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CHRIS'S BLOG

L’Escala and Montserrat Blog March 2012

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After the Berghaus Athletes’ camp I flew back to Barcelona to rejoin Wendy on our holiday with our good friends Gill and Dennis at L’Escala.

 

Their home is on the edge of L’Escala, backing on a huge area of lovely scrub and woodland.  This is looking down on L’Escala across the Bay of Roses.  In the summer L’Escala is packed with holiday makers but at this time of year it is lovely and quiet yet delightfully warm and sunny. Gill and Dennis' home on the edge of L'Escala

 
 
 
 
It’s great to be able to eat out in the warm Mediterranean sun in an escape from a cold, wet Cumbria, particularly as Wendy on right was recovering from a severe Ashma attack. Escaping from a cold, wet Cumbria!

 
 
 
 
I took off for one day to meet my old mate of the 1975 Everest South West Face expedition, at Montserrat.  Our initial plan was to climb on the West side but the guide book is in Spanish and neither of us can speak it.  Here we are checking out an in situ map to work out the route to the climb. Checking out an in situ map to work out the route to the climb

 
 
 
 
We knew it was up the valley slightly right of centre but failed to find a path and after an hour of bush-whacking up a stream bed through ferociously sharp thorns, admitted defeat and half the day was gone!!! We failed to find a path up the valley

 
 
 
 

We drove round to the north side to the Monastery of Montserrat. The climb was at Montserrat in the Gorros sector. It was called Via Apia, 100m long and graded F4c+.

Accessed in just 10 mins from the top of the Funicular de St Joan from the Monastery car park.

Monastery of Montserrat

 
 
 
 
Up the back of the second from left. Up the back of the second-from-left

 
 
 
 
And the climbing was brilliant with the bolts far apart because it was only grade 1V!!!! Mike leading the first pitch. Mike leading the first pitch

 
 
 
 
Mike following me up the second pitch. Mike following me up the second pitch

 
 
 
 
Two happy climbers at the end of the climb. Two happy climbers at the end of the climb!!

 
 
 
 

After an exciting day we managed to miss the last tram back down and had a long walk back down to the car – a typical day out for the Bonington–Rhodes team!

A good path went all the way

 
 
 
 

 

 

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