Well, we're back again after another crazy trip to Spain. After several years of going to the Costa Blanca there was a widespread feeling that a change was due, and so we headed for the Costa Daurada, or more accurately the Prades Mountains. This area lies inland from Tarragona, about an hour's drive south of Barcelona.

Sal couldn't find accommodation in the mountains, so she had booked a number of apartments on the beach between Salou and Cambrils. This area had the advantage of lots of bars and restaurants within walking distance, so the car drivers didn't lose out, on the other hand it made it far too easy to party, and the IMC needs no encouragement in that department!

The first day was very windy, so we headed a long way inland to Vilanova de Prades, on the far side of the mountains. The rock here is a limestone conglomerate, and I for one found it quite hard to climb. Nevertheless the bolts encouraged me to try increasingly harder moves (something which surprised me), until I fell off (which didn't). However there were some good routes there, and in a fine situation.

The next day we visited Arbolí. Here the rock is more amenable, sound limestone with positive incut holds. After starting on some fine routes ranging in difficulty from 3 to 5+, we moved to a nice slab with more good routes.

Immaculate planning had arranged that probably the heaviest climber in the group (Big Dave) was climbing with probably the lightest (Little Rachel). When Dave came plummeting down off a 6a+, Rachel did her Paddy-and-the-bricks routine and went flying up, splattering the surrounding area with blood from a damaged toe. Dave was of course unhurt.

However, Big Dave's efforts were surpassed the following day at the TV Crags near La Mussara. In his enthusiasm to reach the top of a 200 ft high pinnacle (Covallonga, 5), Mark Polkey managed to overlook both the hold and the bolt, and took a 20 ft lob. Fortunately, he had a bit more ballast belaying him (me), and stopped short of hitting a ledge which might have done some damage, particularly as he was upside-down at the time. He went on to complete the route, which finishes on a perfectly flat and smooth summit about 10 ft square, and is rounded off by an abseil which used the full length of Alan's 60m ropes.

On the best medical advice, Mark treated his badly swollen ankle by applying a cold beer and then walking and climbing on it all day and dancing on it all night. This seemed to do the trick.

That evening was John Waterhouse's birthday party, so naturally the next day was a day off to recover, although the weather was poor anyway. Mark and I went to Barcelona, and the others just had to have a few beers to get over the night before. Mark and I returned to our apartment to find a party in full swing (so unlike the IMC) and our fridge full of beer, but this was just a warm-up before going out for the evening.

The next day the weather was even worse, so we went for a walk in the Serra de Montsant mountains. This took us under some impressive cliffs, until a rickety iron ladder and a few rusty metal rungs led us up onto a ledge. The ledge traversed the cliff above some impressive drops, which we could sense even if we could not see them too clearly through the cloud and rain. At one point a jammed chockstone took us across a 6 ft gap to a free-standing pinnacle, and looking down as we crossed over we could see the narrow cleft disappearing into the mist far below. Further along, iron handholds assisted us across an awkward capstone above a gully, from where the path turned back and went down the gully to the path below (needless to say, we missed this first time, and continued along the ledge, where some truly frightening bolt-lines led up 45º overhangs over a stupendous drop). An excellent day out. We finished up in a bar (surprise!), where Steve was lured into eating a pickled garlic clove, which provoked his sudden exit from the room!

Expecting the next day's weather to be bad, most of the group booked to go quadbiking. Those of us who had kept our options open felt very smug when the weather turned out to be good. Mark and I went to La Riba, but found it was affected by bird-nesting restrictions, so we took an interesting and enjoyable drive through the mountains back to Arbolí, where we knew some of the others were climbing. The slab was still a little greasy after the rain, and covered with Spanish schoolkids, so we went back to the other end and repeated some routes in the sun. Later we went back to the slab to find we had it to ourselves, and ticked off more routes, with Helen leading an impressive 6a. I was pleased to get up a 5+ (I had led another but only after seeing others do it) but had to pull on one of the bolts, which I later regretted but which felt fully-justified at the time!

On Saturday, the final day, some headed for Barcelona, some had a flight back that evening, and some actually went climbing. We tried to get to Mont Ral but were turned back because the roads were closed for a rally. We then tried the TV Crags, but these too were inaccessible, and we got ourselves entangled in lots of traffic on a very narrow mountain road. Eventually we ended up driving all the way round to the other side of the mountains, back to Arbolí. Being a Saturday, and the other crags being closed, it was very busy, but we were directed to a lower area where we did a route before returning to the slabs to tick off the remaining routes.

Would I go back there? I think I would, although possibly not for a few years, and I think we probably chose the wrong time of year: May is one of the wettest months in that region, and some of the crags are subject to nesting restrictions until June. But the climbing, even in the lower grades, was of excellent quality, something not always found in Spain. Many of the group, myself included, surprised themselves by leading a couple of grades harder then they expected to, and Rachel managed her first-ever lead, on a 4+. The mountains are beautiful, although they lack the harsh ruggedness of the Costa Blanca and there are few long routes unless you drive to another area.

A superb week's climbing, and thanks go to Sal for organising it.