Spanish Scramble

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CROWS walking club spent five days in the mountain village of Sella, just 45 minutes from Alicante Airport in the Sierra De Aitana area. Eugene Mulholland reports.

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he urbanized sprawl of Spain’s Costa Blanca is well known to generations of Irish travellers, but behind the coastal strip, just a short trip from the beaches and bars, is an adrenaline-filled mountain heaven of ridges, trails and canyons. In April this year, 18 members of the CROWS walking club spent five days in the mountain village of Sella, just 45 minutes from Alicante Airport in the Sierra De Aitana area.

At the end of the trip, delayed by the dreaded ash cloud from an unpronounceable volcano in Iceland, a small group decided to seize the moment and head for a canyon classic called Barranc de l’Infern situated an hours drive further north. The rest of the club opted for a local selfguided walk with an opportunity to view a Pilota match (a form of traditional handball played in the Valencia region) between Sella and a rival village later in the day.

Barranc de l’Infern or ‘Hells Gorge’ is a 1.5km limestone canyon on a section of the Val de Ebo between the villages of Benimaurell and Fleix.

The start of the route is reached from Benimaurell via a Mozarabic Trail.

It is a ‘mostly’ dry limestone gorge. Some of the sumps can occasionally contain water, so you need to be prepared for a little wading or even a short swim and to check conditions and weather forecast before you go. It would not be the best place to be caught in a flash flood!

The trail from Benimaurell provides an interesting and relaxing route in to the canyon and another section of the same trail, marked PRVI 47, provides the exit path to Fleix at the end of the day.

The networks of ancient trails is just one of the most striking aspects of these mountains. Constructed by the Moors in the 16th and 17th century they provided access from the small isolated mountain villages to the coast for trade purposes.

The Moors’ expertise is also evident in the abundant terraces on the hill sides now occupied by orange, almond or lemon trees although originally designed to grow wheat. Their skills are also evident in the intricate network of water management canals that even today continue to function as lifelines in this hostile but beautiful region. The Mozarabic trails are well maintained by the local mountaineering and walking groups and provide a delightful way to traverse this dramatic limestone terrain Beside the fruit trees, botanists will enjoy wild asparagus,

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Laslo in classic pose

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Roisin leads the way

chamomile, thyme, rosemary and many wild flowers and cacti that make the trail interesting, colorful and fragrant especially in spring.

After trekking for about an hour and a half towards the towering cliffs of the canyon the dry, white river bed of the Rio Ebo came into view. A quick descent on the zigzag trail and a short walk down-river revealed the start of the route and the first of many abseils. Route finding is not a problem and all the abseil points are bolted and very safe. The canyon can be shaded, but even when it is not, it is still much cooler than the open trail so this is a possible option for a hot day.

From this point on there is an engrossing four-hour scrambling extravaganza on perfect ice cream coloured, marble-smooth rock. Drops, walls, swirl holes and slides, scooped and polished by flash floods over the millennia reveal a climbing puzzle around every twist and turn. This is a very special place indeed, and even though it was the weekend we had it all to ourselves. In between sections, or while rigging an abseil the quietness of the place would suddenly become apparent. Only a burst of birdsong and the occasional drone of a beehive high above in the vegetation broke through the stillness.

Halfway through, with smiles on our faces, we had lunch sitting on a sand and pebble island and again took some time to marvel at the location. Barranc de l’Infern is just one of a number of easy scrambles in the region, although it is a particularly special one.

We took our time with our lunch and enjoyed the craic. This was the fifth day in a row for many, but with so much to see and do we decided to rest when we got home; whenever that might be!

Soon we were moving fast together through the second part of the route, which provided as much entertainment as the first. But all good things must end, and the last traverse and abseil proved a fitting end to a great adventure. We began to move out into the evening sunshine as the walls on one side and then the other started to reduce in height and spread further from each other.

Continuing downstream on the carpet of white rock for 40 minutes enabled us to pick up another part of the Mozarabic trail for a slow, steady climb up and through a natural rock window to the Catalan village of Fleix. The trail finished by an impressive fuente (spring), walled in and decorated, where we took the opportunity to top up our water bottles for the next day.

A local bar was where we joined Jose Miguel Garcia for a celebratory drink before returning to the village of Sella for dinner with the rest of the group. Jose Miguel was our guide for the week and he is the local ‘King of the Mountains’. Jose will tailor the activities to the needs and wishes of your group and is also happy to provide the information required for self-guiding.

