Climbing…and fine dining?
It may seem like some sort of oxymoron and probably means I won’t climb 7+ again, but…
Last autumn/winter I thought I’d be a ‘digital nomad’ for a few weeks as I wanted to work somewhere with good sport climbing on my doorstep. Having looked at all the options, Kalymnos (Greece) v Spain etc – Alicante seemed like a good idea as I could drive there and the weather would be good all winter.
I was a little nervous, ( would there be anyone to climb with, would they want to climb with me, would I just have no time to climb?) so decided a little *self-care* was in order on the way there.
This is how I did it:
I decided to break the trip down into two days of driving from Lyon with a stop in Girona.
When I arrived in Girona I searched out the natural wine bar La Garrina and enjoyed some Alma Aolar Garnacha orange wine, (fermented with skins for four months, macerated in unsealed black earth amphorae for seven days producing dry, citrus slightly saline wine ) followed by tapas at El Vinitu for a relaxing evening after the five-hour+ drive from Lyon.
I was curious to visit Girona as I’d heard of the ‘Chef’s Table’ episode featuring El Celler de Can Roca.
This three Micheline star restaurant is near impossible to book unless you do it a year ahead, but the three brothers also have a more normal restaurant in Girone- aptly called ‘Normal’, so I booked this for lunch before the day two drive to Finistrat and the Orange house.
Normal was a great choice as it’s unpretentious and you don’t have to have a set menu. The price is good too with dishes such as tuna belly with ajo blanco (chilled almond soup) at €19, pig’s trotters terrine with sea cucumber €22 and Wellington fillet with café de Paris sauce, onion and dried apricot at €35.
I spent my first few days in the nearby village of Orxeta where the Orange House also has the ‘plum house’ for climbers to stay. It’s very near the Sella so I managed to get a good few days of ‘get your head back’ climbing, before heading to the likes of Guadalest for the pumpy kinda climbing I like.
Temperatures were normally around 18-20 degrees, but there were a few damp days (and rest days needed). I had a run along the Playa De Villajoyosa and did the vertical km at Puig Campagna. But I’m told there is also great mountain biking there – and of course lots of golf options.
I did the VKM in a bit of a hurry as I’d also booked wine tasting at Bodegas Xaló, in Jalón. When I arrived I realised I’d been there before as it’s near the climbing in Alicilali.
After a tour of the winery and the tasting, where I was blown over by the price of the wine, I left with a large box of various whites, reds, a cava and a sweet wine for Christmas.
I also decided to have a night in Valencia. Here I headed for an aperitif at L’Ozzy wine bar, then dinner at Xanglot, a bib gourmand restaurant serving “Market cuisine’ in the historical and artistic centre of Valencia. I had a Degusta menu for €50 with Fresh prawns, papaya and cava sauce followed by royal oxtail and mango with coconut cream and ginger to finish.
My climbing picked up quite a bit after this as the consistency of going out daily for a week or two meant I was more relaxed on the lead. I spent a great day down at Sierra De Toix with Rich Mayfield from the Orange House who encouraged me to lead all the pitches of some rather intimidating sea cliffs; Parle and Erikindia.
I decided to stick to Girona for the return journey rather than Barcelona as it’s a more manageable size city for a day-break, and I could park for free at my hotel.
For dinner, I headed to the trendy SiNoFos, near the Plaça de Catalunya, which I really recommend. There’s a great atmosphere inside and you can watch the chefs cooking your meal, accompanied by music from the Pixies, Bon Jovi and Eminem. Here I enjoyed some roasted pumpkin with burrata and sprouts for €10 and marinated pork cheeks for €26. Their ten-course tasting menu is a steal at £90 with wine pairing at €40.
For a great breakfast and coffee stop before a long drive home, I recommend La Fábrica and Espresso Mafia.
I stayed at Hotel Palau de Bellavista, as parking was included in the price and it holds a great position up a short hill with stunning views across the city.
Maybe this is not everyone’s way to do a climbing trip. And I have definitely done my fair share of slumming it. But I like to be different every now and then…