Cabeçó d'Or (Cabezón de Oro), Busot · Costa Blanca (Cabeçó d'Or) · Spain
Read the cautionsBail with caveatsBolting confidence: medium
Five very long pitches of old-school wall climbing: edges, flakes and water pockets where footwork counts more than strength. The 40 m fourth pitch, a steep slab beside a corner, is the highlight and the crux. Remote feeling, in the shade until early afternoon.
Fully bolted according to the official guide, but spaced enough on easier ground that one recent party wanted cams, with 60 m pitches and an abseil descent.
The route
Opened in September 2001 by M. Díaz and J.J. Quesada, this is one of the most repeated routes on the Cabeçó precisely because it is bolted from bottom to top. It climbs continuously for 200 m with pitches of 40 to 60 m, sustained around 6b with one 6c pitch. The bolting is sensible rather than close: a 2021 party suggests 6a+ or 6b obligatory and a 2024 party would have liked a few cams. The setting feels remote, with no sign of the built-up coast.
In pictures
The climbing
| Pitch | Grade | Length | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | 5+ | 50 m | Start above the letters CS on a pleasant slab. Do not stop at the tree; continue leftwards. A 2015 party gives 5c. |
| P2 | 6b | 60 m | A hard, thin start up a fine wall, then much easier through a band of crystals. At the end pick the easiest line up and left to a terrace below a slab. The Spanish description reports a single bolt at this belay. |
| P3 | 6a+ | 40 m | Diagonally left to a belay at the foot of a superb steep slab. |
| P4 | 6c | 40 m | Take the left-hand line, near the corner: sustained, technical climbing on flakes and water pockets. Skip the intermediate belay. A 2021 party had heard it called 7a and found it fair at the grade. |
| P5 | 6a | 50 m | A hard start, then diagonally right on easy but run-out ground. Climb to the very top of the sugarloaf to find the belay. |
Getting there
From Alicante take the A-7 towards Valencia to the El Campello exit, cross the town and follow signs to Busot. At the roundabout at the entrance to Busot follow 'Cuevas de Canelobre'. About 100 m before the caves a track with PR waymarks leaves on the left; park in the lay-bys at its start (38°31'07"N, 0°24'44"W in the provincial guide). Camptocamp parties used the caves' car park on the bend.
Take the wide track that sets off level, then climbs on a concreted section. Continue to a brightly painted house with a hen run. The path to the wall leaves on the right, opposite the house. The letters CS are marked at the foot of the route. No source gives a time.
Loading map
The point marks the crag, not the exact start of the route.
Parking
Lay-bys at the start of the PR track before the Canelobre caves (Senderos de la Roca guide)
Point from camptocamp waypoint 470970
Contains the route point and parking. Opens in most mapping apps and GPS watches.
Points are compiled from published sources, with the precision stated above. They were not surveyed on the ground: check them against a current topo.
Coordinates: 38.52269, -0.40590 (crag) · Parking: 38.51861, -0.41222
Getting down
From the top scramble easily down the ridge to a small col with two abseil stations. North-east side: two abseils of 30 m, or one of 60 m, then down the scree to the path at the foot of the wall. South-west side: one 60 m abseil (it can be split 20 m plus 40 m) to a huge terrace, walk down it to a pine with a cairn, then a second abseil of 50 m. The provincial guide adds that the route's last three belays also form an abseil line down to the terrace.
Retreat
Bail with caveats
The provincial guide says the last three belays give an abseil line down to the big terrace, from where you can reach the base by abseiling from a pine. Pitches are 40 to 60 m, so any retreat needs two 60 m ropes. Retreat from the lower belays is not described, and one of them may be a single bolt.
Partly inferred from the route facts
Safety
Sun and weather
The wall is in the shade until early afternoon (sun at about 15:00 in late October), which makes it a good choice in warm weather. Parties describe excellent, unpolished rock with no sign of traffic.
Sun on the wall · SW-facing
Working out the sunlit hours for this month.
Sun on the wallDaylight, wall in shade● Usual season
Estimated from the wall's aspect only. Ignores surrounding terrain, gullies and the wall's exact shape. Clock times are local to the wall (Central European time), for the 15th of each month.
Climate figures for Costa Blanca (Cabeçó d'Or) are not available yet
What to carry
Two 60 m ropes: pitches reach 50 to 60 m and the abseils need the length. Quickdraws for 60 m pitches, including long ones to weave between bolts without drag; no source gives a number. A 2024 party recommends a few cams for peace of mind, and a 2021 party carried a clip stick they did not need.
Derived from the route data; check it against a current topo
From climbers
Reader reports are not being collected yet. Until they are, check a current topo and the local club or guidebook publisher for recent changes to Chica Sputnik.
Worth knowing
Open questions
Provenance
Around 6c · about 5 pitches
Austria · Wilder Kaiser
A short alpine sport route in the Schneekar that steepens as it goes: a scrambling start, fine water runnels on rough rock, then a smooth slab into an overhang on pitch 4. The crux is UIAA 7 to 7+ and can be aided on the bolts.
6c5 pitches180 m
Italy · Sardinia
The harder classic on the Goloritzè spire: compact grey walls and smooth water-drop slabs at 6b to 6b+, then a 6c scoop and an airy finish to a tiny summit above the turquoise bay. Shaded, technical and on the feet.
6c4 pitches135 m
Greece · Leonidio & Kyparissi
Six sustained pitches up the red wall above Leonidio, four of them 6c. The climbing is steep and on good holds, with a 3 m boulder problem on the last pitch and a long 6a+ to start. The bolts are close enough to let you concentrate on the moves.
6c6 pitches200 m
Morocco · Todra Gorge (Todgha)
Six pitches of technical wall and corner climbing one minute from the gorge-entrance guesthouses. Easy pitches alternate with three hard ones, and the 6b+ fourth pitch and the 6c last pitch are precise, footwork-heavy climbing on very rough rock. The route stops in the middle of the wall and you abseil off.
6c6 pitches160 m
Compiled from published sources and last verified October 2026. Bolts, anchors and access change. Climbing is dangerous and you are responsible for your own decisions: check a current topo and read the disclaimer.
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