The village of Sella is a typical Spanish mountain village and Jose is the lynch pin for a group of local businesses. This is a sustainable and environmentally friendly approach to tourism that contrasts sharply with the impersonal, homogenous tourism of the coast. There is a commitment here to the local people and to the natural environment of the region. The CROWS felt very welcome in the village. A bit of a home from home experience!

Nothing was too much trouble for Jose, who provided the transport for all the walks or trips to the beach as well as the pick-up and return to the airport. He helped us to sort out the rebooking of flights when the dreaded ash struck and looked after the group as we trickled back to the airport and home over the following days. Most important of all, during the guided walks and scrambles he was a fountain of knowledge on the history, landscape and culture and this added greatly to our enjoyment of this interesting and historical area.

Another absolute classic in the area is the Bernia Ridge and Jose and his friend Laslo provided the guiding for six very keen club members while the remainder of the group took a day off and headed for the beach.

For those in the know, the Bernia Ridge can be compared to a slice of the Cullin Ridge but with Mediterranean sunshine and views. This is a

Paddy hangs above a flood sink hole

No way back!

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Spanish Scramble Group on a ridge

3.5km traverse that gives amazing views towards the sea, but also insights into the thinly populated mountainous interior.

Start at Cases de Bernia with a 1? hour approach walk to El Forat where a muddy squirm through a cave and a 20 minute scramble will bring you to the starting point. Once on the ridge proper, the route follows red dots and arrows around, over and through a series of limestone towers that saw their way along the sun-scorched skyline. The ridge is most easily followed from East to West and is well equipped with bolts and chains.

For some in the group it was a first experience of scrambling and the exposure was considerable in places, so there was a certain amount of trepidation, but our guides were very capable and safe, so everyone quickly felt at ease.

Long abseils turned many of the more serious difficulties and the overall scrambling is given as grade three. However, it is still a considerable undertaking and should not be attempted in mist or rain when the rock would become very treacherous and the route-finding challenging.

The group also completed walks in the Pena de An abseil on Bernie Roc area, on Aitana (1558m) and on Puig Campana (1410m) in a mix of guided and self-guided walks.

Jose has produced a considerable amount of mapping from his own resources to fill an information gap for outdoor enthusiasts. The maps reveal a wealth of rock climbing, mountain biking, paragliding, via ferrata, walking, and scrambling and walk descriptions can be soon be sourced from his new website. The Pena de Roc region is just one of a huge number of rock climbing areas that are worth visiting while walking in the area, even if only to watch the climbers doing their thing.

We spent a day on the area’s highest mountain, Aitana, and passed by huge cracks, up to 90m deep, in the limestone surface caused by earthquake activity. Nobody could resist crawling over to the edge to peer down. Our journey also involved a couple of short challenging rock sections including ‘Fat Mans Agony’. This is famous tight squeeze that requires a little care if it is to be negotiated successfully. Our descent from Aitana finished at a mountain restaurant for lots of fine wine and excellent local food.

Our self-guided circular walk was to the summit of the beautiful Puig Campana and was another highlight for the group. The day was crystal clear and the scenery exceptional. Frequent stops for photos and a sneaky breather were essential as some of the group had over-indulged the night before! On the way we could appreciate the spectacular rock towers of Pena Roc and the even more spectacular views of the knife-edged Monte Castellets ridge sweeping in a large curve away into the distance. The later is the sole preserve of hardcore mountaineers.

We negotiated a tricky descent from a rocky col before picking up a fine track that led to a long, hot series of switchbacks on to the shoulder of Puig Campana. From there a mere 30 minutes saw the group celebrating on the summit. Puig Campana is not as high as Aitana but it is a beautiful mountain proving that form is everything. The characteristic Roldan Notch makes this an easily identified mountain and it should not be missed if you are visiting the area.

This region of adventure and mountain beauty is a quick hop away and well serviced from Dublin, Belfast and Derry. Now you know about it, what are you waiting for?

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Long way down.....

Information and Contacts Jose Miguel Garcia offers environmentally sensitive guiding, walking and scrambling. He can also provide excellent information to the area and its activities along with information on accommodation and transport. He is contactable at aitanaaventures@gmail.com Photos of the Bernia Ridge and 360 degree views are available at www. panoramicas360.net

Scrambling Jargon Buster

Guidebooks: Mountain Walks on the Costa Blanca by Bob Stansfield (Cicerone Press) www.cicerone.co.uk Volume 1: West and Volume 2:East (this volume gives a detailed description of the route in Barranc de l’Infern).

The CROWS are established just over 4 years and are based in Dundalk.

