UKBouldering.com
places to visit => abroad => Topic started by: Nigel on January 07, 2019, 07:56:27 pm
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Hi all,
got the first 2 weeks of Feb to go somewhere on a sunny sport climbing holiday. Feel like I've done south of France to death last year, and there's not much psyche for usual Spanish venues. So we thought we'd try somewhere new / different. Ideally sunny, warmer the better, a nice place, fairly cheap, and with other options e.g. walking / surfing etc. We've been wondering about the following, does anyone have any thoughts on any of these?
Portugal - is there much single pitch typical "euro-style" sport climbing??? Can't find much info online tbh!
Leonidio - will this be rammed? Warm enough? Any good?
Tenerife - is there enough decent sport climbing in the 7's for 2 weeks?
La Pedriza - outside the box, but what is it like?!
Any other suggestions from the hive mind are welcome! :)
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Hi all,
got the first 2 weeks of Feb to go somewhere on a sunny sport climbing holiday. Feel like I've done south of France to death last year, and there's not much psyche for usual Spanish venues. So we thought we'd try somewhere new / different. Ideally sunny, warmer the better, a nice place, fairly cheap, and with other options e.g. walking / surfing etc. We've been wondering about the following, does anyone have any thoughts on any of these?
Portugal - is there much single pitch typical "euro-style" sport climbing??? Can't find much info online tbh!
Leonidio - will this be rammed? Warm enough? Any good?
Tenerife - is there enough decent sport climbing in the 7's for 2 weeks?
La Pedriza - outside the box, but what is it like?!
Any other suggestions from the hive mind are welcome! :)
Sagres in Portugal looked like it had decent sport when we were there a few years ago, certainly something a bit different, "Bolted Pembroke" as Bransby may or may not have said on here a while ago. I think people surf there too....
Here's a video of a 9a there. (Incidentally, in the works by the comp wall bag area there's a Climb magazine with a big article on Portuguese Sport and looks great, the article is authored by the climber in the linked video.) Go grab the mag, old school.
http://vimeo.com/117499590
Re: La Pedreeztha, you'd be like a dog with two £$%" there I expect.
I'd also look into the off-piste places down Andulcia, they look nice and quiet. I could give names if I had any clue what I was talking about.
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Caff and Johnny have both been raving to me about La Pedriza. That's all I know.
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It's amazing. Total slab desperation. Beautiful, both the area (if busy at weekends), and the sheer random nonsensical luck-based-scrittleness of it all.
I always thought The Dawes should go there and then Lo! he does and climbs 8b+ at age 73 and 14 stone.
I'd say it's an essential experience for any broad-minded UK climber.
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Cheers guys, La Pedriza sounds great and is definitely on my list but I suspect it might not be euro-conveniencey enough for this trip. Recommendations are noted though! 8)
Leonidio is looking a bit pricey for accomodation (yes, we're tight).
GF has suggested Chullila which we had both forgotten about and which we could actually raise some psyche for despite it being mainland Spain as its meant to be great and neither of us have been, so that is now added into the mix along with Tenerife and Turkey!
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A thing to remember about Leonidio is that due to desperate poverty on the Peloponnese Peninsula food is really cheap – like 5€ for dinner, including bread and wine (if you are vegetarian). Food is also much better than in Spain. The climbing is a bit meh... nothing like the best crags in France and Spain.
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Pedriza is extremely convenient. You fly to Madrid, rent a car, drive about 40 minutes, and you're there. There must be loads of Air BnBs around there.
HOWEVER - your list of criteria states that it must be warm, so you can immediately cross it off your list. Madrid sits high on a plateau, and the parking at La Pedriza is at a little over 1000m asl. We went there in easter and sacked it off after a day to go to El Chorro. We camped next to the car park and there was ice on the inside of the tent in the morning.
Portugal and Sagres. There's a little bit of DWS here which I wrote about in this thread. I've linked to the main post of note to anyone looking at sport climbing around Sagres. Beware shit bolts which apparently don't hold bodyweight!
https://ukbouldering.com/board/index.php/topic,28919.msg567859.html#msg567859
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Turkey springs to mind.
Geyikbayiri is great if you've not been
South facing quality sport climbing.Won't be cold and within striking distance coast on rest days
Stayed here http://www.climbersgarden.com/.Highly recommended.Theres another place up the road called josito where you can camp-? cheaper