Cranky Climbing

It's time to introduce my favourite crag in Andalucia (so far). To my surprise it's not El Chorro, but Desplomilandia that's located about 15 km from the area of El Chorro. When I first heard the name 'Desplomilandia', the word itself made me think of some gloomy, yet intriguing crag with steep walls. The north-facing walls might seem a bit intimidating at first glance, but they provide plenty of excellent climbing. If you are capable of climbing 6c or above, Desplomilandia is definitely worth visiting. If you can take down 6b on a good day, it's not necessarily your go-to crag even though there are some easier routes as well.


The most popular sector in Desplomilandia is by far Buena Sombra. Like Las Encantadas in El Chorro, Buena Sombra is a large sector with many nice routes and effortless access. It's located within a few hundred meters from a decent parking lot and has routes from 6a to 8a. Make sure that your rope is long enough though, because it seem…

There's going to be a couple of changes in the blog. At this point of the journey I'm starting to feel more and more comfortable expressing myself in English, so all the posts will be in English from now on. I'm hoping that it will develop or at least maintain my vocabulary when I get back to Finland. Maybe writing in a more international language will also reach some new readers and benefit a larger group of climbers?

In case this is your first visit on the site, welcome aboard! I'm living in a motorhome, travelling and climbing around Europe with my partner and dog. Apart from documenting our journey, the aim of Cranky Climbing is to gather some first hand information on European rock climbing venues and tips for life on the road in general. The three of us are from Finland, so there will probably be some definitive posts about Finnish crags as well. If you are planning a climbing holiday in Finland, don't hesitate to ask for some recommendations. At the moment w…

Lasittuneita släbejä, huonot camping-mahdollisuudet, roskia joka puolella. Ensivaikutelma El Chorrosta oli sanalla sanoen karu. Saavuimme El Chorroon myöhään iltapäivällä ja kävimme ensi töiksemme hankkimassa topon paikallisesta kiipeilykaupasta. Sen jälkeen suunnistimme kiipeilykauppaa pitävän saksalaismiehen ohjeistamana Las Encantadas-sektorille, jonne on kaupan pihasta muutaman minuutin ajomatka. Sektori on topon mukaan yksi El Chorron hienoimmista, mutta valitettavasti helppo access on tehnyt kalkkikivelle tehtävänsä – suosituimmilla reiteillä kitka on jopa keskitalvella olematon. Illalla parkkeerasimme auton sektorin vieressä olevalle levikkeelle. Maisema autolta vuorten ympäröimään laaksoon oli tavallaan aika hieno, mutta turismin jälkiä näkyi joka puolella. Olipa jonkun käsistä tipahtanut tien poskeen jopa kakkavaippakin.

Kumpikaan meistä ei ollut käynyt ennen El Chorrossa, emmekä oikein tienneet mitä odottaa yhdeltä Euroopan vanhimmista kiipeilypaikoista. Leiriytymisen tiesim…