Spain in January

Howdy all, I've got a two week trip to Spain coming up at the end of January. The original plan was to start with a week on the Costa Blanca and base ourselves out of Calpe or Benidorm. The second week we would could go up to Siurana or down to El Chorro.

However, after asking around a bit, it seems like maybe the climbing on Costa Blanca may not be quite good enough to justify a big overseas trip.

Should we skip CB and head straight to Siurana? From what I can tell the climbing is better but the weather might not be quite as predictable.

A few other considerations:
-we will have a car.
-climb up to 12- on a good day
-i have a week of free lodging as a gift through a 3rd party booking agency. So, rather than being truly mobile based on the whims of the weather, I'd like to lock down a week somewhere soon.

Any advice would be appreciated.
thanks

Ill be in Granada from Feb1-31st. if you are down that way we should climb. Lots of good limestone areas and weather seems a bit better than in Barcelona area.

We were in Spain for the month of November and had planned to stay in Rodellar for much of that time. The weather turned and pushed us South to Calpe where we climbed quite happily for two weeks. Great weather, nice scenery, wonderful limestone climbs, hotel on the beach... it was hard to beat, especially when hearing from friends who were freezing in Siurana while we were climbing shirtless in the sun.

I wouldn't hesitate to make the Costa Blanca a destination for a big overseas trip. Of course it depends on what kind of climbing you're seeking. We spent a lot of time at Gandia, El Bovedon, and the Penon de Ifach. Gandia was our favorite of the three for steep limestone climbing on pockets and tufas. It's not the most aesthetically pleasing cliff as you walk up, but the climbing was superb.

Good luck, and have a blast wherever you decide to go!

Unfortunately, Andy, we only have a few weeks to work with right now, and will be back stateside by February.

Jonathan-thanks for the beta. Gandia does look like what I was expecting. We will check it out.

What did you think of the routes on the Penon?

Costa Blanca in January may be a bit chilly. We were there in '03 at the tail end of November and start of December, during a a very good spell of weather. Even so, we did have a couple of quite chilly days and one very cold day. Also, the spring tends to be the rainy season on the Mediteranean coast. I would say head South if you can, but if not, chances are that Costa Blanca will be quite climbable. The climbing at Costa Blanca is good by the way, and worth a trip. We stayed in a finca in the small town of Parcent, which is about 10k inland from Calpe. Preferable to Benidorm or Calpe, which are a zoo during high season, and a bit depressing during the off season.