Pete, Tish, Fiona and I had planned this Autumn trip to Mallorca way back in February with the objective of getting up Sa Gubia Normal one of the classic (some would say THE classic) Mallorcan Climbs.
Pete & Tish had already got some climbing in when we met up at our accommodation, Con Rosa, on Saturday afternoon. This is a lovely traditional Mallorcan house in the small village of Estellencs (Contact: Nadia Watkins Majorca Holiday House Estellencs). [There are other beautiful villas in Majorca to choose from if the one we used is booked.]
Suggestions of visiting the Torrent de Paries were quickly dashed when we realised time would have meant a very late finish (maybe even after midnight) so a little cragging was done at a relatively recently developed site about 20 minutes drive away. It was late so only two climbs were got in before time for tea.
Sunday we split into two teams of Pete and I & Fiona and Tish to ensure we had a strong enough climber in each party, Pete & I tackled the slight harder line which goes at grade 5 and Fiona and Tish headed up the normal route of 4+, many of the pitches and belays are common so this made for a still very sociable days climbing. It was steep but good climbing all the way up with positive holds, and good protection though aside from the belays Guiba Normal is a traditional climb rather than the bolted sport routes that are generally found on the Island.
Pete & Tish had to go home for work 😥 , Fiona and I were pretty wiped from the previous day so we had an easy bumble around Port Soller.
Some plant I brushed on Gubia normal made my hand red on Monday and by Tuesday it looked like this! 😮
Still this didn’t put us off a gentle days cragging at Sector Pipe S’estret where there are by Mallorcan standards some easier grade climbs. Fiona was pleased to get up some climbs that spat her off last time we visited the island so all in all a successful and very enjoyable mini break.
The hardest thing about the Sa Gubia is getting past the dog at the end of the descent road. The present dog is, in fact, son of the dog referred to in the guide book and is even worse than the previous one. The latter is reputed to have been beaten to death by one of the many great sticks that (or at least used to) adorn the track, just past his kennel.
Yikes! That looks horrible. Which plant was it?
No idea which plant, but it got my right hand and knee so I guess it brushed past something on that side.
It got Fiona as well, though not as bad.
Me and Pete are ok. I wonder what it was.
Hey Terry, that dawg ain’t there anymore! I remembered a super vicious one from 10 years ago; it was on a chain that was just short enough to let us pass! But now there’s just a docile looking “Heinz 57” in the kennel… 🙂
Yeah, the only way past that dog was to walk sideways and provided you weren’t too fat you could get by 😀 The next dog was even worse and I’m sure the chain was longer. You really had to breath in to get past him 😯 I wonder if somebody saw him off too 😈 ❓ There was always a great collection of stakes just past his kennel at the road junction. Returning climbers had obviously picked up sticks on their descent in preparation for conflict 🙂
Incidentally, did you ever meet the fierce dog who guards Green Gully, Kicking Horse, and is also referred to in the guide book ❓ For years, I listened to his baskerville bark with trepidation but finally met him a couple of years ago 😎 he’s about 6 inches tall, stupid and placcid as they come 😯
the plant in question is called roo grass [forgive the spelling] it causes a nasty blistering then stinging and after possible scaring, which could take up to 9 months to fade, it has a woody looking stem with small green leaves of small bush about up to 40cm in height. It’s only trying to protect itself from being trampled, the poor thing. I have also fell foul of it hence my sympathy
I hope you still enjoyed yor trip to mallorca – Yikes those photo’s look really painful?
Mike
Yeah was great trip thanks Mike. The blisters were all gone in a couple of weeks with no lasting signs they were ever there.
don’t look down 😯 you’re braver than me