UKC

Looking for sport multipitch options/ recommendations up to about 6b ideally within 30ish min drive of Calpe but happy to head further away if it has better options. Have seen that there are a number of trad multipitches, with mentions of only small rack needed, are the anchors fully bolted? 

TIA 

Parlez, toix sea cliffs would be a good start. Take an ab rope. 

Have a look at the Ponoch:

http://www.senderosdealicante.com/delaroca/localizaciones/ponoig.html

Cabezon de Oro is worth a look too.

A few that come to mind are:

El Peñón d'Ifach - in Calpe

Toix - in Calpe

Toix sea cliffs - in Calpe

Cabezon d'Oro - 1 hour from Calpe

Puig Campana - 30 mins from Calpe

Ponoch - 30 mins from Calpe

Mascarat - almost in Calpe (walkable for the keen). The canyon is now bolted for a descent, and is surprisingly good fun.

I've climbed trad routes on all of these crags/mountains and have found a light rack fine for all. Belays will often have gear/bolts, but check guidebook for info before committing.

One of the very best mountain days I've had in Costa Blanca is the Benicadell Ridge. Very little fixed gear on that, but doesn't need much anyway. It's a big day, only about 4+ but lots of it. It's an hour from Calpe.

https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/morro_falqui-9863/sonjannika-11830... was fantastic a couple of years ago

Tried to find this about 15 years ago. Thrashed in the undergrowth for a long time before climbing something which probably wasn't even part of it. Would love to have another go. What's the best source of a description? I think we had some vagueness that my Dad had written on the back of a beer mat, which was sub-optimal as it turned out.

Loads of options; here are just a few.

Toix sea cliffs: Magical Mystery Tour, Parle (a step up in difficulty/commitment), El Dorado (another step up), Isla de Encanta (yet another step up).

Diedros Magicos on the Puig (top tip - don't start three hours late, like we did!)

All of these routes require commitment. Loads of easier multipitch at Toix that aren't above the sea. Maybe best to do some of these first to see how things are going. And they're well worth doing anyway.

Mick

P.S. If the anchors are fully bolted (with bolts which inspire confidence), then great. But don't ever rely on it.

Routes on the Puig, e.g. Diedros Magicos, are not sport routes and a reasonable sized rack is required except by the very confident. Some belays have fixed gear, but not all, and some of this is of dubious quality (e.g. an assortment of bent/rusted pegs or knackered tat, rather than bolts). In fact, I don't remember any bolts on Diedros Magicos, though there were quite a few pegs - many of them in very unhelpful places.

Edit: looking at my logbook, maybe there were some bolts on belays. I also wrote: "Didn't use smallest cams (below BD 0.5) or many small nuts (i.e. Forget micros). Big gear, conversely, is very helpful (up to 3.5)."

A newish book called Crestas y Aristas de la Comunidad Valenciana gives a full description of the ridge along with many other ridges in the area. It is obviously in Spanish but you can scan pages and Google will translate them. 
I have done it 4 times ( before the book came out) and it is a fantastic day out made all the better for having a very easy descent. Even in the dark. 

Hi Cath,

Yes I can well appreciate it can be a challenge to locate the approach/start to this one. Approach is from above and follows a path below the north side of the ridge almost to it's lowest point.

There will be a Cicerone guidebook with it in. Not due until early 2022 though. Get in touch with me if you need info before then.

Sounds good thanks.

Cheers - might contact you if I manage to get out there this winter.

If you're looking for something a bit less committing there's a some really nice 2 pitch bolted multis up the pinnacle at Sax, they're all fully bolted and you can walk off back to base in 10 mins, so it's super easy to do a few of them in a day. 

Surprised nobody's mentioned the larger crags up Echo Valley yet.

A lot of good trad climbing there, too! But... I don't remember much multipitch sport in that grade range? One or two, maybe? The others have the odd bolt or bolted belay, plus a few threads and the rest is BYOG

Guadalest has quite a few two-pitch sport routes!

If you count 2 pitch sport routes .... there are loads of venues - most at Marin and Aventador can be done on a single 80m rope)

some not mentioned below include

Aventador

Reconco

Sella  (has mostly harder multipitch ... but I've not done much there for many years)

Marin

The above plus Guadalest, Morro Falqui, Toix are all good to get ready for larger or more difficult offerings.  Echo Valley is great for easily accessible trad routes.

The locations with the bigger climbs (3+ pitches) are cabezon d'oro, puig campana (I have only done trad here), ponoch

My personal favourites in the region are probably 2+ hrs away from Calpe - 2 hrs NE - Montanejos -  Montanejos and 2 hrs SW - Leyva Leyva. (Leyva has more than 20 multipitch routes upto 6c all either good, great or excellent.  There are also a lot of trad and semi-equipped climbs - but these are very adventurous and not easy to find)

enjoy!

A couple of relevant blog posts for crags that have already been suggested:

https://rockaroundtheworld.co.uk/2020/02/25/leyva-carnaval-time/

https://rockaroundtheworld.co.uk/2017/02/12/penyon-difach/

... and +1 recommendations for the Toix seacliff and gorge routes, Ponoch and Sella Devino.