UKC

Thinking of heading out to El Chorro for the last 2 weeks of January, and camping at The Olive Branch. Flying to Malaga (from Manchester I think) and likely travelling alone, so I'll need to find some climbing partners.

Also trying to avoid a hire car to save money, which I think will involve getting a train from Malaga to El Chorro, and then arranging a pick-up to get to The Olive Branch.

If anyone's done similar, I'd appreciate some advice or feedback?

Thanks.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

I had a car when I went there so can't comment on the railway service. You should be able to find timetables here
http://www.renfe.com/

FYI there is also a refuge and a campsite closer to the station.

In reply to IPPurewater:


Thanks. Probably more important which is closer to the climbing!

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

I've done the train-pickup thing before, twice. It works really well, although both times were before the big changes to the camino so some info may be out of date.

The train station is just outside the arrivals area at Malaga airport so not much walk at that end. Trains out of Malaga are frequent as far as Alora, but only (I think) twice a day as far as El Chorro. The walk from El Chorro station to the Olive Branch is a long slog up a big hill, but manageable (well, I've only done it with luggage in the downwards direction). Gary and Mel can do pickups from either Alora or El Chorro at a reasonable rate (5 Euros each way or something, but don't quote me on that!).

Advantages of the Alora option: there's a reasonably large supermarket there so you can do some shopping on the way in; the trains are more frequent.

Advantage of the El Chorro option: you can walk if necessary.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

I've done Chorro both with and without a car. You'll need to change once to get from the airport to Alora. This website should be able to give you times and maybe fares: http://www.renfe.com/EN/viajeros/cercanias/malaga/index.html

We got the train to Alora and then got Gary from the Olive Branch to pick us up. A bit more expensive than going straight through to El Chorro but the trains there used to be very sporadic and stopping at Alora gives you the chance to go to the supermarket first (unless it's a Sunday, when it'll be shut). There are virtually no shops in El Chorro so unless you want to spend the week eating nothing but processed pan de leche and bananas then stocking up first is good. However you can buy beer and wine at the OB so the important things are covered.

Once you're in El Chorro then it's easy enough to walk to most of the crags, easier than driving really. You do get a nice slog up the hill at the end of the climbing day though (make sure someone shows you the shortcut, you don't need to walk up the road). Obviously anywhere further afield like Desplomilandia won't be possible without transport but people are generally pertty good with lift sharing - when we were there with a car we took people with us to Alora when we went shopping, and gave lifts up to Desplomilandia.

Hope this helps. Enjoy it!

In reply to Nick Russell:

Thanks Nick. Sounds like it's not a problem getting there without a hire car, but how close was the climbing? Was there plenty within a reasonable walking distance?

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:


That rather depends on which crag you want to go to. If my memory serves me correctly, Escalera Arabe and Las Encantadas are closer to The Olive Branch and the other crags are closer to the campsite and refuge near the station.

Do you have a guidebook ? There is a reasonable sketch map in the 2001 Rockfax .

In reply to climbingpixie:


All the main food groups sorted then.


Great.


Not great.


Thanks, it does.

In reply to IPPurewater:


Good point. I might order one and see what it says.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

Ha, yes. The important question! Encantadas is spitting distance of the Olive Branch. All the Frontales crags are walking distance (up to 30 minutes, I think). Some of these (the left end, near Castrojo) would be closer to accommodation in the village but others (the right end, up to Escalera Arabe) are closer to the Olive Branch.

Anything in/through the gorge is a decent walk-in from anywhere, even if you had a car.

In reply to Nick Russell:

Cheers Nick. It does sound like there's plenty of climbing in easy walking distance.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

I think that renting the car can be pretty cheap in this period of time. I was renting car in the same time of the year twice, and the cheapest option was around 5 euro or pounds, per day, so for two weeks it can be as litlle as 100 euro/pounds. It was 4 and 5 years ago when i was there, but i guess the price didnt change a lot. This period is pretty dead for tourism so rental companys will be happy to give You a car for silly money.
If You take the car then 2 hours after landing You can be in el chorro. Never used public transport option but i guess it takes a bit more time.
There is a supermarket few kilometres from el. Chorro so having a car is a big advantage if it comes to choosing Your food and its probaly cheaper then in the village shop.
In the rest day a good option can be a trip to hot springs, around 150km from el chorro but worth going. Its cool to go into warm water when the temp outside is low. I dont remember where they were but google will help You. I didnt have precise info about them but i found them quite easilly.
Last but not least, car gives some safety to Your equipment. I read and ive heard from people that some climbers were robbed, especcialy when they stayed wild camping. I was wild camping next to small church and i didnt have any problem but i had a car.
I dont work for rental companys but i strongly recommend renting a car. Ont the cold and rainy days or just at rest days, there was nothing to do in el chorro. Only one pub, small internet cafe at camp side, and small shop with food, plus one climbing shop with grumpy owner and a litlle of gear to choose from. At least in 2012.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:
Quite a bit of info on the Rockfax site: http://www.rockfax.com/climbing-guides/books/el-chorro-2008/ including the Intro to the book,


Chris

PS We have had snow there in January in the past - unusual I know - but it can get pretty nippy.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

As said above, hire a car. It is cheap and opens up a lot of options

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

I managed it by taking the Metro into Malaga, stocking up on food in the supermarket, then a direct train to El Chorro.

