UKC

Hello
Planning a trip v soon - leaving in a couple of days.
Would love advice on best crags for easy routes - by which I mean 4 to 6a (single or muti-pitch)
(There also need to be good harder routes for my partner - say 7a to 8a)

The plan is to drive to Margalef, then, depending on weather, move on to Chulilla area.

Don't know much about Spain, apart from having been to El Chorro last year, so any advice most welcome.
Thanks
Kate

PS Short easy walks a definite plus

In reply to Katemonster:

Chulilla I wouldn't recommend for easy stuff. There's some on the outlying crags but it's very seperate from the harder stuff, there's very little easy stuff in the gorge itself.

For easy multipitch I would recommend Montserrat - link to a trip report in my blog in my profile. I didn't try any of the hard single pitch stuff because I was injured but I am psyched enough to do a trip to go back for it if that's any recommendation.

Margalef was ok for easy stuff, also Vilanova de prades nearby.

If you're driving down then on your way through France I would rate Jonte for easy multipitch and of course Tarn is brilliant for harder single pitch.

In reply to Katemonster: Can highly recommend Collegats Collegats (La Pobla de Segur)#maps - there's steady conglomerate climbs that get the sun early, these climb way better than they look. Then over the river (accessed by a fun tyrolean) there's harder vertical lines up to 40m. These catch afternoon sun. Plenty to go at around the beautiful refuge at Abella too.

In reply to AJM:
I would second Monserratt - there's quite a lot of easy stuff, single and multipitch and plenty of hard too. There's a lot of popular beginners areas just above Collbato - we started our trip there to get a feel for the rock (always a good idea in a new venue regardless).

We parked in Carrer Pins (road name) in Collbato and the crag is a short walk up the hill.

Thanks AJM, your trip report is informative.
We're already in southeastern France, but hoping for a bit more sun (and a change of scene) in Spain.

And thanks mark too. Abella looks a good place to be based.

In reply to Katemonster:

Don't go to Chulilla. Really limited below 7a.

Siurana would be top of my list. Loads of quality in the 5's, and plenty of harder stuff.

In reply to GDes:

Totally agree about Chulilla but I wouldn't really recommend Siurana in the lower grades either. I was there a few years ago and found the lower grade stuff very spread out and quite uninspiring. Might have just been me though.

The suggestion of Lleida is good. Collegats has good stuff in the 6s (and amazing routes from 7a upwards) and Ager looked like it had a good grade range. I also thought Camerasa was good for the 6-7 range. Don't know much about sub 6 routes unfortunately.

Thanks, John and Ged.

OK, thats 2 votes for don't go to Chulilla, and 2 votes for do go to Montserrat.

I think I did actually go to Montserrat years and years ago - I remember the monastery, and some crags looming out of the mist and rain. Don't think we climbed anything!
We must have moved on either to Pedriza - where I remember lots of rain too - or to Motanejos, where I remember sun but nowhere to camp. All this was 20+ years back, so its a bit hazy!

In reply to climbingpixie:


It wasn't just you. I found the same there.

In reply to Katemonster:

While Siurana itself may not have the best concentration of easier climbs, the Sierra de Prades as a whole (the old Rockfax Costa Durada book or Tarragona Climbs) is a quite compact, beautiful area with a great choice of crags with a full spread of grades, La Mussara, Villanova, Arboli, Mont-Ral and especially with the Monsant area next door there is more than enough to keep anyone busy for quite a while.

In reply to Katemonster:

There is some nice climbing near Camarrasa. Including a Multi Pitch with the shortest walk in, in the world. Montserrat is good to. I would also check out Vilanova de meia

In reply to Lenin:
"a Multi Pitch with the shortest walk in, in the world" sounds great but I can't find Camarrasa. Is there another name or possibly spelling?


Oh, I found it -- Camarasa
Which multipitch?

In reply to Katemonster:
It might be this Espolon Ribes - Sabate (5b) . If you look in the guidebook as you drive from Camasarra towards the Campsite by the lake near the little Village the road narrows and the climb starts from the road by a plaque IRC, in fact I think I used the plaque as a foothold, but then I have been known to use bolts as footholds.
If you go to Monstserrat check out CanSerrat its an Artist commune thing, no Bongo drums thank christ, but pretty hippy new age, we stopped there and it was pretty cheap.
If you go to Vilanova de meia, in the Bar Cerra there is a HUGE tope on the wall which is well worth looking at, I mean 6' x 20' huge. Camel is good, Nemoricon a bit harder (not done it, yet) but highly recommended, but also note that many of the routes have 2 grades, one for clean and one for cheating. So Musical Express, which looks anwetastic is 6b+ but with a bit of frigging goes to 5c.

In reply to climbingpixie:


Don't think its just you, Siurana is not that great sub 6cish, often on grey rock and knarly for the grade with quite a bit of old school bolting as well, Some of the other Prades crags are better, La Mussara and Arboli have some great stuff in the 6s, not so sure about any real quality below 6a.

In reply to Katemonster:

Cubells is a sunny little crag as you pass south through Lleida with plenty of easy routes.

As an alternative to Chulilla, have you considered Montanejos? 100s of routes at all grades with sunny 5s a few mins stroll across the gorge from 7s and 8s. Inexplicably out of fashion at the moment.

Thanks Lenin, and thanks very much to all.

Yes, out-of-fashion Montanejos sounds good Helen

Just packing the car now, then heading to Margalef

In reply to Katemonster:
Margalef is your place! Just check out Can Llepafils - sector with exclusively easy routes, most between 4 and 5+.

Also a minute walk from El Laborotori with all the 7s and 8s to have a go out!

Similar q

In reply to Katemonster:

Id echo others recommendations of cubells, collegats, camarasa, and add Arboli to the list, not far from siurana, way less busy, and better rock (less polished in the lower grades) imo. Cant really speak for the higher grades, but it appears to have a lot of 3 star 7s Arboli

In reply to Katemonster:

We had our first trip to Spain end of November/early December. For easy stuff we went to Sierra de Toix (Calpe) and Echo 1.5. Guadalest was good for harder stuff alongside easier climbs and I believe Sella has some harder routes but we didn't go there. Oriheula was good for easy multi-pitch but that is off limits now until June for nesting birds I think. All in Rock Fax Costa Blanca. Having another trip in March it was that good.

Have a great trip.