Team Geared Up

DUBLIN, IRELAND (Team Geared Up) - Part 2

For part 1 if this report see this

To the Costa Daurada.
Leaving Rodellar behind we made or way back to the N240 and headed for the Costa Daurada. We had already reserved a bungalow in Camping Prades, in Prades.
6Km before the town of Montblanc there is a turn-off for Prades, however, before heading up into the mountains re-supply at the supermarket in Montblanc. I’ve pinned it on the Google Map. Then, retrace your steps for 6km and get onto that Prades turn-off (T700).
Prades itself is situated at 1000m and the views become more spectacular as you gain height. Camping Prades is about 1Km west of the town centre. There are a few shops in the village and 2 ATMs. Bread, milk, cheese and sausage can be easily found but all else is best found in Montblanc.

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On arrival there was a decidedly eerie feel to the campsite and there wasn’t a soul around, even though the reception was open from 4pm to 11pm and it was now 5.30pm. Eventually after some driving about we found a member of staff. He only spoke Spanish and French and without a Spanish speaker among us it was up to Mick and I and our faltering French to get us checked in. The words I did understand like mauvais and bof didn’t bode well with me and I was getting a sinking feeling in my stomach as he struggled to find our reservation. After a few phone calls he finally gave us a bon! and I breathed a sigh of relief.
With enough beds, a stove and a shower our new cabin filled all of our basic needs but it also had a TV! Mick, in an act of brilliance had brought along an Archos AV500 and all the cables to hook it up to the TV. After much South Park and food it was time to explore!
We met a few guys in Portland, Dorset in the months leading up to our Spanish trip and the TV Crags at La Mussara had been highly recommended by them. We decided to scope out that area for the next day and prayed that the weather would improve. By this stage it had clouded over and looked certain to pour.
On our way to the TV Crags we had gone the wrong way and instead saw a sign for Siurana. You can’t get upset when you see a sign for one of Europe’s most renouned crags only a few Ks away and we headed for a look. WOW!
Perched at 1000m on a rock fin with a sheer drop around it sits a tiny Moorish village with breathtaking views over the valleys below. We only managed a glimpse of these, however, as cloud cover and darkness settled in.

Day 1

On our first full day we awoke to a drizzly morning and began questioning our decision to move away from Rodellar. We decided that we could best use this time to locate all the crags we were interested in seeing so that when the weather did clear we could get onto the rock as quickly as possible. Being up in the mountains the weather can be very localised and better conditions can be found by driving around. We firstly headed to Siurana to see what it was like. Dismal! Arboli was next and it too was dismal. TV crags were next and after that it was La Riba, a good bit away but hopefully with better weather.
By the time we found the TV crags and had a bite to eat, the rock there was in great condition and we decided to stay. We climber mainly in Sector Roure and between us all we did a good few routes. Namely Roure 6b, Aigua Viva 6b, Shargamanta 6c, El Gat 6a, Climber Up 6a+.

Day 2

The weather was a lot better today and the sun was splitting the trees so Siurana was the destination of choice. Unfortunately before we managed to leave the cabin the receptionist informed us that we had been put in the wrong cabin (we were in a higher priced one than we had booked) and asked if we wouldn’t mind moving to the cabin next door. This was a bit of a bummer and ate into our crag time but with that resolved we hit the road.
The parking area outside the village was wedged with cars and for a moment we were thinking the worst. Thankfully the majority of the cars were not owned by climbers and the crags were pretty clear.
We started in Sector Melafots and warmed up on some routes there. After lunch we headed down to have a look at Anabolica but there were people on it so we had to go elsewhere! The day was finished off at Sector Can Marges Lower where Extremoduro 6b+, Pixapins 6a+ and Can Fange 5+ were all dispatched. Pixapins stands out in particular and is well worth doing.

On the way down from the crag we stopped off to take a look at La Rambla, the 9a+ of the area. Savage line and looks a lot harder than it does in the video (as if 9a+ ever looks easy!)

Day 3
On day 3 we decided to return to the TV Crags and go to a different sector. Also as it was our last day it would give us an opportunity to have another go at some of the routes we were on the first day. We headed to Sector Diedres Del Mig and got on Xènia 6b+, Sis de Deu 6a+, Jarto D’estar Harto 6a+ and El Canto del Gallo 6c+. Jarto D’estar Harto is a lovely line on one of the stand out features of the sector and is pretty strenuous. El Canto del Gallo is not to be missed (even if I did) and it has to be said it looks like an amazing line. Be sure to brush up on bridging and laybacking before getting on this one.
After this we headed back to Sector Roure for me to try and get Aigua Viva clean. This is a total power-house of a route and reminded me of some stuff I did in Fairhead with hand a fist jams all the way. We also got back on Shargamanta 6c and did the 7b+ finish. It hurts.
That night we ate in one of the restaurants in Prades, Casa Grisso if my memory serves me correctly. With menus in Catalan and Spanish we were rightly screwed but after a few phone calls home to get some help from google translate we ended up having a great feed and finshed our trip on a good “oak” note.

So a conclusion…Rodellar and Siurana etc. are excellent places to climb, that’s not going to be news to anybody. They do have totally different atmospheres though. Rodellar is harder to get to, in that its further away, but once there all the crags are within walking distance. The crags in the Costa Daurada are much more spread out and a car is pretty necessary to access them all. If I were coming out again I think I’d have to decide on one area and stay there for the whole week but I would certainly reccommend seeing both areas on your first visit to get a feel for both of them. I think I prefered Rodellar if I’m honest with myself. The crags were all beside eachother and there is a great range from slabs to uber-overhangs to satisfy any need. The campsite was also a little better and the bar provided a good place to chill out and have a beer in the evening. That’s not to say that Costa Daurada isn’t a world class area either and if I was forced to stay here for a week I certainly wouldn’t be complaining.