Attendees:

Andy Lewtas, Becca Gardner, Will Fitzmaurice, Yvonne King, Tom Arthur, Harry Potts, Luke Cullum, Danny Arrowsmith & prospective, Aaron

Saturday - Leaving Manchester

Waving goodbye to Manchester’s cold November rain, I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a tiny air of smugness amongst the group. Only a 2 hour flight away, the weather on the coast of southern Spain was as sunny as our disposition and we were as giddy as the drunk passengers on their way to Benidorm.

Our first stop was Alicante where we searched extensively between the high-rise buildings for a Menú del día (menu of the day) & cigarettes. Tom’s fluent Spanish really came in handy, as it did for the rest of the trip. After we’d filled our boots and bellies we met up with Will (who had already been in Spain for a week’s climbing with friends) at the group’s quirky 3 story villa in Calp. A quick trip to Lidl saw the dedicated beer fridge in the lounge was fully stocked & Danny joined us later in the evening.

Sunday - The crag nobody knew how to pronounce

A highly successful start to the trip! With a wide range of sport climbs from the 3a to 6c & only a 10 minute drive from the villa, Sierra de Toix was the perfect introduction to Spanish limestone, despite nobody in the group really knowing how to pronounce the Toix part of the name. The large majority chose the french sounding “Twah”. I tried to make the misheard google translation version “Tez” catch on. Nobody used the official pronunciation which apparently is “Toyks”.

Arriving at 9am, the popular crag was already crowded with locals & tourists. Will (on his rest day) & Harry went to climb Carlos (6a*), a multi-pitch on Toix Oeste. Tom teamed up with Yvonne. Luke, Becca & Andy teamed up together and they all made their way from left to right of Toix Far Oeste. Danny joined later at midday and teamed up with Luke. Some of the more notable routes everyone climbed were Chasing the Sun (5a**), Gregg’s & Greens (5b**) & Moirara Magic (5a**). Harry made an impressive send of the overhanging Energico (6a**) just as everyone else’s energico was starting to dwindle. Andy & Will finished the day on the multi pitch route Renov (5a**), abbing off in the last of the evening sun.

That evening, after making what would become a daily pilgrimage to the Lidl down the road, Tom treated everyone to their first group meal - cooking Tortilla de Patatas. For dessert, Tom gave a few willing participants an impromptu Salsa lesson.

Monday – 2 Sierra classics

Having just finished a cycling trip in the nearby area, Aaron joined the team in the morning and we all decided we hadn’t had enough of Sierra de Toix, so we headed back. It was much quieter today. The group split into two.

Harry, Will, Becca and Aaron headed to Pirates of the Caribbean to climb the classic 3 pitch route, Parle (6a+***), which starts with an exhilarating abseil into a cavern above the sea. Once in, the only way back out is an exposed & adventurous climb up the steep walls of the sea cliff. Colourful language could be heard echoing around the cavernous space as Harry searched for out of reach holds on the crux pitch. A large sigh of relief could also be heard as Becca’s belay loop didn’t snap whilst dangling on her first hanging belay.

The other team decided a ridge day was more to their liking. Yvonne, Luke, Tom & Andy set off for the Toix Ridge, accessed by the excellent multi-pitch route Cilber (5c**). Luke & Yvonne swung leads, as did Tom & Andy who followed behind them. 

Danny had a solo day and went for a walk to scout out Penon il Ifach for some future adventures.

In the evening the group went out to Calp for beers (and an elusive G&T). Back at the villa, Luke treated the group to their second group meal with a dutifully crafted mushroom Risotto.

Tuesday - Castles, canyons & really small naked things

Will, Danny, Harry, Aaron, Andy, Becca & Luke headed off to the picturesque crag of Guadalest which is overlooked by a Castle. At Sector Central, Guadalest, Will & Aaron swung leads on L'Espill o Llibre (6b***). Harry realised the 5c he was warming up on was, in fact, a sandbagged “6a+”. After a good tussle with it, Harry, Danny, Becca, Andy & Luke went to the Castillo side of the crag to escape the baking sun and climb some less challenging routes followed by a visit to the Museu de Microminatures which had an array of expressive nudes painted on on really tiny things. Will & Aaron turned up slightly later after climbing Sang Trait (6a**) and met the others for a beer at the Salt & Pepper Shaker Museum. 

