For a few years now the Crest of Benicadell has been on our 'to-do' list and for various reasons we've only just got around to doing it.
Information about the ridge is hard to come by, in particular we struggled to find much useful information about how to locate the starting point, and of course this is crucial. So under the 'Spain' section of the website we will be publishing a guide to the ridge including approach details.

So what's it like? Pretty fantastic actually. Only just over an hour from our base in Llosa de Camacho, we pass through sleepy villages to arrive at the mountain refuge ' Casa Forestal'. The walk in was easy too, and in less than half an hour we were gearing up at the base of this impressive looking ridge which seemed to stretch for a very long way.

The traverse begins with a couple of pitches of grade 4+ & 4 climbing, so worth roping up for. Once established on the ridge the way ahead is straightforward but very exposed, so a rope is optional.

The scrambling finishes on the summit of Benicadell, and from here a good footpath leads down the north side of the mountain and easily back to the parking area.

The traverse took us 5 hours 40 minutes car to car including a few short stops. It's worth allowing at least 6 hours and take it nice and leisurely.

We are now adding this traverse to our itineraries, so if you'd like to try it and prefer to be guided, please get in touch and let's make it happen.

Thanks to my team mate Rachel for joining me on this adventure.

 Mark

​After a few days of single pitch climbing on the local crags here on the Costa Blanca, it was time to climb something a little bigger. Rachel was coming back to stay today so we decided to show her the fabulous Sonjannika climb on the Morro Falqui sea cliffs near Moraria. We took a direct line up the route making the whole trip a grade 6a+ with outstanding positions throughout.
I’ve done this climb many times now and each time it gets better, such a brilliant place. Ann & Joe were with us on this climb so I was able to get some nice photos of them as they climbed behind us.
Thankfully this route doesn’t appear in any guidebooks so it’s a quiet venue and free of polish (long may that remain). If you do choose to climb here please be considerate to local residents and wildlife as access agreements for the nearby Deep Water Soloing (DWS) are fragile.
 
Today we had admin duties in Alicante and the forecast was for some dampness in the air. So we packed some Via Ferrata kit and planned to check out the big ferrata on El Cid. The weather turned out just fine and the via ferrata was excellent, with loads of sections without staples allowing for a more climbing feel to the day.
The total ascent is about 300m and terminates on the summit of the mountain. This is a place to pause and fully enjoy the splendid views on offer, it seems like the whole of Spain lies below, spreading out like an eternal patchwork carpet of colour.
An easy descent on a well maintained PR route makes for a quick return to the parking area, perfect.
For more information about the via ferrata check out our ‘Guides and Information’ page on the website.
 
 
If you’re looking for an action packed holiday or short break here in Spain, give us a call / email and let’s make it happen. Rock climbing, mountain walking, scrambling, canyoning, and via ferrata.
 
Thanks
 
Mark

​On Sunday I had the opportunity to go climbing on the mighty Puig Campana. Having done a few routes on this mountain already, I was very keen to check out more of what it has to offer and start to piece together a very long link-up route that would total around 30 pitches of rock climbing up to about VS grade.
 
We arrived at the parking above the Font d’Moli nice and early, although a few had beaten us to it and it looked like it could be a busy day on the mountain. Immediately upon leaving the car we noticed the strong breeze which was also impacting the temperature. Still, we remained optimistic so began the gentle walk in towards the base of Aristotles, a 10 pitch HS/VS. Once at the base of the route my optimism began to blow away in the gale force winds! Attempting the first pitch seemed necessary but inevitably we retreated from this one quite quickly.
After packing up we followed a pleasant scrambling line to the base of the popular Espolon Central route, the classic 13 pitch HS. From here we continued the scramble into the depths of Barranco del Infierno, a wide but ever narrowing gully which ultimately becomes a narrow canyon. This is where the routes we were most interested in are. It wasn’t quite so windy, but alas higher on the mountain the trees still swayed violently so a complete ascent wasn’t an option.
Instead we spent some time checking through the topo drawings we had brought and matching them up with crag features, in particular the starts of routes. This was time very well spent.
We finished our visit by climbing the first pitch of a route called ‘Sin Nombre’ (without name). This was pleasant and on excellent rock. A straightforward, if slightly spiky abseil took us back down to ground level and a retreat from the mountain for us.
During our searching we had be honoured to catch sight of an Eagle soaring high above. This magnificent bird made a couple of appearances before retreating to no doubt less windy places!
 
A good day was had on a beautiful mountain. We had made the right decision not to climb and risk being blown off the mountain by high winds. But it would be easy to allow temptation to get in the way of sound judgement, and this should be considered by those on short stay climbing holidays in the area (or any other mountain area for that matter). We could see a number of teams high on Espolon Central as we walked down, wow how wild it must have been up there, let’s hope they all had a great day and made it back down safely.
We’ll report again soon once we get this route ticked.
 
After a stack of admin tasks on Monday morning, the afternoon became free to explore yet more rocky places, this time nearer to our base in La Llosa. I’d heard the Barranco de la Canal was a fine place but had not appreciated it until a recent rock climbing day at Guadalest crags, from where it can be partially viewed from a distance. The amount of rock up there astounded me and I absolutely had to go for a closer look. Thankfully it’s really close to La Llosa and the approach walk from the Castell de Castells side is quick and easy, so far so good then.
 
I found a rocky spur on the Eastern side of El Castellet, but alas this gave poor and insecure scrambling. Not to be deterred I ventured to the far side of El Castellet and here I found a serrated rocky ridge that looked rather fun. Access to the base was nice and easy and the scrambling was excellent and on mostly good quality Limestone. The route leads all the way to El Castellet which is a fantastic vantage point. Overall grade for the scramble would be a UK grade 1.
 
