kasia and przemo

Over the years of travels we usually found it pretty straightforward to find out when to move on. It's a mix of art, "good feeling" and experience to know when it had been enough, but long enough to get to know and feel the surrounding. But it not always works. Sometimes in excitement we rush into next destinations to find out it would be much more worthy to dive for longer into previous ones and sometimes we lock ourselves in place thinking that we should give it more time even though we feel we probably should go. But sometimes, like in Granada, something just force us to stay. 
We've had enough of Costa Blanca and decided to skip all the little places on the way and quite unusually took the highway to Andalusia.
We've stopped around Baza to drive around and explore amazing cave houses, which we've expected to be here and there, but didn't expected to find whole villages full of them! Some ruined, some extraordinary but very most of them habituated and lived in on everyday basis. For the night we've found - not very surprisingly - a hot spring, small pool hidden in the forest, just for us, to jump into it naked early in the morning to have a coffee while inside. And then we've arrived to Granada...

 

First, we left the highway to drive through nicer little road which has been going through National Park. At some point we've passed amazing campsite in the middle of the forest so we have stopped to have a look. It's been really close to some cool climbing spots so we've thought that would be great base in great location but we've been told that we need a permit to stay there. Where can we get the permit? In Granada. So we went to Granada...
Arrived to tourist info, they've sent us to another one and there they've told us that we can get the permit in Pinos Genil, a town several kilometers away from Granada. But it was Friday evening. So we needed to wait until Monday. Fine, we thought, slightly overwhelmed and excited being in the middle of the big city after few weeks in very rural places. But Granada wasn't so good and probably felt unfriendliest city we've been in Spain, full of one day tourists and money-from-them oriented businesses where they simply don't even care about pretending of being nice. But there also been Sierra Nevada a stone throw away with amazing hiking trails so we've survived the weekend.

 

On Monday morning we've showed up in town council of Pinos Genil. Just to be told that we are in a wrong place and we need to go to Sierra Nevada visitors centre, as this is them who look after permits. It wasn't far away so 10 minutes later, still determinated we've knocked on the door of the visitors centre. Guess what? They said it's wrong place! As the campsite we wanted to stay at is far away (15km) and it's in Sierra de Huétor (we knew that) and has nothing to do with Sierra Nevada. But the lady there was really nice and she felt determinated to help us. We've already started to fill the forms while she was making dozen of phone calls to finally be informed what she found out: we can get the permit, but only if we apply for it 10 days in advance. And to get straight ahead of question which arises - no, we didn't felt like spending another 10 days around Granada. We weren't disappointed either, somehow we've sensed it's going to end up like this so we've just jumped into the car and driver deeper into Andalusia.

 

That way we've arrived to El Chorro. As one of the major rock climbing areas in Spain we've expected something of a life in there - cafes, shops, people around or at least some good grocery store. But none of it! In fact season in El Chorro is during winter as it's super hot in summer here and very most of the crags are in the sun, yet still there was just a basic little shop which has been closed for most of the day. No people around, at least on Monday - for the rest of the week there is lots of one day tourists coming to walk El Caminito del Rey. We decided to stay actually a few km away from El Chorro near crag called Desplomilandia. It all has been staying in the shade for most of the day and it's been many sectors with enough climbing for weeks. We've had really good time here, sending a few 6b and 6b+ and nearly getting through 6c+/7a as we've passed overhanging part with not too much trouble but we were completely shut down by slab with literally blank wall.
There was lake to swim after hot days climbing with peace and quiet to enjoy book and cup of coffee in the morning. But at some point we knew we've climbed most of the routes of our abilities and we felt it was just the right time to move on.

 

The plan was to go to Grazalema National Park and as soon as we've entered there we have been greeted by amazing green landscape, rather looking Scottish than Spanish, thanks to lots of rain which didn't hesitate to greet us either. Rain and climbing doesn't usually go well together so sooner than later we were already on our way out towards difnitely dry Mérida.

We've stopped in Alange, several km from Mérida to climb on something totally new - quartzite! How weird climbing it was! We felt like early beginners again trying to hold onto rock with completely different friction, with so many slopers and so different style of climbing. We've really struggled to pull off a few 6a but managed to send a 6b too so felt a little bit relieved. Once days became getting hotter and hotter we've been slowly getting to Portugese border.

 

We wanted to make one more stop before getting into deep summer Portugal mode and found amazing crag already on Portugese side in Serra de São Mamede called Caleiras de Cima. With parking literally just next to the crag but away from the road, full of greenery and with super good quality routes, amazing tufas and beautiful rock formations. That was probably one of the nicest crags we've been climbing but grades has been quite a tough ones, as we've placed our fingers on toughest 6b+ we've climbed! We have had a few days of really good climbing here from early morning until noon when shade was gone followed by the afternoons spent cooling off in the river... summer!

 

So we have recently been posting always with some video at the end of it, but we cannot really keep up travelling and editing video in the same time, as there is simply not enough time for it all! So, we will need to wait for the next edited video, but instead this time we are attaching some short video with uncut onsight ascent of really nice 6b route from Caleiras de Cima. Enjoy :)!

Farewell with Catalunya was sudden and surprising, enough to make us feel that disappearing behind us peaks of Montsant seemed to shout... don't go yet, no no no! Or maybe that was us actually, not the peaks. But there was so much more to explore, something was shouting too. That was we found ourselves in Valenciana climbing in many different places.
We didn't jump on the walls greedy though, not at all actually. First we've arrived to Montanejos.

