This delightful stretch of the Segre valley near the village of Alòs de Balaguer offers a beautiful setting in which to climb. The river meanders through groves of poplar trees, overlooked by steep cliffs and the ruins of Castell de Rubió (an important Arabic stronghold in medieval Spain) while the village itself is extremely pleasant. The climbing in Alòs is very varied, ranging from the pleasant, ‘friendly’ routes of sectors Cal Cari and El Racó del Segre to the fiercely steep tufas of El Balcó del Segre and the long and adventurous pitches on the walls of the Barranc de Sant Martí. Most sectors face south or southwest and are sheltered from cold northerly winds, factors making winter the ideal time to climb here.
Note: fog can be a problem here in December and early January!
🧗♂️ Racó del Segre
Description: El Racó del Segre is yet another of the hidden treasures in Alòs de Balaguer. It is a beautiful little crag situated in the deep canyon of the River Segre, to the west of the village. No climb is longer than 18m here but they pack in a lot of action for their height! Orientation: south.
🚗
Approach: On entering the village of Alòs de Balaguer (driving from Artesa de Segre) there is a T-junction: keep left here and drive approximately 450m along the road towards the village of Rubió del Mig, to reach a bridge crossing the River Segre (water font on the near side). Immediately before the bridge turn right onto an unsurfaced track, known as the Camí del Solà, and follow this for approximately 300m where you will pass the sector "Cal Cari".
Continue driving along the unsurfaced Camí del Solà track to where it ends, approximately 3km from the road (P5).
🚶♂️
On foot, continue following a well-marked path into the narrowing gorge, passing over a metal walkway just above the river at one point. Approximately 850m from the parking area and just before the path enters a narrow gully (there is currently a small wooden plaque marked with a red number "6" fastened to a small tree here) turn left and follow a vague trail heading down towards the river and then parallel with it, to reach the base of the sector, which is only visible at the very last moment (15 minutes from P5). Note: although this sector faces almost due south, the narrowness and depth of the gorge at this point prevents the low winter sun from reaching the wall completely from early November until late February, meaning the only viable months to climb here are September/October (before it gets too cold) and March/April (before it gets too hot).
