Climbing at Reconco, Costa Blanca, Spain

The day broke with a hazy sunrise...

But the sun soon found its strength and we took another walk along the deserted beach to stretch our legs after breakfast. The sand is immaculate - mainly because a team of cleaners walk the length of it daily, with a tractor and rake it to pick up anything that got washed up over night! We almost felt bad putting footprints on it! Clare even found something to climb along the way. 

Around midday, we sped out of town in our 'caffe latte' Fiat Panda, heading for the cliffs of Reconco. It's a brand new car with only 600km on the clock, but the engine was straining to reach 70mph. I think it's designed more for shoppers. In about 40 minutes, we were parked up and hiking uphill to the base of the deserted crag.

 

Being inland, we had much different views today. The area is very barren and dry. The haze remained all day, so the sun was never baking us, but it was still warm enough for t-shirts, even though a slight breeze was blowing.

 

The limestone climbing was excellent. Long pitches, very generous bolting and flowy moves between sharp water worn pockets all made for a very enjoyable day. And we had the crag to ourselves too, so there was never any pressure to move on. In fact we'd stop for a sunbath and some food between each climb - we are on holiday afterall!

Most of the routes we did were nice and long too at about 35m in length. You really could get zoned in on the climbing and enjoy some sustained movement. On some routes we used all 14 quickdraws that we'd brought. Most of the climbs even had a krab to lower down on, so we didn't even have to expend any time or effort re-threading the ropes.

 

On the way home, we stopped off at a big supermarket and stocked up on fine foods and a nice bottle of Rioja, before getting home for showers and a much needed big feed.

Costa Blanca - Reconco - Main Cliff:

- Espolon Aureli 4+,5**

- Pata Chula 5+**

- Desconeguda 5***

- Sexta 6a**

- La Llagrima 6a***