My General Blog: From the archives: Spain for the hobby climber

I had started writing this post in December 2020 and never finished it. Apparently my plan had been to write about all climbing destinations I have visited in Spain, but had endurance only for Catalonia. For the rest of the destinations, I just add their names and photos. (I just literally spent an hour going through my photos, and did not even bother to select best ones. And even though this whole blog is about me, I feel kind of selfish posting so many photos of me climbing.) Anyways, better late (and unfinished and bad quality - even part of the text is black) than never...

Here we go, enjoy some flashbacks from 6-12 years ago. Had I know that was the best I got at climbing, would I have enjoyed my achievements even more at the time. The original text:

Somehow I have ended up spending a lot of time in Spain - altogether around 8 months during the past 3 winters. Had I known this, would I have learned more Spanish than just numbers, foods and drinks. (Although already those ones come handy especially in small villages, where people rarely speak English.)

Naturally I have toured many climbing destinations around Spain. Today, due to corona, I am stuck at home and I feel like looking back to all the great times spent at the crags, guest houses, tapas places and on the road. So I thought to write a summary of what Spain has to offer for the hobby climber like me. (As known, Spain for sure is a mecca for the serious sport climber. Where ever you go, you find random 9As that some local guys set up for themselves.) As climbing trips are not just about climbing, but also about friends, conditions and experiences, this review will admittedly be subjective.

1. Catalonia

If you fly to Spain from far away, it will most likely be to Barcelona. I absolutely love the city for its variability, architecture, great food and atmosphere, but that is another story. Anyways I recommend spending a few days there, and there are also crags nearby. I visited the well known Montserrat conglomerate towers and Grau dels Matxos, where you can find around 200 routes on blond limestone. I was traveling alone, but it was easy to find climbing partners at the "Rock Climbing Barcelona" Facebook page.

1.1. Siurana

Accommodation: We stayed in the dorm at Camping Siurana. Although it was freezing cold - it even snowed! - the dorm was comfortably warm with a pellet heater and the kitchen building was survivable with an open fire. There is also a restaurant serving tasty meals, as well as offering laundry service and shower (1-2€) for van people.

Climbing: Although some crags can be accessed by foot from the camping, driving makes things easier. Depending on how the crags are situated, they can be shady / sunny and windy / protected. The climbing style is vertical and technical. I did not find many easy routes worth mentioning, unless you like scary bolted sandbags. I enjoyed most the sunny and warm sector Salt de la Reina Mora (left) that has several friendly 7As. Within a short drive is Arboli, that offers more nice options in the 5-6 grades.

Life: The little romantic village Siurana is situated on top of a hill. It is perfect for watching the sunset and then going for a dinner at one of the cute restaurants. For grocery shopping one must drive down to Cornudella de Montsant, where you can find also a co-op store with local products and a climbing shop.

1.2 Margalef

Accommodation: I was lucky to sleep in a friend's fancy van, so I did not experience the climbing hostel Refugi de Margalef other than to find out that it looks nice.

Climbing: Because we had climbers of different levels in our group, we stayed the whole time at one crag, Espadelles, where we found good routes from 6B to 8B. The conglomerate routes with many pockets are athletic and pretty short, and I really like them! Some routes are accessed from top of a rock pile (that can be adjusted by adding more rocks for shorter climbers). It is also worth visiting the "other" side of the crag called Punta Espadelles for morning sun and cool 6Cs.

Life: We spent our rest days in Cafe Vernet. They offer WiFi, shower (for 4€ unlimited hot water and a towel) and pub style food. In evenings climbers gather there to drink some beers. Other than that, there is a little supermarket (owned by a friendly lady) and Camping Margalef with a bar and laundry service.

1.3 Montsant

Accommodation: I do not know if there is accommodation actually in La Morera de Montsant (the tiny village nearby the crags), but it is not a long drive from Siurana or Margalef. We parked our van right at the crag's parking lot, although the drive up there was a bit challenging.

Climbing: The half-an-hour hike up to the crag is definitely worth it! The impressive cliff hosts countless great climbs, and is a good pick for climbers of all levels. The routes are same style as Margalef, but longer and friendlier bolted. I recommed walking also a bit further left from the entrace path to find more excellent routes, rather than just climbing the nearest ones. As a bonus, you can enjoy amazing sunsets walking back from the crag.

Life: As noted before, La Morena is not a climbers' centre, but you can find a tiny supermarket and some good restaurants there.

I think I lost my shoes at that crag ;)

1.4 Rodellar

Accommodation: Refugio Kalandraka is located beautifully overlooking the climbing valley. The dorms are comfortable (do not forget to bring your own pillow and blanket!), showers are accessible to everyone with € coins and there is a common kitchen (again, bring your own cooking gear). It is worth buying a dinner once in a while, too, especially the filling lasagna.

Climbing: All crags are accessible by walking. When I visited it was hot and we were looking for shady sectors. I found some nice routes, but I think you should climb high 7s in order to fully enjoy the erea. The style is sporty and overhanging with tufas, that I like, but sadly many lower grade routes are already polished. I will definitely return to Rodellar if I someday climb stronger.

Life: The refugio is for sure the social centre, where also van people come to hang out sometimes. In the village there is a tiny shop, but I'd recommed doing main shopping in a bigger supermarket. When I visited 3 years ago there was also a climbing shop, however we never saw it open.

1.5 Abella de la Conca

Accommodation: I spent a few weeks in the absolutely charming Abella Eco-Refugi, that is the perfect quiet place to relax. The small hostel has a comfortable sleeping area, excellent showers, a fully equipped kitchen and a living room. I would recommend arranging climbing partners beforehand, as I ended up spending a few days alone as the only guest.

Climbing: There is (slabby, if I remember correctly) climbing right by the hostel. Most days we ended up driving 1-2 hours to visit different crags, and I found them all excellent with many nice 6s. Camarasa is a local hotspot with over 400 limestone routes. I enjoyd the sectors La Selva and Fashion. El Molino is a small overhanging congloromate crag. Sadly I have not written down the names of the other places, so I cannot recommed them, but there is a lot of climbing info available at the refugio.

Life: There is nothing but a few houses in Abella de la Conca. However, it is convinient to visit supermarkets on the way to/from the crags.