Our chance encounter with Kev and Jen at Cucala was not just a happy reconnection but also resulted in a top tip for a new climbing area to explore… The village of Pinet, hidden away in the hinterland about 10km as the crow flies inland from Gandía, has not one but EIGHT sectors of recently-developed, well-bolted routes for us to check out. There’s limited information on the web and the equippers have put a huge amount of effort in, and seem keen to encourage some traffic, so this is a bumper edition RockAroundTheWorld post!

The first thing to say is that there’s a locally produced topo which covers all the sectors and around 180 routes (40 5 to 6a, 100 6a+ to 7a+ and 30 harder). You can normally get this for 10 Euros in the bar in the village, but unfortunately it’s sold out – they’re hoping to have more this month (February 2023) so be sure to drop in and buy one to help the local bolt fund.

Meanwhile, there are route lists and directions on UKC and TheCrag, and hopefully the following beta will help you find your way around.

Arriving in town from the south (from Llutxent) it’s clear that there’s a lot of rock about, and you drive past the fairly obvious sector Moskow with the skyline dominated by impressive gorge (which is home to four of the sectors, of which only Runal is visible in the shot below).

We climbed on five of the sectors which are described below in the order we visited, and here’s an overview layout.

El Carpi (SE facing, 10mins approach, 50 routes mostly 6a to 7b with a few either side)

You approach El Carpi and the three other upper sectors from the same parking area about 4km along concrete / dirt roads north of the village (easily navigable in a regular car) to a signpost and possible parking here: 38.995217° N 00.331187° W If travelling from Gandía it’s actually shorter to drive over the hills from Barx (assuming you’ve already bought your topo from the bar).

From here, a rougher track leads a further 250m to an idyllic parking spot – we were pleased to have 4wd but you might get away without.

Another 100m of even rougher track leads to a clearing marked by a replica Fred Flintstone car, and signposts to the various sectors.

Head left for Carpi (and Les Capelles) along a waymarked path, and marvel at the effort that someone has put in to cut a path through the gorse. 10mins or so along here and El Carpi is signposted steeply down to the right.

It was just going into the shade when we arrived around 1pm. The righthand side is shadiest, with a bunch of slabby 5s before a bigger bunch (around 15) of routes in the 6a/+ range, before a steep, pockety orange wall of high 6s to low 7s curves round and the crag ends with a small batch of 7b+s to 8s.

With a chilly wind whistling up the gorge we picked one of the first routes right of the orange (maybe Partage d’Insomni, 6a+) for a warm up. This proved to be tough but good. We also did the next couple including (probably) El Taxa, 6a, a bit easier but no pushover.

Gazing over, we could just make out a pair of climbers on Les Capelles basking in the sunshine, while we shivered in duvets. Time for a two-crag day!

Les Capelles (SW facing – about 30 routes up to 40m, with a few 5+/6as, and a spread to 8b – note: don’t be confused by the apparent load of 4as indicated online – that appears to be a default grade entered where there’s a blank / grade unknown / project in the guide. There are no 4s!)

Carrying on along the main path for another 5mins or so, you come to another signposted turn rightwards which drops you down into a shallow valley before climbing up onto a shoulder above the crag, from where a path skirts the base of the rock to the first routes (about 30mins from the car park)

The two guys climbing turned out to be among the original equippers, and were surprised and delighted to have a couple of visiting Brits. They pointed us at the long chimney crack up the left side of the crag by way of a good introduction (visible on the left of the close up shot above). 48 Primaveras, 6b+, turned out to be excellent – super pockety, crozzly rock, gradually steepening to a final crux move for the chain with almost 40m of rope out.

By the time we’d done that, the sun was dipping behind the horizon leaving its magical glow on the crag.

Walking back, we were struck by the absolute silence, only broken by the occasional bird call. It’s fair to say we were pretty enchanted by Pinet.

Runal (SW facing – 30 routes up to 40m, mostly 6a+ to 7a+ with a handful of easier and harder options).

We recruited Justin and Chris for our next foray to Sector Runal. Same approach as far as the Flintstone-mobile, but turn right and follow the signposted path which leads via a dry stream bed into the top end of the rocky valley visible above the village. After a short rope handrail the path splits, heading leftwards to the main Runal sector, or right to the smaller Balco del Runal.

Here’s a panorama from where the path splits.

