Tranquilo in Chulilla

Steph and Ian find paradise in Spain - Part 2

By KAVU

March 7^th, 2017

breathe deep

Sometimes life moves so fast I feel like I need to stop and let my soul catch up with my body. This winter I thought what could be more tranquilo than hiding out in a small village in Spain perched at the edge of a limestone canyon, and stay for a few weeks to take the time to really get to know this place.

All inclusive....

We stayed in the medieval village of Chulilla, with hundreds of bolted climbs literally a 5 minute walk from our door!

Chulilla is a village of only 500 people, with cobbled streets and a stone fountain in the main square. The streets and buildings were constructed in medieval times, and they have stayed the same— stone castle overlooks the village, just a 2 minute walk away from most of the houses.

From the stone walls, you can see the roofs of the village and climbers enjoying the routes in the long limestone canyon of “Sector A.” It’s mind-boggling to imagine how people constructed this castle of stone in the 13th century, with no modern tools or vehicles. A good place to spend time sitting on the walls, looking through the windows and thinking about perspective.

beautiful under-story

Chulilla is an Eco-system of fantastic contradictions: supersized cactus and palm plants grow right beside pine trees and bamboo.

Goscanos...

...the local bar, opens at the end of the climbing day, and is always full of climbers, dogs and babies.

warm rock

The climbing is varied and often technical, and almost every pitch is a rope-stretcher. I love long climbs, and I love tufas: Chulilla has plenty of both, and climbing styles from vertical to overhanging, from continuous to cruxy....... there’s really something for everyone.

exactly what we needed

By the end of the trip, we had sampled walls in every sector of Chulilla, climbed countless 5-star routes, drank many beers at Goscanos, and we were tranquilo enough to head back home :)