Abella de La Conca

For sheer beauty the tiny village of Abella de la Conca and its surrounding cliffs are almost without equal in this guidebook. The rock formations are stunning — spectacular crests and fins jutting into the sky — while the village itself must be one of the most splendidly situated in the whole of Catalunya. This part of Lleida seems blessed with a particularly favourable micro-climate resulting in very little rainfall and above average sunshine, though thanks to the various orientations of the sectors climbing is possible throughout the year. The predominant style of climbing in Abella is technical and fingery, on rock that varies in angle from steep slabs to gently overhanging walls and in this genre hundreds of excellent routes are available throughout the grades (although it should be noted that some of the harder routes on the ‘gently’ overhanging walls are far from gentle!). However, there are also plenty of cracks and diedres, and those looking for really steep rock will undoubtedly find the awe-inspiring arches of El Forat dels Lladres to be a worthy challenge. Note: the best source of advice and up to date information about climbing in Abella is undoubtedly the Eco-Refugi located in the upper village square. Ask for Nic...