… and a view looking up from the bottom of the gorge on a later visit to El Gallo.

… and a view from below – hard to get a vantage point as the hillside drops away so steeply, but you can hopefully make out the the crag forms a cirque of overhanging tufa in the centre (7as & bs) with a left wing of orange 6b+/cs and a right wing of 5+ to 6bs.

We did the three routes on the right of the cueva area: Lara, 6b (excellent but nails!), Blai, 6a+ (tough), and Diedro Taxa, 6b

The final routes on the right at a lower level are on steep pockety grey rock, the best of which is Jiamil Seye, 6a

La Farmacia di mi Barrio, 7a, skirts the left of the cave area, with three big grunty efforts over bulges, split by a couple of good rests. Justin captured my efforts (but thankfully not the grunts!)

That pretty much exhausted that day, but left the central cueva area unexplored – home to a dozen 7a+ to 7b+ tufa tussles up to 40m, with a solitary 7a taking the stunning line of “weakness” (in the loosest sense) up the centre of the cave. Destruccion Masiva was obviously one to come back for, and we returned a few days later when Helen was looking for a rest day but happy to belay. My warm-up on Caridubi, 6b+, didn’t bode well, with a couple of rests, but I was certainly warm (the concave bowl is a natural solar concentrator and it was scorchio!)

Undeterred, I launched up Destruccion Masiva and was pleasantly surprised to breach the initial crazy steepness to get established at a rest around 10m…

Pulling up from the rest I got another reminder of the fragility of some of the rock as a 6″ section of well-chalked tufa came off in my hand…

The angle relents but the climbing changes to intermittent broccoli blobs and holes for the remaining 20m, scraping through a couple of on-off sections by the skin of my teeth for a hard-won ascent.

El Gallo (East facing, 30 routes mostly 7s and 8s and around 25m with a few easier offerings at either end).

This sector is accessed from a parking just outside of the village 38.983103° N 00.333668° W next to one of the very neat signposts, and you turn right almost immediately to follow a good path through olive groves which then drops steeply down into a narrow dry riverbed.

Follow this up leftwards until the crag pokes into view then avoid a boulder and bushy bit on the right before scrambling up leftwards to the base of the crag.

We visited on a semi-rest day, more in the spirit of exploration than expectation, given the predominant grade range, and the view of the giant orange breaking wave of rock didn’t auger well (definitely not playing to my strengths). The far right of the crag retained the last of the sun and also looked to have a stunning tufa 7a, with the promise of a 6b warm up, so we plonked the rope down there. Pitoscopia, 6b, was nails (a good 6c?) and a promised intermediate lower off didn’t materialise, so I bailed onto the adjacent one. This gave me an excuse to top-rope Jose Luis sempre, 7a, which is magnificent but also tough!

Seeking the last of the rays for a lunch spot we discovered a couple of newly bolted routes not on the topo – the right hand one provided a fun consolation (felt like 6a/+ so will probably get 5 when it appears in the next version of the guidebook!) Don’t let me put you off visiting, and it’d be an excellent spot for a strong team in warm weather, and you could always explore Paret del Castell opposite (NW facing, only half a dozen routes 6b to 7a but a tonne more rock to go at!)

Moskow (full south facing, 30 5s and 6s of around 20m, less than 10mins from the car).

We saved the most convenient sector for last – all the ingredients of a future classic (easy approach, lots of sun and a good range of 5s and 6s) but less remote feeling (you can actually see a road, though you’d only count a handful of vehicles in an hour). Park at the end of a small track, just south of the village 38.967325° N 00.343687° W (another nice sign)

Then skirt a chain barrier and traverse the edge of an olive terrace for 50m right to drop briefly into a dry watercourse before following a decent path on the opposite side, up the hillside and looping back under the crag.

We did a bunch of routes on the right hand grey wall (containing a dozen 5 to 6a+) of which Apresses I Sense Presses, 6a, was perhaps the pick.

… and had a play on the steeper orange wall on the left, with El Fugitivo being a good but stiff 6b. Loads more to go back for.

That concludes this extended blockbuster blog post – I hope it inspires you to visit this little paradise of Pinet. If you do, don’t forget to buy the topo, bear in mind that both the grades and some of the holds are still settling down, and of course be sure to protect the pristine environment (but of course you will, or you wouldn’t be a RockAroundTheWorld reader!)