Recently i've been thinking more and more about why I go rock climbing. Why venture onto precipitous cliffs, enter into  potentially dangerous situations, and climb big (or small) lumps of rock.
We'll no doubt all have slightly different answers to this. Of late i've spent time observing others more closely to understand their climbing needs.
I've found my answer, why do I climb. Yes, it's partly for the movement over rock, the satisfaction of climbing a route and reaching the top.
But there are overhelming factors to a fantastic day out on the rock:
1) The people we are with
2) The places we explore

Grades are simply unimportant, and it's repeated plenty times that the best climber is the one having the most fun. This is so true.  
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Todays route was on the Toix sea cliffs near Calpe. Magical Mystery Tour is a 5 pitch route with a max grade of 5. So the climbing is never particularly tricky, but there's so much more to this place than the climbing and I was reminded of that today. Sharing amazing experiences and places is what it's about, thank you Miguel & Mila for joining me on this today and sharing your enthusiasm for wild places.

Mark

Today four of us went to the coast in search of sunshine and warm rock to climb. We found both and had a brilliant time on the Candelabra del Sol sea cliffs below the popular Toix Oeste rock climbing area.

We climbed Rowlands Magical Mystery Tour 5+. This is a route I have done many times previously, whilst for Vicky, Edd, and George it was their first time on the crag. The abseil approach sets the tone, this is a serious and commiting venue with no easy escape, making it all the more fun and involving.

We whizzed along the scrambling pitches in no time at all, had a rest then got on with the climbing pitches. Thankfully these are all now bolted, so there's an added feeling of security on what actually looks like very friable rock (although it mostly feels very solid).
The climbing here is always a delight, with fine moves in dramatic situations, culminating in the final fabulous pitch leading back up to the path.

Vicky & Edd were always close behind, catching us up at every belay, so it was a nice social trip too. Enjoying lunch whilst admiring the wonderful view out over the sea from the top is a very special time. A fine route with good friends.
Thanks George, Vicky, and Edd.

Mark

It's been a really busy week here on the Costa Blanca, and thankfully the weather came up trumps yet again.

The week started by teaming up to work with 'Climb Costa Blanca' who were putting on an action packed itinerary for Jane, Pam, and Dave.
After a gentle introduction to the area at Echo valley, including an ascent of the nearby barranco, the following day things moved up a gear, or two!

The Barranco del Infierno is a regional classic and a journey not to be missed by any visiting adventurers. Words don't do this one justice, but photos give you an idea of the magic of this place. About 10 abseils, lots of scrambling, and masses of jaw dropping scenery make this a day to remember forever.

By Wednesday there were aching muscles amongst the team, but all were super keen for the Bernia ridge. Setting off nice and early, we were able to walk to the start of the traverse in the shade, thus keeping nice and cool. Once on the ridge a northerly breeze still kept the heat of the day off and was very welcome. With abseils, climbs, and a huge amount of spectacular scrambling this ridge is a cracking day out high above the coastal towns and villages of Costa Blanca. We opted for the scree run descent and everyone took to this really quickly bringing much fun and laughter. Finishing the day off with coffee at the Bernia restaurant whilst the sun dipped behind the ridge gave us a perfect end to the day.

Thursday brought with it more adventure, this time on the Toix sea cliffs for me, Pam, and Jane, whilst Kim & Dave tackled the Toix ridge traverse.
Magical Mystery Tour: grade 5 - this adventure begins with a 40m+ free-hanging abseil to just above the sea. This really sets the scene and often causes a few wobbles on first acquaintance! Pam & Jane were cruising though.
The initial pitches are easy, but through outstanding scenery. I've climbed this route many times now, and every time the adventure level still feels really high, brilliant. The final 3 pitches are super exciting, with exposed traverses, steep walls, and a sharp top out, all making this a memorable experience, one of my absolute favourites.

A farewell evening filled with curry & beer with plenty of laughter and plans being made for next year.

Big thanks to Kim at 'Climb Costa Blanca' - Jane, Pam, and Dave for great company and climbing. Hope to see you all again for more adventures in the sun.

​Mark  

The climate here on the Costa Blanca is about as good as it gets. Warm sunny days, low rainfall, and sheltered from harsh  westerly winds. And of late the weather has been behaving particularly well with near perfect conditions every day, split or what!

We've been making the most of these great conditions and have enjoyed a few big adventures.

Segaria ridge:
A few weeks ago I completed a traverse of the western section of this fine ridge: ​www.mountain-journeys.co.uk/blog/segaria-ridge-traverse-part-2  --  and now was time to finish it off by climbing the eastern section in full.
A short walk under the steep eastern face leads to rough ground and the initial traverse pitch. This is easy, but exposed and it's nice to have a rope on. Once in the notch it's a case of follow the wide ridge until an abseil station is reached (20m). More easy climbing leads out of this deep notch along more of the ridge to reach another significant notch. Here it's necessary to climb leftwards along a platform (not to the right as described by Rockfax) below very steep ground, as this eases (about 10m) follow a ledge system back right towards a fixed rope and belay above. From here easy scrambling leads to the summit cross.
Soon after this is a very narrow section of ridge, this is really exciting. Once beyond this the ridge widens considerably and easy scrambling and walking remain to reach the wide col. We turned left (south) here and headed back to the car.

