24 February 2022 – Tour of Jalon

We spent a very enjoyable afternoon exploring Jalon

You would think there was nothing new after living here 16 years

But in fact we discovered quite a few new and interesting facts

The afternoon was arranged by Tina

And the group was led by Betty

Betty has a wealth of knowledge about the surrounding area

With a group of friends she has started a new group

The aim is to offer a series of walks around villages in the Jalon Valley

Each group is limited to eight people

Today’s group were all from our Monday Ramblers group

It was strange to see them all in “civilian” clothes

Not a pair of walking boots in sight

It was interesting to discover new information about familiar sights

And also to learn more about the history of the valley

Betty is a retired teacher

And she delivered the information in an interesting and easy to follow manner

The tour was about two hours long

And we were fortunate to have a warm and sunny afternoon

We ended with a drink in the main square

Thanks to Tina and Betty for an enjoyable and informative afternoon

21 February 2022 – Denia to Javea Windmills

 It is more than two years since we last did this lovely walk

It combines coast and campo, plus some great views

We had 18 for today’s walk

This exceeds our nominal maximum of 16 on each walk

But Helen and Roger returned after their holiday

And David and Sandra returned to Spain for another three months

So we had to make an exception for “long service” members

Once more the weather was exceptional

Which was fortunate because this is a long walk

At 16km it is one of our longest walks

And we need good weather to have longer than usual breaks

Once more most of the group had not done this walk before

And I am not sure that they were prepared for the longer distance

But everyone seemed to enjoy it

As always Jan contributed to the cairns we passed

We had our picnic at the windmills overlooking Javea

This is always a popular spot to visit

But we were surprised how busy it was today

The rest of the walk was very quiet

Even the bar on the promenade where we had our well deserved cold drink

Time taken – 6 hours

Distance – 16 km

Total Ascent – 335 metres

Temperature – 10-21c

14 February 2022 – Tossal del Moro

I was concerned whether there would be sufficient parking in Gata

Fortunately the car park we use has been expanded

I t is two years since we last did this walk

Still just as enjoyable as I remembered it to be

Montgo looking impressive as always

For most of the group this was the first time they did this walk

17 walking today, we would not really want many more

Quite a lot of wooded sections on this walk, looking good in the bright sunshine

It is a long, gradual climb to reach the banana stop

Short rest and time to catch up on the mobile phones

It is a long time since we have done such a long and steep climb

But it was worth it for the views at the top

Barry and Linda obviously pleased to be back in Spain

Quite an impressive picnic site

Terry holds helps Jan with the steep descent

This walk is mostly in single file, so plenty to talk about during water stops

One of the few “social walking” sections of the walk

Quite shady at Font de la Mata

So our last break was shorter than usual

And the sunny spots were popular

Time taken – 5.5 hours

Distance – 12 km

Total Ascent - 474

Temperature – 9-16c