Penny enjoying the January sun (copyright Tom Phillips) - Rock Climbing at Abdet
Rock Climbing at Abdet
Today we have been enjoying some easy access rock climbing courtesy of our friends Tom and Penny. Tom has been developing the crags around the village of Abdet for many years now, I think I'm right in saying over 20 years.
It is worth mentioning, Abdet does take some effort to reach if staying on the coast. But it is well worth it and the drive is rather lovely. It feels like a different world up here and views of the Bernia ridge are outstanding.
The climbing today offered something a little different too. 6 of the routes we climbed are brand new, bolted this winter and I even managed a 1st ascent of one of them. It seems appropriate to mention at this point that Rockfax have kindly funded all the new lower-offs and the crags here have benefitted immensely from Rockfax investment, big thanks guys.
So what is the rock climbing at Abdet like?
As with any new routes, there is still a bit of dust and debris around, but this will all soon disappear. The bolts have been thoughtfully placed so crux moves are well protected and it's never far to the next clip. The rock is wonderfully sharp and positive too. The climbing is good quality single pitch fare offering quality moves and loads of variety. Lay-backs, crimps, jugs, cracks, corners, side-pulls to name a few of the features. Some of the routes share lower-offs and this is mostly helpful as it does save on faff time when lowering.
For me a big part of climbing isn't the moves or the rock quality, it's the place, the atmosphere. This is where Abdet scores very highly. Not only did we have the whole crag to ourselves, the place was completely quiet, silent, and views over the mountains are epic. Aitana, the highest mountain in the region is just above the crag.
So when planning a visit to Costa Blanca for a bit of cragging. This place needs to get added to your list of go-to crags, it won't disappoint and you'll likely have the place to yourselves unless Tom turns up, in which case he'll happily offer helpful advice about the routes here, he knows the place very well.
If wanting to spend some time in these beautiful mountains, we can recommend staying at Tom & Penny's house in Abet. From here it's only a 10 minute walk to the crags and there are loads of great mountain walks from the doorstep. They also have crag topos and info. If needing any more inspiration for a stay here, check out the final photo in this blog, I took that from their roof terrace whilst enjoying post climbing tea & scones with that view.
For more about the activities we offer please check out out Activities page here
Big thanks to Tom Phillips for showing me around these crags and letting have that 1st ascent. It's been a bit like going on a guided climbing day, except for a change I wasn't the guide 🙂
For those more interested in the bright lights of Benidorm, yes we know you're out there, this article from Love Holidays has some really useful info 🙂
Thanks for reading
Mark
Me on the 1st ascent of the right hand line, a 5+/6a (copyright Tom Phillips) - Rock Climbing at Abdet
Glorious views from Abdet - Rock Climbing at Abdet