My return walk initially went towards the amazing Barranco de la Canal. Wow what a sight this is. The scrambling and rock climbing possibilities seem huge. Watch this space for updates soon.
 
And then onto Tuesday’s exploits! More rock scrambling was in order and again this would be close to home in La Llosa. The Caval Verd ridge above Murla presents a fine walking itinerary and I reckoned there were scrambling possibilities up there too. A steep ascent on the track from Murla saw me quickly gain a rocky crest which offered sections of mild scrambing over sharp Limestone. After summiting the East Peak the terrain became more scrambly up to Penya Riog at 790m and the main summit on the Eastern section of ridge. Had it not been quite so windy I would have continued my exploration to make this a circular route, but alas with such steep and exposed terrain this wasn’t the day for it.
Returning via the same tracks was still very pleasant and provided all the seaward views I had missed during the ascent.
 
If you’re looking for an action packed holiday or short break here in Spain, give us a call / email and let’s make it happen. Rock climbing, mountain walking, scrambling, canyoning, and via ferrata.
 
Thanks
 
Mark

​A change of pace for us today and a new (for us) climbing venue visited. Having been to have a look at the Guadalest crags a couple of years back, I’d since been keen to go back with climbing kit and do some routes and it all blended well for that to happen today.
I would climb with Susie who is wanting to get back on rock and enjoy the sensation of rock climbing. Kate & Rachel would climb together and tick off a few of the steeper routes on offer, and there’s so much on offer up here.
 
Me & Susie worked our way through 8 routes, all of which are to be recommended, all are green spot routes in the Rockfax Costa Blanca guide and located on the Penya Maura section of crag. Kate & Rachel started in the same area before moving over to the Penya l’Alcala crag. They also reported good things about the routes climbed. A thumbs up all round for Guadalest crag then. On top of good climbing here, the views are fantastic and include the Guadalest reservoir and the Cumbre de Aixorta mountains with their serrated rocky spires.
 
During the summer months the narrow streets of Guadalest fill up with tourists looking to pick up souvenirs of their holiday to Costa Blanca. Thankfully, during the cooler months it’s a much quieter village and the quaint streets and shops can be enjoyed to the full. Post climbing coffee overlooking the crags is not to be missed either, needless to say we indulged in some of this.
 
If visiting the Costa Blanca and looking for an escape from the coast, this place is well worth putting on the list.
 
If you’re looking for an action packed holiday or short break here in Spain, give us a call / email and let’s make it happen. Rock climbing, mountain walking, scrambling, canyoning, and via ferrata.
 
Thanks
 
Mark

After a brief rest we headed back to the local crags, climbing 6 routes. L’Ocaive crag provides welcome shade until mid-afternoon, making it an ideal venue for warmer days. The outlook is superb and it’s only a few minutes from the house, can’t fault it then!
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The steep and sharp nature of L’Ocaive took its toll on our fingers so Friday called for a shorter crag session. We had plenty of admin to be doing anyway so that worked well. During the afternoon we did however venture over to the nearby Segaria TV crags, just for a look. Well, we packed climbing kit too, just in case. As predicted, it was peaceful and in the shade. We set about choosing routes, finding a couple of lines that looked enjoyable. Both routes we climbed here were very well bolted and gave interesting climbing on impeccable limestone, we’ll definitely be back for more. With easy access, great views over the valleys and to Pego marshes, there’s plenty to recommend this little known crag.
 
For the weekend we were joined by friends from Castellon. Their plan being to climb on the sea cliffs near Javea. We decided to tag along too and enjoy some rock climbing by the sea. Sonjannika is a 6 pitch climb of about 180m and provides stunning climbing in quite unbelievable positions on this massive cliff. The big bonus with climbing here is the nearby beach for post climb swimming in the warm sea.
 
On Tuesday I had work planned guiding Matt & Rachel over the Segaria ridge. However, a last minute call from our friend Ann and an invite for us all to go water skiing saw us postpone the ridge traverse and check out some water sports. We discovered that Rachel is a natural skier, with Matt and Kate being pretty good too, whilst I don’t have sea legs so had to get ditched for a while and sunbath instead. All in all a fantastic day all round.
 
Wednesday became our Segaria ridge day, so an early-ish start to give us a fighting chance. This narrow, rocky ridge is over 4km long and a traverse involves numerous pitches of rock climbing, 3 abseils, and a huge amount of airy rock scrambling on the sharpest limestone ever! We made swift progress to the base of the ridge, but already the sun was tiring us. We climbed about 4 pitches of rock before an easing let us revert to solo mode and a speeding of our movement. The nature of the terrain requires constant concentration at all times, so we made sure to have plenty of short breaks to let our brains recharge.
Our cut-off time at the big col was set for 2pm, we arrived at a staggering 12.30pm. This allowed us to ease off the power a little, enjoy more stops, and check out the views.
We took the time to re-equip an old abseil station, making it safer for us and those traversing in the future. More very airy scrambling led to our final abseil down to the Segaria TV crag, bringing with it some very welcome shade and a well deserved rest! The walk down was nice and easy, initially through pine trees, then orange grooves. We all arrived back suitably exhausted, out of food and water, but extremely happy with a satisfaction that only a big mountain day can bring.  
 
If you’re looking for an action packed holiday, short break, or a day out during your holiday here in Spain, give us a call / email and let’s make it happen. Rock climbing, mountain walking, scrambling, canyoning, and via ferrata.
 
Thanks
 
Mark