Climb on MacDuff!

Ah, there is nothing like a misquote from Shakespeare to start the blog.

“Climb on MacDuff.” That was our plan. Here in our favourite sport climbing playground on Spain’s delightful Costa Blanca.

La Castell de Guadalest by moonlight. Climbing takes you to some beautiful and rather vertical places.

It is what we came for and it is mostly what we did. But I’ve written enough about climbing for the time being. So, my plan here is to show some pretty pictures whilst talking about anything but the images. But first, a bit of background…

This climber is long overdue a new pair of shorts.

This is a major climbing area. People come from all over the world to climb here in the winter. At the crags (climber speak for ‘At the climbing area’) there are many other climbers, but we never see them in the evening. That is because most (all) climbers here hang out in the mountains. We on the other hand, like to rest beside the ocean.

Beautiful rock. Terrible shorts.

So, we spend our days ‘hanging with the other climber dudes.’ and our evenings strolling along the seafront along with a mix of aged ‘over-winterers’ and Spanish folk promenading for the evening.

‘Over-winterers’ by the way is the name we give to the generally older people who come here in the oversize motorhomes. They are here to spend the whole of winter (October to March) avoiding a mix of Norwegian winter storms, grim German winters or depressing Normandy rain. There are Brits here too. But they can’t spend the whole winter. Oh no, they can only do 90-days after which they must return to the UK. And all because of Brexit. Oh yes, I’m STILL moaning about that.

Mrs P and Gandalf pretending not to be jealous of the overwinterers (made up word.)

That makes our plan to move to the French or Spanish Pyrenees REALLY, REALLY difficult. So don’t get me started… Oops! Too late!

By the way, if anyone out there has any information on how to move to France or Spain then do let me know.

Even on a rest day we have to climb!

The view from the Old Town of Altea

It hasn’t all been climbing though, or promenading along the sea front. Well, actually it has. But we’ve not been just thinking of climbing or where to buy the next coffee and ice cream. We have also been taking this valuable rest period to ponder such weighty issues as the future of society.

Pretty blue sky (and sea).

It is sad to see whole families sitting in restaurants each hunched over their mobile phones. It is sadder still to see ‘youth’ riding everywhere on either scooters or (and you won’t believe this but..) mobility scooters whilst puffing away on either a cigarette or a vape.

So a future of unfit and unhealthy, overweight adults who all lack the ability to raise their heads beyond the horizontal awaits us.

Pretty blue wife (and sea).

Pretty blue wife taking picture of pretty blue sea on pretty blue phone. Oh , and some arty thing.

There is an upside to this though. It means that I only have to keep myself fit enough to lift and throw a scooter.

My theory is this; if I am ever mugged in the future by some scooter riding, cigarette smoking youth, I only need to be strong enough to push them off their scooter and throw it in a bush, or preferably a canal. I will then be able to briskly walk away from them, safe in the knowledge that they won’t be fit enough to keep up!

Yes, I know, I am talking about a minority. The world will be fine… probably.