Bouldering in the western Gredos Mountains

The town of Candelario (and the nearby Bejar) is the epicentre of the bouldering to be found in the western part of the Sierra de Gredos Mountains, in central western Spain. This whole region is a sea of granite boulders and is one of the best bouldering areas in Spain.  This can be attributed to the multitude of unique and characteristic boulder problems in an exceptional natural setting. Hoyamoros, La Dehesa and Valdesangil are the main bouldering areas, but there many other high altitude bouldering areas established, as shown on the map.

Hoyamoros (sometimes spelt Hoya Moros) is Spain's premier alpine bouldering area. Bouldering at Hoyamoros is an adventure that provides a feeling of freedom in a mini wild paradise.  The place is surrounded by mountains with hundreds of granite boulders of all shapes and sizes in the middle of green meadows.  The bouldering is at an altitude of 2,200m making it the perfect destination from late spring to the autumn.  However, this does come at a cost – the walk-in.  It is long, hard, and uphill and it takes around 2 hours from Candelario.  Most people bivvy for a few days to avoid walking in every day as setting up camp is strictly forbidden.  However once here it is a true world class bouldering paradise.

The boulders at Hoyamoros have an average height of 4m to 6m, with over 1,000 problems across a wide range of ranges. These range from Fb3+ to Fb8b+, with the majority of the problems from Fb5 to Fb7c. The granite rock is high-quality that is compact, with many crimps, good slabs, and overhangs with big holds. The Hoyamoros Bouldering Guidebook is the comprehensive guidebook for the area, and is available to buy from our shop.

La Dehesa is a forest full of boulders that is spread out across a wide area including some meadows in an exceptionally beautiful area.  The style of bouldering to be found is all about overhangs with crimps, along with some slabs and roofs.  The granite is a little finer grained than Hoyamoros though the style and characterises are very similar.  There are over 850 boulder problems at La Dehesa across a wide range of grades from Fb3’s to Fb8+, with countless projects to be finished.  The average height of the boulders is around 4m high though there are some boulders up to 7m high.

Another big plus with La Dehesa is the walk-in that ranges from 5 to 20 minutes, making it ideal for families.  The best season to boulder at La Dehesa is in the autumn and spring, though it is possible to climb in the summer due to the altitude of La Dehesa (around 1,100m). The Boulder La Dehesa de Candelario Guidebook is the definitive guidebook for La Dehesa that is available to buy from our shop.

Valdesangil is a huge bouldering surrounding a village of the same name, with good and quick access. The granite rock tends to be orange, compact and a little abrasive, with the height of the boulders ranging from 3 to 5m. The type of bouldering is varied at Valdesangil, with dynamic moves, technical problems, edges, and a few slopers – usually with good landings. Above all there are small “chickpeas” and minute crimps that are characteristic of this area. There are over 1,200 problems at Valdesangil, ranging from Fb 3+ to Fb 8, and scope to open many more.

The Iberian Bouldering Guidebook – Central, Western Region covers the best bouldering areas around Bejar. It covers 9 areas including La Dehesa and Valdesangil but not Hoyamoros, and is available to buy from our shop.

There are also 9 sport climbing crags around Bejar. All the routes are on granite rock and are single pitch sport routes. The style of climbing ranges from slabs and vertical walls with plenty of crimps and cracks, to steep overhangs with good holds. The 2 largest crags are called Laguna del Duque (200+ routes), and Santibanez de Bajar (100+ routes). These 2 crags along with 13 other crags in the Western Gredos Mountains are covered in the Gredos Sport Climbing Guidebook that is available to buy from our shop.

It should be worth noting that this whole area is a fragile environment in terms of fauna and wildlife with much of it declared an UNESCO world heritage. If climbers want to keep these boulders open to all then there are some strict but sensible rules we all have to adhere to. These simple rules are covered in all of the guidebooks described here.