Autumn 2024 CMC Newsletter

With no training (for me) what so ever Kalymnos beckoned and a large group of the usual suspects headed out there, some only for a week others for two, myself for three, with Charlie and Natasha even longer with a trip extension to mainland Greece. Kalymnos as always does not disappoint both for the climbing and the location. No doubt there will be another trip next October.

Catalunya – By Ian Armstrong

Poboleda, a small village in Doq Priorat makes an ideal climbing base for the area. It sits in a wonderful position with Montsant towering above to the North, Siurana to its East, Margalef to the West and Arboli to the South. Each area containing a lifetime of climbing and each with its own character. The main business of the area is wine, more of which later. My dear friends Emma and Paul moved out here looking for a better life, they got it.

Flights to Barcelona/Reus are cheap (less than car parking) and short, making the area feasible for a long weekend/short week if pushed for time. I chose to stay a bit longer, 11 days of good living. The area is around 40mins drive from Reus, 1hr 40 from Barcelona.

My flight arrived and Emma collected me from the airport on a cool, damp, windy, grey day. So much for sunny Spain.  A long lunch at Bon Area, Catalunyan service stations are really good, and a catch up.

One key item of kit not to take to Catalunya is your ego, expect your usual warm up grade to be your limit. The climbing is tough and gets tougher. Local consensus is to downgrade routes as they get polished to reduce traffic. This makes the older classics quite an experience. I had been warned of this but the reality hits hard when you touch the rock. Don’t expect to bring your biggest numbers home, there are better places for that. Set your expectations low and enjoy some brilliant climbing.

Day 1, L’Ermita, Margalef

An exciting drive up the hairpins above Margalef village to the crag. A small chapel is built into the cliff with its bell made from a civil war bombshell. Margalef is conglomerate rock with its pebbles and pockets around the size of ping pong balls. Crags are undercut with fierce starts leading to technical walls, clipsticks are useful as many climbs start on ledges with large drops below. We climbed half a dozen routes, the best of these being “Sampinbori”.

 

 

Day 2, Can Regino, Margalef

A rather busy crag but with enough room for all. More Barry McGuigan climbing, short and punchy. Reminiscent of the climbing at Eldon Square for those who are old enough to remember. Route of the day “Can Can”.

Day 3, Can Facil, Siurana

A local crag for local people and all the better for it. A short walk downhill from Siurana village sits this newly developed buttress of routes in the 6s and 7s. Steep crimpy limestone climbing without crowds or polish all within earshot of the bedlam of the crag above. The highlight of the day was “La Rue del Percebes” easy climbing in wild positions.

We called in at “Gomma Dos” in Cornudela to drop off some shoes for resoling, quality work at less than half of UK cost. The savings resoling a couple of pairs will pay for your flight.

Day 4 “Rest Day?”

Ah, Saturday, a day off. Most of the day was spent at the local wine tasting festival. Priorat wines are highly regarded. The topography of the area means that little of the vineyard work can be done mechanically and the shaley ground gives the wine its characteristic flavour. Many of these wines are very exclusive, retailing at over 100eu per bottle. Posh eh?

In the evening Emma was singing in Prades, a mountain village at a similar altitude to Scafell Pike. The singing is an Easter tradition, a bit like Easter carol singing. The choir sing outside local businesses who donate supplies for a summer festival. Then onto a bar for more partying. Socialising in Catalan, get me, very cosmopolitan.

Day 5, Rest

I wonder why?

Day 6, Margalef

Back on the horse and a return to Margalef a bit of exploration to a more distant sector. Starting to get used to the style and difficulty now. More steep starts, pocket and pebble pulling. Short routes which felt much, much longer. Route of the day “Violencia Revas”.

Day 7, Carrasclet, Montsant

A walk up the hill to Montsant, quite reminiscent of Ceuse. Tiered buttresses just below a summit plateau. More conglomerate rock, mainly fist sized pebbles and pockets here, again with undercut stiff, steep starts. Perfect rock and climate. Enough sun to stay warm, enough shade to stay cool and the fresh cool air of altitude. Probably the best climbing of the visit. I couldn’t choose a route of the day, all were so good.

Day 8, L’ Herbolari, Siurana

The cool kids carpark, for once, wasn’t rammed with vans and tattooed hones playing hacky sac. This crag is deservedly popular and quite fun if you adopt a sociable attitude. We had a great day here laughing and joking with many different nationalities. “Aqui hi Haro” was the best of the bunch, techy climbing to a tough Margalef type crux and a frightening finish.

Day 9, Barrots, Montsant

An awesome crag, right up in the sky accessed using a via ferrata and a crawl along a ledge. A beautiful place to hang out with wide views across the region. More undercut starts and steep pocket pulling.