The name Montanejos meaned for us couple of things.
A) large climbing region
B) hot springs
Kasia (as usually, when there is any A) option and B) hot springs) choosed second option. Not that I didn't have a choice, but when somebody wide open her eyes with passion says magic words "hot springs" then there is not much choice actually. We didn't found any topos online for Montanejos anyway, so we jumped into maybe not very hot, but not ice cold spring and spent quite a nice morning freezing in cristal clear water along with indian people on organized trip (for whos Kasia became a guide - yes, down here, no, it's not that cold, toilets are closed, no, there is no changing room neither) and a few local people.

In the afternoon we've moved to Jerica, a little town, which name - which origin is actually arabic - means "eastern slope", where we have even managed to only send one - but long, 40m - 6a+.

Our good climbing has been interrupted by rain coming so we've decided to carry on driving - towards much bigger climbing spot - Chulilla.

We could actually write a separate post about Chulilla itself. For many reasons climbing was not going as well as we might think. We've been also thrown away by grades too, we've been climbing 6a which felt like at least 6b+, mostly because of quite highly polished holds. The other time thunderstorm with havy rain, on day fiesta, other day fiesta, way too hot to climb. For all these reasons during over a week we've spent in Chulilla we've had an amazing time, but we didn't climb much. We've got to know all the region, we've explored Valencia and we really enjoyed fiesta with locals.

  

  
If you have ever thought to climbing around orange plantations - come to Gandia. But not like us, in May! It's really hot there - we've been getting up at 6am, to be at 7am on crag and climb before sun will make it's way to the rock, which in practice gave us about 3 hours of climbing. But even here we've spent a few days, as we've found quite a nice place to sleep and there was a beach nearby, which as you know is very practical, as on the beach are located showers. Climbing routes here are really interesting, rock is a bit polished too, but not as bad as some of Chulillas routes and we really enjoyed climbing when sun didn't put us off yet. Perfect sunny spot for winter climbing.

     
Some people has been climbing next to us in Gandia and after a while we've started a conversation - their down, Kasia belaying me, and myself, on the wall, swapping my hands on holds from time to time and maybe moving up slightly, to reasonably actively attend to conversation. They did recommend us Guadalest, a few hours away spot with concentration of 6a-6c routes which for us seemed to be perfect.

  
So early in the morning we've already been going through winding road towards Guadalest. Mekka of coach buses, sunburned seaside tourists, pearl of Velencian tourist agencies. Town known of being known and that it is a MUST SEE. Because apart from crowds of people, stores full of souvenirs and huge pay parkings, it wasn't much different from any other Spanish towns. But climbing was first class though. Kasia for the good start did onsight 6b, and after that all the rest (about other ten) from the same - shaded - sector. I was trying to keep her pace but last three she did only herself anyway. And the rock formations on some of the routes were simply extreamally beauitful. Unfortunately there was only once sector in the shadow so we've added Guadalest to our list of perfect winter climbing destinations and we've carried on further. That way we've found ourselves in Petrer.

   

We didn't expect anything unusual with Petrer. Somewhere online we've found free campsite and climbing around that. There wasn't many routhes we've had topos for - at least in compare to Chulilla - but it was enough for us. We have arrived there at night and we've already knew that it will be amazing, as we've been in the middle of nature park and the road which was going there was really small and forgotten. Complete quietness, darkness, stars and just ourselves.
Next morning we wanted just to go several kilometers to the town to do little shopping so we doesn't have to go buy food everyday. But then we found out that the only road going from campsite to the town is closed. But we've asked some people met along the road about the alternative (so we doesn't have to go alllll the way back and around the mountains) and the only thing they've been telling us that there is a fiesta (!) in Petrer and we just have to go there. And the road? There is a diversion and is not so bad, and they showed us the way through hills and dirt tracks.

 

So fiesta again. A few days of defilades Christians and Mouros, which were about taking the castle once by Christians, once by Mouros, peacufully (!) over the centuries. We've spent our days climbing around local crags - and local climbers helped us again here, who drawed for us topos of local sector and gave us guidebook to make pictures. That way from a few routes we knew it became a several dozens. And evenings we've spent watching defilades in beautiful dresses from  ------ and sounds of orchestra which gave them a rhythm. We couldn't  stop watching them and we've been coming almost everyday to find out if they are going again. And they did :).

  

After that we went to Andalucia but will write about that next time. And for now have a look on our video from Valencia:

If anybody ask how long does it take to go to Portugal from placed on the other end of Spain Barcelona, we inform, that exactly two months. And not by hitchhiking, no, neither by bicycle, we weren't walking too. But simply - by car. And our route was rather straight, but extremally charming and exciting, as we were basicly going from one climbing region to another. And another. And...
Through tiny mountain villages, juicy green national parks, dry steppes, hot springs, sleepy by siesta towns and bustling cities. Beautiful flower fields, hot beaches and chilly mountain peaks.
And it's beautiful there during spring, especially considering that we haven't seen spring in past six years, and during last three we've started to forget how much we love travelling and how it actually feels to travel.

 

And it would be simply impossible to be quicker, as in Spain there are rocks behind every corner and these just ask to be climbed. We could just stay in Catalonia and there would be enough climbing for months or rather, for years, so during two weeks there we climbed basically not much or even almost nothing from what Catalonia has in offer even though we've been climbing almost everyday.

 

We were climbing mostly in Arboli and Margalef on amazing walls and we've even managed a few 6b+ routes, which made us very happy as it was our first time we've been climbing on real rock. In Catalonia we were slowly discovering beauty of climbing travelling. We were buying food and hiding in the mountains for a few days, reading books in the mornings, climbing during the day and cooking with rosemary and thyme straight from heavily covered by these slopes and watching stars.

 

So we were doing circles in Catalonia for some time, going through little charming villages and falling in love with this place more and more. But as we were on the way to Portugal, one day we've decided to carry on and find some new places to fall in love with. But will write about that in next chapter ;). And to finish, a short snapshot from Catalonia: