Mid morning in Navajas and it still only says 2C on the outside thermometer. Plenty of time to scour the web for a sunny sheltered crag, the problem being that this was Day 9 and we were running out of options. We’d previously discarded Algimia d’Alfara based on the lukewarm writeup on TheCrag:
“Unspectacular cliff with easy to moderate routes on medium to poor rock quality overlooking a noisy highway.” and the ultimate put-down: “Where to stay? – You don’t want to stay for this one.”
Mention of a full southerly aspect, good winter venue and short approach prompted a reprieve and a bit more investigation via the the great Spanish website elev-arte.com
… told a different story (albeit from the perspective of the developers!) and included handy topos.
The province of Valencia and Castellón brings together a good number of sport climbing areas, some of them with very good rock quality, and a large number of routes.
Perhaps that is why a wall that was clearly visible from the road but modest in appearance and small in size had gone unnoticed.
It is Picaio Redó, located in Algimia de Alfara and with very fast access from Valencia. When we approached here, one autumn afternoon in 2010 with few hours of daylight ahead, we only expected to have a good time looking at that wall and walking around the area; but as soon as we got down to equip the first route, (now called “Alejandria”), we realized that the climb was much more beautiful than it had seemed at first sight, so that first afternoon was followed by others and that first way many more. Thus we were able to continue enjoying new openings, some from below and others from above, always a bit against the clock until in December we already had a good handful of routes.
The quality of the rock is not exceptional, as it is a set of superimposed blocks where significant cleaning work had to be done, but the result has been worth it and today the solidity of the itineraries seems more than acceptable to us. In addition, the location of the insurance for each track has been carefully assessed to minimize the risk in the event of a fall.
The average degree of the area gives options to enjoy the vast majority of climbers as the routes range from V to 7a.
In any case, it is a good alternative to visit Algimia de Alfara and have a magnificent view over Camp de Morvedre, with the Mediterranean in the background, while we climb.
We hope you enjoy these new routes.
Hrmm – maybe worth a look after all … Only one way to find out…
There’s plenty of parking just up from the small concrete building described in the approach info, from where you can make out the end of the crag
and a good path leads up to the crag in a comfortable 10mins. Here’s the view from the crag:
… and I guess it’s a matter of your outlook whether you see this…
… or this…
Personally, I’m a “glass-half-full” person, especially when it’s as sunny as this, though the knockers do have a point about the noise (though it’s not Stoney).
Our first route was Alejan-dria, 6a, which was excellent (but 6a+++!) Techy bridging up a thin groove, with little in the way of friction from the unusually smooth orange limestone.
The adjacent twin groove To The Parrot, 6c, felt 2 grades harder ie 6c+++. Further right the rock is a bit more textured and the grades feel fairer. Here’s Helen on El Laio I la Neta, 5+
and perhaps our favourite, a new 6a not on the topo between routes 16 and 17.
Also managed to get up the arete in the above shot, a disjointed and rather artificial 7a: Bocadillos Fustrados. All in all, not a bad spot for a chilly afternoon – on this occasion we’d back the more rose-tinted perspective of the crag developers.
Here’s a drive by view from the A23 the following day – worth a closer look!
A couple of footnotes before leaving the Navajas area, more as a reminder to my future self. We made a return visit to the Placas del Sol sector in Montanejos – short access and set way above the Maimona canyon floor…
It’s quite exposed and not for the faint hearted…
Fab, sunny wall with a good selection of 6s and 7s on the right, which we’d climbed on before. The left wall, perched above a huge drop, gives Verdonesque levels of exposure…
and is accessed via a few rungs and some tentative teetering.
Your reward is a set of four 6a/+s which all get the “champagne glass” accolade for the highest quality in the guidebook. Hrmm – we did Los Elefantes Llevan Tirantes (Elephants wear braces), which looked to have the largest number of least rusty bolts. Suffice to say that the name was the only fun thing about it – it felt quite harrowing and more like E2/3 than 6a+!
Safely back on the main sector, Yo No Me Comprendo, 6b – much more enjoyable!
A further “note to self” of a harrowing experience at Jerica was El Don de Fragl, a 40m link up which runs a 6c/+ into a 6c+. Half way up the top pitch I got that sinking feeling when a) you realise you’ve been on a route before and b) you remember that it was quite scary, with some big runouts – hopefully I’ll read this before any future grey-point effort!
RockAroundTheWorld 