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Spain 2005 - continued
Wednesday March 16th
Went up to find DOS HERMANOS in the Echo valley, which is a long, muli-pitch pinnacle ridge route that involved a tyrolean between two tall limestone pinnacles. We were looking forward to doing this route and had practised doing an eight-metre tyrolean several times at the Pleasly Vale cliff in Nottinghamshire. The approach, so the instructions stated, followed the road that went up to Echo Placa and continued by path along to the crag. But after driving up into no-mans land at the end of the world and fearing for the fate car. (Hired cars are not insured for damage on dirtrack roads). At the very end of the smallest of dirtrack roads, we finally gave up and forlornly retreated back down to the normal crags in the Echo valley, to have a rethink on what to do for the rest of the day. Sometime in the future I’ll have to see if I can get some more detailed information about this fantastic route, because we definitely still want to do it. Anyway, after lunch we decided on a route on Echo Two called ‘Espolon Encantada’ which was a two star trad route grade 5. I don’t know if it was just me? Because by then I had become very unmotivated and on doing the route found it stiff for the grade. The route finding was quite hard on the first pitch, causing me to have to down climb about fifteen feet before I found the line of a tricky rightwards traverse. The first pitch then ended with a sustained series of moves on sharp finger pockets up a steep slab that took all the drive and push that I had at the time. The second pitch, which was graded harder than the first, seemed to go OK and proved no problem. At the top, the way off was a single, full length, abseil back down to the floor. Back at the car we knew that we had saved the day and as we drove back to the apartment there was another new tick in the book. Although the day didn’t pan-out as we had expected and we were a little disappointed, after doing this last route we knew that we had done enough to retire and go home satisfied.
Thursday March 17th
The last day of the holiday was the hottest day of all. I spent the day shopping around Calpe for presents to take home and caught up on some serious sunbathing. In the evening, I met Mary and Marion down by the harbour so as to have a seafood supper in one of the harbour restaurants before going into the centre of town to see the country dancing at the Fallas Festival.
Friday March 18th
It was sad to be leaving this fantastic coastline behind. Over the years we have found so much to do and so many places to go to. I never seem tire of it. This year we have had three long days out. Which included a climb up a thousand foot Via Ferrata, a scramble over a long, pinnacled, knife edge ridge and an ascent up a multi-pitch, five-hundred foot, fully bolted route. Coupled with this, it included twenty-three bolted routes, some of which were routes up to four pitches long. Which is not bad going for a group of old wrinkley’s. Yet there is still many things to do for the years to come.
We have yet to do the two pinnacles of the Dos Hermas route, or tyrolean route as we have come to know it, and from last year there is still the long winding Benicadell ridge route to do. Two, full day outings that I can’t wait to come to grips with. If we can find them? Maybe next time, on the next trip, next year.
Loitering at the Fellas Festival - A happy conclusion to the holiday