Into the hills above the Costa Blanca.

[gaffr]

When November comes around the Costa Blanca temperatures are at around the mid 20's C. so not too hot for bumbling around the area. I had been down for a week some years ago so when the opportunity came along to get to Calpe with some of the younger folks I was already packing my bag.
The area provides a mixture of bolted routes, seacliffs, the amazing wee mountain, Puig Campana above Benidorm, a very fine rocky traverse....the Bernia Ridge, a via ferrata and the gorge of the Barranco del Infierno.

Good accommodation available at Calpe in the off-season so not too expensive when shared fourteen ways

The Penon d'Ifach overlooks the town of Calpe.

The Pany route and the previous one of Valencianos are the two route that I can ascend on the Penon.....the others routes are much harder.

A look back south towards Benidorm and the Puig....away in the distance.

The sea cliffs near to Calpe are approached by an abseil....we avoided the ancient rusting iron ladder used by fishermen in the past which took the folks down to a ledge above the sea

The Magical Mystery tour takes you on a traverse at about diff/VD level until you reach the only escape line upwards which gives three harder pitches.

The beginning of the more difficult rock.

and finally, after a struggle for me, out to the top of the cliffs.

The approach to the Barranco del Infierno.

Into what is marbled limestone worn smooth by the flash flooding over the centuries.

Amazing sculpturing all the way through.....most of the descents are solved by abseiling.

The Spanish guides have set up many bolts/hangers from which to descend from. A nice round trip from the high ground above Pego with a return by an ancient mule/donkey trail upwards to the parking place.

The tunnel through the range which allows access to the South side of the hills for walkers to complete a circum-ambulation of the range and to reach the ancient fort.

Continuing upwards gets you to a col with the East peak to your left and the delights of the traverse to follow.

Some of the lads on the East peak.

A bit of down-climbing and a chance to do some moving together with three on the rope

A couple of abseils are needed on the route.

The most difficult section of the route with some using their 'slippers' I guess with boots you could stand on the bolts hangers to assist the upward moves.

Fast moving over the section with folks moving together and clipping the bolts.

Top of the West peak, the high point of the traverse, with the Penon d'Ifach appearing to be part of the ridge.

The remains of the ancient fort reached as we descended a circuitous route back to the parking place.

The splendid Espolon Central on Puig Campana above Benidorm.

The via ferrata on Ponoch with Benidorm below.

Toix Red route....a two pitch climb in a grand area with many good single pitch limestone routes....mostly bolted.

[gaffr]

Thanks for pointing out my faux pas......I guess that the other Costa is 500 kilometres further North.
Sometimes I wonder how I can get from place to place.....it is the ageing process.
There is much more than hot beaches to be found in the area. Just a few kls. inland from the coast you enter into the dry landscape...messeta? travelling up and down wee roads that would give the cyclists in the Vuelta a good day out. Looks like much of the land has been abandoned by folks.....too much heat and very little rainfall up there.

[litljortindan]

Looks spectacular but demanding.

[gaffr]

An interesting area to explore.....have only been in the bit between Benidorm and Pego based at the fine Calpe overlooked by the big crag. The Penon d'Ifach is a grand walk. The descent through the tunnel with the 'glassy floor' allows for a grand wee walk in what is a protected site. We must have passed by the hill that you visited on our way out to the barranco.....these tops seem to be limestone crag bound everywhere. Looking out from the Puig Campana there is another jagged limestone ridge out to the West which would almost certainly give a good day out.
Plenty of opportunities for walking on good trails and on ancient mule tracks through the now disused terraces. The trail back up from the end of the barranco day gave very fine walking back to the parking place.
The circumnavigation of the Serra Bernia, using the tunnel to connect both sides, is a very popular walk, overlooking the huge number of covered fruit trees in the wide valley to the south.