We are now on the lengthy ferry back to Portsmouth from Santander in Northern Spain and with 29 hours in a seat ahead I thought I would have time to write a post.
We headed to Spain by car which from Inverness which is quite a distance via the lengthy two night crossing from Portsmouth to Bilbao. Although it may sound like a hefty distance the ferry is actually very relaxed with a cabin making the journey seem much easier. Calm seas across the Bay of Biscay on the very nice Brittany Ferries give a chance to just sit and relax.
We came with a plan to travel south but we found the Basque Country too nice an area just to drive through and leave behind and so decided to stay and have a good look around. One other reason not to head south seemed to be some pretty devastating flooding that was hitting the south of the country. One particularly catastrophic flood in Valencia occurred just as we arrived with a large number of fatalities. Numerous other floods have continued in Southern Span and across on the islands with some fatal and serious outcomes.
Spain was also a first for both of us as demonstrated by my Spanish language skills so it was all new to explore wherever we went. Arriving in Bilbao we headed towards the area around Pamplona which has a huge amount of climbing, nice parks and mountain areas.
Basing ourselves just outside the small but very nice town of Estella Lizzera about 40 minutes outside Pamplona. We managed to find an out of season bargain hut at a vast camping and holiday complex. It was aside from us completely deserted giving us the full run of facilities and shower blocks. I should think in the summer months this would be heaving with people, imagine Butlins in the sunshine. Being the first time to Spain I think I had the general impression that it was hot all over and this was why people went there for sun rock trips during the UK winter months. This is true by the Mediterranean however this far North in Basque Country it turns quite chilly at this time of year. In fact as we left there was snow on the tops around Bilbao and Pamplona and the sport shop was getting its hire sets of axe’s and crampons ready so perhaps this is not the area that people head to for winter sun.
That said for the first part of the trip it was pretty hot at the crags before the temperatures dropped off a cliff. We found some great climbing at the areas of Engino, San Fausto and Perntea along with a few others. All limestone sport climbing. We had come prepared only for this opting for the simplicity of just a long rope and quickdraw’s and no trad gear. The crags where vast with hundreds of routes and numerous sectors at each ranging from short to long single pitch well bolted and easy to navigate around. The crags had a really nice feel about them, especially at the weekends when they got pretty busy. Whats perhaps the most impressive feature of these crags is the huge Griffin Vultures which hover along the tops of the crags and sweeping across these vast limestone escarpments, certainly the biggest birds I think I have ever seen flying.
We had a quick visit to the crags at Exaturi which lie on the road back North and perhaps has the most amount of climbing I think I have ever seen at one crag with 700 routes starting of from a switchback on the road spanning across a variety of steep limestone tiers along a huge escarpment. There was also a spectacular inversion sitting just below the foot of the crags spanning miles and miles beyond the escarpment.
A good tip for anyone heading this way and wanting to spend more time here is to get the guidebook. Although the Rock Fax app and guides cover the area giving a good idea as to what crags there are and routes the best source of info is the locally written guidebook. A really nice one has been made which couldn’t really be any clearer in terms of topo’s. Of course it could be a bit clearer if there was an English version but no need really. The directions for each crag in the book have a QR code which if you scan that google maps takes you straight there, clear topo’s and grades make everything easy to work out, the hardest part is climbing the routes. Have a look for the climbing guide to Navarra Region.
We also managed some running and had a particularly good morning on Monts Jura a peak just above Estella. A trail running centre nearby had marked out some nice trails up and over the spiky summits. A mix of thick dense African style bush and sharp conglomerate fins made up the summits giving some very nice terrain. The campsite was situated on the Camino de Santiago trail a famous long distance walk running across the top of Spain. So we had a constant flow going past of people with large rucksacks on walking past on their way to the next monastery. Certainly one notable thing in Spain was hoe well looked after crags, walking and running trails, cycle routes and national parks.
Definitely an area to return and not sure why I haven’t been to Spain before. If not pushed for time then I would highly recommend the ferry down as a pretty relaxed way to travel and get into holiday mode landing you in Bilbao ready to go. Although we went to the Basque Country on our return ferry we left from Santander which lies in Cantabria which also looks to be a stunning area on the coast and edge of the Picos mountains. So there is plenty to explore the moment you land.
For now we are heading back to get the winter season underway with what looks to be almost impeccable timing with a good arctic blast of wintery weather arriving over the weekend and some weather warnings up for freezing conditions and snow as we head back to Inverness. Hopefully that is the start of a good winter ahead.
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