Puig Campana:
The plan was to repeat Epsilon Central (HS) on this massive crag. However, even though we started out early, there were already 3 teams on the route, and 2 more teams arrived shortly after us!! Plan b, a slightly easier route called 'El Moro' (Severe). This is about 350 - 400m and contains a fair bit of scrambling too. We had the route to ourselves which is always nice. We didn't have the base of the route to ourselves though! Goats, a whole;e herd of them, came to see us. They particularly liked our climbing kit. It was a privilege to be so close to these animals and for them to clearly not be afraid of us. A beautiful start to the climbing.
About 10 pitches later we arrived at the top of the route, briefly considered a summit dash too, but thought better of it as our water supply was by now very low. The descent into the huge gully was easier than I remembered it, thankfully.

Toix Este - Horst:
This is a favourite of ours and a route we've done many times with many people, it's always a pleasure. Starting high above the sea and with views across to the Penon, it's a wonderful setting. The 1st pitch of climbing is the most difficult, but the rest of the route (4 more pitches) are still very worthwhile and on super sharp rock that's nice and solid. The route terminates at what looks like a small quarry. Walk left here (looking in) to gain the continuation ridge above, this leads up to the Mirador at about grade 1.
From the Mirador it's easy to finish off and head to town for a beer. Or, why not walk to Toix Oeste and climb Cilber up to the Toix ridge and finish with a full traverse of this, again finishing back at the Mirador. Then you've really earned that beer!
On this occasion we cut it short and called it a day after the Toix Este route.

Via Ferrata - Ponoch:
A regular trip for me, a re-visit after 4 years for Kate, and a first time for Leanne. Much fun was had by all on this metalled, vertical playground.
Cloud rolled in and shrouded us, but later cleared to show the full scale of Ponoch. Note to self - must get more routes ticked on this mountain.

Magical Mystery Tour, Toix sea cliffs:
A magical expedition to a dramatic sea cliff. The 40m free-hanging abseil sets the tone for this serious adventure. Whilst the initial climbing is easy (about grade 2), this soon changes and the challenges come thick and fast.
As with all the very best routes, the hardest pitch is saved until the end, with 40m of grade 5 and only about 6 bolts protecting the whole pitch, keeps things interesting that's for sure. A simply brilliant route.

Thanks to: Kate, Leanne, Joe, Ann, Kim, and Susie for joining in these adventures.

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More busy times here on the Costa Blanca and more clear blues skies to enjoy.

Back on Monday 7th December Kim was guiding Joe & Sang on the amazing Magical Mystery Tour on the Toix sea cliffs. This all starts with a dramatic 40m abseil into the crag and follows with 5 pitches of increasing brilliant climbing. Joe & Sang enjoyed this so much, they have already requested to do it again in February, great news.

On the same day we welcomed Dave from Fresh Air Learning. Dave was here to sample the fine scrambling on offer nearby. We began with a short barranco ascent in the Echo valley. This initially follows a dry river bed and finishes on a nearby summit with amazing views all the way out to sea.
The following day me & Dave traversed the Toix ridge. After an initial climb, this becomes a knife edged arete that requires a steady approach. Dave breezed across this and soon we were once more on a summit offering fine sea & mountain views.
By Wednesday the weather was a little more uncertain and we changed plans to fit with this. Going to the nearby Olta mountain we found a fine scrambling route towards the plateau, from where we could join the path over to the summit. As we descended a little rain also descended!!! Thankfully not very much and we all stayed pretty dry, phew!
Home time for Dave on Thursday, hope to see you out here again soon.

On Saturday we met up with a local climber, Miguel. We went North to a Via Ferrata near Gandia, Las Marujes. This turned out to be brilliant and we discovered a nicely bolted crag on our return walk, bonus.
The Via Ferrata begins with a Tibetan bridge over a ravine, then a long and steep climb to the top of the main crag, followed by a shorter climb to the summit. A well maintained track leads back to the parking area in Tavernes.

Sunday was a big mountain day. Aristotle on the mighty Puig Campana. 10 pitches of traditional climbing followed by 3 abseils to descend, so quite a day.
The climb is split into 2 distinct sections (lower & upper) and it's possible to escape at the top of pitch 5. The lower section is quite difficult to route find, but does contain some fine climbing. But it's the upper section where the main fun lies. Pitch 6 is about VS4b and above this the whole route follows an ever narrowing arete, culminating in pinnacles at the top. With a few hundred metres of fresh air below, this is a mighty fine place to be, mega exposure!
The descend is initially by abseil, about 10m into a notch, then about 35-40m from new looking bolts (2015) towards the barranco, and finally about another 30m from old pegs (these are now looking pretty knackered)! Once in the barranco a lot of down-scrambling brings you to the base of the mountain just next to where Epsilon Central starts.

