A trip to climb on the coast and in the mountains behind Benidorm and Alicante usually involves an escape to the sun and climbing in t-shirts and shorts. On the first full day of this year’s trip (our 3rd club trip to the area), it was a shock to receive an emergency alert on our phones telling us about imminent flood danger. Just one year after the Valencia floods that killed over 200 people, it looked like we would get a repeat performance. In the event, we had to retreat from Redovan after getting drenched but managed to avoid the worst of the weather for the next 9 days.

The scale and variety of the climbing in Costa Blanca is breath-taking. Although the majority of the crags are bolted, there are plenty of trad routes, even on the popular crags like Sella and Sierra de Toix. For practical reasons, we focused on sport climbing and managed to get out every day, often to two crags in a day. We also did some sightseeing. With all the rain that fell in the initial storm, it was the first time in living memory that the 17th century reservoir at Relleu had filled with water. The sound of happy frogs filled the air.

Highlights included climbing on the massive walls at Redovan, discovering new routes climbed since the existing guidebooks were published (though this was confusing to start with!) and discovering new crags following developments at venues like Guadalest. It was also good to meet other climbers at The Orange House in Finestrat, our base for the trip, and to renew our friendship with the owners, Rich and Sam Mayfield. We are always assured of a warm welcome.