We celebrated the end of a successful trip with a meal out in the village, Michelin listed no less, enjoyed with the aforementioned Priorat wine, all for the price of a curry back home

 

Day 10, Raco de L’ Emmanuel, Arboli

Grey and orange limestone, this all felt a little more familiar. More high quality climbing at a deserted crag only a short hop from the airport. Route of the day, “Sant Tiveri” a powerful start to a technical finish.All in all a fantastic trip with a mix of great climbing, culture and company. The icing on the cake was spending an evening watching “Hell comes to Frogtown”, a highly entertaining B movie.

CMD Arete 4-5th September 24 – Dan Bulman

Finally the end of the summer with the chance of some settled weather. With holidays penned in from the start of the year, it was looking promising. Even if it turned out crap at least the kids were back in school leaving us poor old lonely parents with time and space to get back out and about. Hooooraaayy!

I was hoping for a mid week chance to get in position for a shot at the Inn Pinn but with just one night away and a dog deciding to pack herself into the van, the CMD seemed like the next best achievable mission.

We’d set off with a B plan of an accessible Munro along the A82 but despite the promising forecast, hefty showers were never far away. A stop at the Bridge of Orchy with an eye on Beinn Dorain didn’t produce much apart from a quick dip and drink in the river (for Penny) before racing back to the van as the next shower trundled across the valley.

So the A plan was confirmed, an afternoon in the Clachaig! First though to find a pitch at the Red Squirrel campsite. Having been fairly regular users 10+ years ago, it was great to get back there with it still having the same homely feel but now with 4G, WiFi and a coffee van all for £15pp. A riverside pitch was available, in fact the whole site was quiet, always a worrying sign which always gives me visions of an exodus every morning after a night of incessant midgie attacks? Van set up, fire pit prepped and a couple of swift cans as the sun started to make brief appearances, followed by a wander up to the Clachaig on the newish off road path. A few Kinlochleven pilsners and a shared bag of salt n vinegar crisps and the mission was off to a very good start. Wandering back through the site it was good to see the familiar scenes of smouldering fires with folks sat mid plume hoping to keep out of the reach of the midge. Surprisingly, not one was encountered but still, I too had a fire pit, occasionally filling the van with smoke so as to get the old Red Squirrel experience I’ve been missing for too long.

7:30am at the North face carpark and it was already busy on a Thursday. Since I was last there, parking bays have been put in and also a day charge of £3, payable by an app which can be downloaded up to 48hrs afterwards.

The weather was already glorious so was shorts and t-shirt all the way. I’d last done the CMD in similarly fantastic conditions but on a winter meet and presume the ground must’ve been frozen solid but this time it definitely wasn’t! A skittery bog-flog was helped by unaware groups ahead which gave me childish enthusiasm to chase them up the hill skirting Carn Beag Dearg, Carn Dearg Meadhonach and topping out on Carn Mor Dearg itself, knackered after a couple of hours of climbing! Still not a breath of wind, a cloud inversion as far as you could see out to the west spilling over the Aonach’s with the grey corrie peaks poking through into the sunshine.

Descending to the traversing part of the CMD Arete was probably the trickiest which involved passing Penny down and across on a couple of sections but in the main, it was a joy, straightforward rock hopping with easier alternatives either side of the ridge crest if desired. Once past the blocky cairn marking the head of Corie Leis, the final pathless slog up to the Ben, getting even more baked in the sunshine, wonderful.

Topping out came all too soon and although still reasonably early in the day, a queue to
get onto the summit cairn had already formed which neither Penny or myself wanted to add to so after a quick picnic on the flat top observatory buttress (?) and quite a few selfies, trying to capture Penny with her eyes open (I’m sure she blinks on purpose) we set off on the way down which was done with thoughts of what Mike and John must’ve gone through a few years ago during their night time winter descent, battling against dreadful weather and injuries sustained on their climb up the North face.

Still unsure as to which way I was going to take after reaching the ‘halfway lochan’, I was led past its outflow on a fantastic looking pitched track wondering why the direct way across the moor towards the Allt a Mhuilinn often gets a bit of bad press… Within under 10 steps after the track finishes I soon found out as my ample leg length disappeared into an innocuous looking mossy patch, something which could prove almost dangerous for the wee-er walker! After giving up on trying to avoid the wet bits it was actually almost pleasant due to weather and soon enough was crossing the main beck and heading back into the treeline just in time for lunch.

A fantastic personal mission accomplished.

Thanks to Rae for asking for a trip report; I’ve enjoyed recounting it more than I thought I would and recommend anyone else to give it a try to share your adventures however extreme or not that they might be!