Their main stomping ground is the Cooley, Slieve Gullion and Mournes area. The membership of the club is around 36 and the trip to Spain was their 3rd overseas walking holiday.

By Andy Callan

Canyon – A valley with steep, rocky sides, as in “there’s injuns in that thar canyon”. A narrower example would be called a gorge.

Sump – Part of a watercourse that holds water even when the remainder of the streambed is completely dry. If you can’t traverse around the side of the sump then you’ll have to wade or swim through it.

Abseil – A German term literally meaning ‘down rope’, the French call it rappelling. It involves securing the rope to an anchor and sliding down it by means of a braking device or alternatively, using your body to create friction against the rope to achieve the same end.

Bolt – A fixed anchor usually placed above an abseil on popular routes. Generally bombproof, but always check before using and if in doubt back it up with your own anchor.

Drop – A steep section which requires downclimbing or an abseil.

Wall – The opposite of a drop! Technically refers to a section of rock with an angle of 70 degrees or greater. May need to be safeguarded with a rope.

Slide – A long water-worn runnel.

If you don’t mind getting wet and there’s sufficient water, you can do just that and treat such sections as a waterslide, once there’s a safe stop at the far end.

Traverse – Involves climbing horizontally rather than upwards, can be difficult to protect both leaders and seconds.

Exposure

– The airy feeling of having the terra firma far below your feet. Can be very off-putting and may distract the climber on what’s an otherwise easy route.

Via Ferrata – Literally ‘Iron Ways’, these steel cables, fixed ladders and staples first appeared in the Dolomites during World War 1 when the Italians and Austrians were knocking seven bells out of each other. The network of cables etc. allowed mountain infantry access key vantage points in relative safety (once you don’t consider the other side lobbing high explosive at you to be an objective hazard). After the war they continued to be used for recreation, becoming increasingly popular throughout the Alps, allowing selfguided parties access to otherwise technical peaks. They obviously require some experience and know-how and should be avoided during summer storms – lightning, summits and steel cables aren’t a great combination.

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Spanish Scramble techniques such as selection of anchors, belaying; placing running belays i.e. nuts and spikes, and abseiling. These scrambles are not to be scoffed at and present a real test of competence considering that you’ll have to navigate to the base of the route, follow guide book direction (an art in itself!) and then navigate off when you’ve topped out.

Lastly, a few thoughts on rope skills. Anybody can learn to tie a couple of basic knots, set up an anchor, how to belay etc. The problems arise when it comes to putting these skills into a live situation. A friend at work approached me a while back and explained that his retired father was an active hillwalker who was starting to travel further afield to places where he felt he could benefit from “having a rope in his bag – just in case….” I rang his father and we discussed the situation, I explained that the skills needed were simple but their application was the problem, skills seldom used could be more dangerous than blissful ignorance, whereas ‘sensible cowardice’ can be a real lifesaver. Having thought about it the man decided to leave well enough alone and still enjoys the mountains, without any major epics or becoming an accident statistic. It was never my intention to refuse to teach him, I simply felt that he would know what best suited his needs and left that decision to him. I’d urge all hillwalkers to do the same; should you decide that you need to acquire the relevant skill set then check out mountaineering.ie/trainingandsafety for a list of training providers. Any trainer holding a Mountaineering Instructor Award or higher qualification will be competent to teach the skills you need.

Andy Callan

Scrambling What’s a scramble? Simply put, anytime you need to use your hands to maintain upward progress, well then you’re scrambling. Taking this definition further, a scramble will cover mostly bare rock rather than steep vegetation and follow a fairly obvious line such as a ridge or gully.

Scrambles in Ireland and Britain are normally graded from 1 – 3.

Grade 1 routes require no special mountaineering skills and would be within the capabilities of an average hillwalker, for example following a narrow ridge free from other objective dangers that would require a rope. A Grade 1 scramble could also be reversed if the weather turns nasty.

Grades 2s are more serious outings which may need roped protection on some sections and optimum weather conditions. A good background in scrambling or mountaineering is a must since you may have to choose/set up anchors and belay (secure the rope) for another climber. Being steeper than Grade 1s, these routes are rarely suitable for descent unless by abseil. This grade is a big step up, requiring confidence, technical know-how and sound decision-making. Due to the fact that you may not be using a rope at all times, your biggest decision may be to realise when something’s ‘not on’ and act accordingly.

Lastly, a Grade 3 route makes the bridge to ‘real’ rockclimbing, where you have a Grade 2 with the added frisson of 1 or more sections or ‘pitches’ of simple rockclimbing where rope protection is deemed normal.

The average hillwalker will have to learn the basic rope

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