A fantastic time was had by all this Easter on the stunning peninsula of San Vito Lo Capo, which was an ideal location for the trip: 1000+ routes of all grades and styles on natural limestone crags, with the closest being literally inside the campsite, excellent climbing conditions, stunning scenery and adorable cats! Here's the trip in photos.

We were greeted at midnight in Palermo airport by Signore Agozzino Salvatore who drove us in his party bus to the campsite:

After a well-deserved lie-in following a long and late day's travel, we needed to hit the local supermarket for supplies. The walk to the shops was half an hour, but could we really complain?

Rocking up to 'Seven Dwarves', the designated warm-up crag on the first day

Freddie and Kieran sending the crux of Pump It Up (6b):

Ben climbed a building, obviously.

Can't believe Amy chose an orange helmet to be honest, really unfashionable.

Olly and Sam hammering away at the fiendish classic Soundgarden (7b+).

Probably the coolest top-out I've ever done. You literally come out of a hole in the middle of a lush green field overlooking the entire coastline. Obviously I took my vape.

Michelangelo's 'The Creation of Amy'

Ben having the time of his life on Yoshimi battles the pink robots (7a). He returned a few days later and got the send!

The Boys™

Kieran and Freddie locate the resident donkey and pay the toll (one pet each)

Amy balanced some stones, obviously.

We were greeted every day at our bungalows by several adorable cats. The same few seemed to turn up each day and were of course given various names by various people. They stole our hearts.

Rocky being cute

Rocky being REALLY cute.

Joe befriends Chardonnay Peperoncino Rigatoni. He and Shayaan look like they're about to drop the hottest Italo Disco record of 2023.

As you may imagine, the local flora and fauna were enchanting:
(is that a unicorn?!)

On the warmer days (and when the sea wasn't raging), the water was perfect for a swim. Here's Charlotte, Amy, Ollie, Olly and I attempting to spell out UBMC during our afternoon dip.

Sam and Amy being photogenic
Charlotte sending Happy Birthday (5b) on her birthday! Had to be done.
Don't forget to turn around and enjoy the view!

Undoubtedly the most epic achievement of the trip was Ben, Olly and Ollie's ascent of the 402m multi-pitch Via Delle Punte, which meant them waking up well before sunrise and not returning for a good 12 hours.

Ben auditioning for UBMC's latest committee position of Club Model
Chess, cats, climbing and cheap Italian wine - what more could you want?
Pub? Pub.
Olly sending Rothko (7b+) - the crux...

...and the victory whip

Even when clouds came and the sea raged, the bay was still strikingly beautiful.

You need a wide angle shot to do justice to this next climb. This is The Celestial Way of the Dead Cow (5a), and you need to prepare for it to shit you up more than any 5a you've ever touched. After some very pleasant tufa climbing, where the rope disappears in the photo below, you must traverse right to the back of the cave, hop across the void to the other wall, and finish by traversing out towards the sunlight before lower off above your belayer. Truly a bizarre adventure.

celestial af

Gabby calmly negotiating one of the spookiest climbing moves I know of on The Celestial Way of the Dead Cow (5a).

Discussing the finer (or should I say sharper?) points of Sticky Fingers Direct (7b) with Olly Schiffmann. The send came the following day. No pics though so I guess it didn't happen.

One of the best things about this location is that since it faces west, you can climb right up until sunset, which often leant a soft orange glow to the final climbs of the day.

Ollie Bacon gave some of us quite a spectacle climbing Swissmade (6c+) post-sunset to finish off the final day:

All in all it was a flying success, with minimal hiccups, good vibes all round, great climbing and great company.

Seen off in style

Many of us finished the week with the feeling that we wished we could stay another month. This is somewhere that I'm sure the club will return in the near future. So until next time, Sicilia.

Davy x