Tom & Yvonne went on a canyoning adventure to Canyon Barranco de l’estret des Cardos in search of some crevices and idyllic swimming spots.

Group meal #3. Andy cooked a creamy lemon pasta concoction for everyone.

Danny did some late night urban exploring.

Wednesday - Big days

Will, Aaron, Harry & Andy climbed Espolón Central (HS 4c***) on Puig Campana, a top 50 route with 13 pitches of equal quality. After an hour's approach, the sun had only just risen as Harry and Andy set off up the first pitch. Will & Aaron followed closely behind. Time was of the essence - there were only 10 hours of daylight, with the crux arguably being a descent nobody wanted to do in the dark. It couldn’t have gone any smoother and at the top the team were spoiled with views overlooking Benidorm’s skyline before heading down the climbers’ via ferrata and off the mountain. The sun had fully set by the time they got back to the car.

Luke, Becca, Yvonne & Tom went for another spot of canyoning, this time at Barranco del pas de Tancat that apparently involved a lot of abseiling through thorny bushes which by all accounts wasn’t much of an issue and added to the whole experience. They followed this up with some climbing in the valley crag of Fonts d’Algar were Becca proudly bagged her first 6a of the trip - No se Donde (6a**).

Danny, still taking it easy with his injury, and saving himself for the next day, had a day out in nearby Valencia.

Thursday - A spot of sport & trad

Andy, Becca, Danny, Luke & Harry headed to arguably the best crag in Costa Blanca, Sella. The highlight routes being, Fisa con fincura (6a***) a lovely layback flake - led by Harry, Andy, Becca & Danny. A newly bolted route Necedad Navidad (5b) which starts at the foot of a cave and traverses upwards through a small hole and onto the other side of the crag - led by Andy, Harry, Becca & Luke. And, Wagageegee (6a+**) described in the guidebook as “soft for the grade” but it definitely didn’t feel like it. Danny led it to retrieve the quickdraws Andy left on it and said it was his favourite route of the day.

On the north face of Penon il Ifach, Will paired up with Tom and Yvonne paired up with Aaron to climb the most popular route there, Via Pany (5a/VS 4c**). Ever the gentleman, Will gave all of the best pitches to Tom including the first dusty chimney pitch and the airy crux pitch. Aaron led the whole thing. The conditions were nearly perfect, if not for the traffic that seriously slowed the group down.

It was the last night the group were all together, so we all went into Calp and had a celebratory chinese banquet.

Friday - The final day

Tom went home in the morning.

Will & Aaron went back to Sierra de Toix to climb El Dorado (6a+***) at Raco del Corv, another classic Sea cliff with some spaced bolts. 

Luke & Yvonne went in search of the sun and found it on a via ferrata that they had all to themselves.

Danny, Harry, Andy & Becca went to Penon il Ifach to climb Via Pany. Danny & Harry climbed together and swung leads. Andy led the whole route with Becca. Again, the group got stuck in some serious traffic that hampered progress, topping out just in time to catch one final sunset over Calp. 

Saturday - Home time

Not a lot to say about this day, except plans were already being discussed for a 2026 trip. See you there maybe?

Are you dreaming of hot rock this November?

Then come and join us for seven days climbing in Costa Blanca. With crags like Sierra de Toix on the doorstep, there is plenty of sport climbing available at varying grades, rock types and pitches to keep us busy.

The private villa in Calp has 8 single beds, swimming pool, parking, bbq and a large indoor and outdoor seating areas.

Total price for accommodation will be £138 per person and needs to be paid by 30 September to secure your spot.

There are regular flights from Manchester to Alicante which everyone can book themselves but it is probably worth combining baggage for all the gear. 

Once we have the spaces confirmed we’ll set up a watsapp group to sort out sharing car hire.

Hopefully see you there!

Andy and Becca

**We now have 8 people which is the limit for our accommodation. If you would still like to join and arrange your own accommodation then please let us know**