Then arranged an early morning lift back to Malaga with other Brits returning home...

In reply to pawelgregorczyk:


It seemed to be about £150, which seemed a lot when flights were £72 and camping isn't going to be much more than £100, if that.

In reply to Chris Craggs:

Cheers Chris. I will be buying your book BTW.

In reply to 3leggeddog:


How much did you pay out of interest, maybe we have a different idea of cheap?

In reply to dereke12000:


Might take some dry packet food, and just supplement than with some fruit and veg. I presume you can get bread in El Chorro?

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:
Hi Mathew
Are you sure you don't want to get up to Scotland-got spare axes !
Bob

In reply to bobpilgrem:

I'll put it this way Bob...I'll be taking my down bag and duvet jacket to Spain!!!

BTW, down The Depot today, Leeds Wall tomorrow, if you fancy catching up?

And if you fancy El Chorro, you can hire a car and drive me around! :P

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

Typically £10 to £15 per day.

When you factor in the time saved, opportunities gained and additional security if camping, it is a bargain.

Every hour you spend walking or waiting around for a train or a lift in someone else's hire car is an hour when you are not climbing. Makes sense to me, if not to you😊

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

Ok. I looked and You can hire some small cars for as litlle as 3,5 euro, which is less then 3 pounds a day. Not very expensive by anyone standard. I looked at malagacar. I used it before and i mention this company in the other post.

In reply to pawelgregorczyk:

Thanks, will have a look.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

Watch out for the fuel policy. The really cheap car hire deals often mean pre-paying for fuel, which you may well not even use. We got caught by that at Malaga/El Chorro a couple of years ago. The car hire cost next to nothing but they charged us something like €80 for a tank of fuel, of which we only used about half.

In reply to Lurkio:


Been ripped off by Dollar is the US before, not specifically for fuel, but very aware thanks. Won't be using Dollar again.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

We camped at the Olive Branch in March this year and hired a car at the airport. We were planning on self catering and the Branch certainly offers very good facilities to allow you to do this but on the day we arrived as we where later than expected we opted for one of their cooked dinners. To cut a long story short it was so good and so cheap that we then gave up on the self catering option and ate with them every morning and evening. I can't praise them enough.

In reply to SGD:

How much was the food?

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

I took bread (luckily) just in case, and didn't see any in El Chorro

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

I think it was 7 euros for dinner and i think 4 for breakfast

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

ps they will make you bread as well if you ask

In reply to SGD:

Thanks.

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:
Busy this weekend-but might be around next weekend if you are going to wall.
El Chorro sounds tempting ,but going to have a concerted effort to get some winter
Climbing in this season-have had winter tyres fitted to van.
Cheers
Bob

In reply to 1poundSOCKS:

I'm currently here at the olive branch. We are here for 4 days and hired a car from Malaga airport. Car hire cost £11 plus £7 to cover excess insurance with another company. Look on moneysavingexpert for advice, I'd highly recommend it there are a lot of deals about.

(it's a full-to-full hire deal too, which is important to get)

In reply to bobpilgrem:


Should be, full training mode now for the trip. Shoulder is okay, finger still doesn't bend very well.

In reply to 67hours:


Will do thanks. Still not totally sure I need a car, I quite like walking to the crag, if it's not over 40 minutes or so, and not too steep.

And I think I can get enough food in my bag to see me over, with the odd meal thrown in.

I went on both train and car. Obviously car is more convenient and quicker. Trains are okey and from El Chorro it's a easy hike to most of crags. One big advantage of having a car in January is that you can escape rain to other places.

Last time I was in El Chorro three weeks ago. Gorge is now completely banned for climbing. Both under and above footpath. But Los Cotos is available via a railway tunnel (illegal) and Caminito del Rey (legal). To get in via Caminito you don't need to book in advance if you are a climber. To prove you are one you need to have a helmet, rope and harness as well as passport and alpine club card (we had FFCAM). Btw in winter people allowed to enter Caminito only from north. There's a bus going to north entrance from El Chorro like every 30 minutes.

End of January nights can be as cold as 0C. Make sure you have a warm sleeping bag.

Rockfax guidebook for El Chorro is terribly outdated. There is a Spanish one released a year or two ago. On my last trips people in refugee had it!

In reply to nutme:

Thanks. Sounds complex, wasn't going to take a helmet, and I don't have an alpine club card. And I don't know what the gorge encompasses, and how that affects crags that are in reasonable walking distance of The Olive Branch.

I'm well used to Spain in the winter, and the weather, but I've been on longer trips last few years, so I usually drive down in my own car. This year, work is getting in the way.