Monday saw us enjoy another big multi-pitch route. This time on the nearby and iconic El Penon de Ifach. There are many climbs on the huge rock, and most are very hard. We choose one of the easier lines, a VS / 5+ known as Via Valencianos. 8 pitches including the notorious 'slippery corner'. After the initial couple of pitches we arrived at the slippery corner, this requires basic aid climbing due to the intense polish the rock now has, but this is fairly straightforward to do. Above here the route really starts to shine, the upper slab is around 70m high and contains brilliant climbing in an increasingly exposed setting, the top belay is right on the edge of an arete giving fines views back down to Calpe. 3 more pitches complete the route and end very near the summit.

All of these routes and many more can be included into a climbing / scrambling / multi-activity package. Please get in touch and we'll make the arrangements.

Big thanks to Kate, Kim, Miguel, Dave, Joe, and Sang for making this last couple of weeks so great.

A few photos below showing some of the places we got to. 

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More absolutely fabulous days have been enjoyed here in Spain. Rest days were shunned in search of more adventure and how much could be crammed into a few short days. Never enough time.

On Sunday everyone completed a full traverse of the Toix ridge. Our variation on this includes a multi-pitch climb of around 250m starting from Toix Este. So this is a very big extension to the day, and well worth it. The climbing is mostly straightforward, but the whole time the atmosphere builds as we climb higher and higher above the sea.

After lunch at the Mirador, we continued our journey by venturing onto the main Toix ridge. This begins with more straightforward climbing, leading to a scrambling section which is extremely memorable. Narrow and space below your feet come to mind. Everyone did really well on this mentally and physically challenging day. Photos of this day are below.

The star of these days for me was without any doubt the 'Magical Mystery Tour' on the Toix sea cliffs, Calpe.

Only 1 of the team had abseiled before, so we engineered a practice session into the day. This was essential as access to the sea cliff is by a 40 metre free-hanging abseil!!! So a warm up to this was needed. The practice session and the real deal all went without hitch, with everyone arriving in the big caves at the bottom of the abseil looking and probably feeling a little awe-struck.
The temperature on the cliff was high, with no wind, full sun, and reflection from the sea, everyone was soon feeling hot and bothered.
No worries though, for this is an awesome place with plenty to occupy one's thoughts!

Straightforward scrambling soon leads to the climbing, but the transition isn't at all gentle, suddenly there's a 30 metre drop straight into the sea and you need to step over the void to make the move, spicy it certainly is.
From now on the climbing is continually interesting and the crux is fittingly near the top. Everyone emerged triumphantly at the top of the cliff, relieved, elated, inspired, refreshed.
A wonderful experience.

Photos from the sea cliffs are above.

And the final day of the course had to come, sad times indeed.

We spent it well, with a visit to Toix TV for some quality single pitch cragging with beautiful views over the coast and to the mountains.
Routes in the 6's were being cruised by all, and some very smily faces as a result (and aching muscles). Some sensational leads by both Edd & Lauren on 'Gufelwufel' (5). This is at the top of the grade and both cruised this on lead. Really pleased with this and the smoothness of transition from indoor to outdoor leading for both, well done.

Photos below show Genevieve on Gufelwufel, and below again is the view from the crag.

What a place to climb. What a week has been had. All in the company of such lovely people.

Thanks to: Edd, Nicola, Genevieve, Lauren, Jules, Chris, Kate, and Kim. You made it a fantastic week.

After a rest day yesterday for Anna & Colin, we were back in full flow today. The rest day had been important, for today we were visiting the Candelabra del Sol sea cliffs near Calpe.

This is an imposing place, not for the faint hearted and a head for heights is obligatory.

After a pleasant and scenic walk of around 20 minutes we arrive at the abseil station, now the fun begins. About 40m of free-hanging abseil takes us down to ledges above the sea. The ladders nearby were used by fisherman to access these same ledges and so they would fish for the best catch. Climbing up or down the ladders would require nerves of steel and a suicidal mentality!!

The sea was choppy today so we had the pleasure of crashing waves for the whole time, this is so calming, Being so close to such a powerful force as the sea can give a surprising sense of calm.

The initial section of the route is a traverse and is little more than scrambling, albeit in an impressive setting. But soon enough the moves become more difficult, the exposure mounts, and we're having lots of vertical fun.

Each of the 3 main pitches brings with it unique challenges, but the overwhelming factor is the sea below, reminding us the only way out is up. What a sense this is, absolute magic. And the name of the route?

Magical Mystery Tour.

A fitting name if ever there was. 

The photo below shows the Puig Campana framed by a Pricky Pear. This is during the approach to the Candelabra del Sol.

The photo above shows the sea cliffs. And the top photo is of Colin & Anna on the belay after the first pitch of proper climbing.