Spain can be dangerous.
Fact, but only to your possessions, and only if you’re careless or unlucky. We were unlucky. Thieves apparently followed us from our airport hotel as we drove to the casita we had rented. We parked in a public lot in a small town along the way, locked the car, walked around the corner to take a photo, returned three minutes later, and found a window had been smashed and everything inside had been stolen. We spent three days replacing enough clothing and gear—from underwear to climbing shoes—to finish our trip. 

Moral of the story: When they say don’t leave anything in your car, they mean it. At crags, we emptied the car and left the doors unlocked. We also scraped the rental-car sticker off our replacement car. 

If you are unlucky, don’t expect the local police to solve your case. Instead, ask for the English-language telephone number of the national police. An operator will take your report and send you to a police station to sign it. You won’t get your stuff back, but you’ll have what you need to file your insurance claim. 

There are climbing shops in Calpe and Alicante. 

Everyone speaks English.
Myth. Although Brits (along with Dutch and Germans) have been vacationing on the Costa Blanca for years and buying up the real estate, many locals’ English is limited, especially inland. We met a woman in a tourist office, of all places, who spoke no English at all. You’ll see two spellings for many place names—Spanish and Valencian—and people converse in both. But even the most basic Spanish will get you anywhere.