Unfortunately, I can no longer list any updates after 2020, as my wife and I are no longer able to make the hikes again due to our age.
However, I am happy to describe updates that are communicated to me by the readers of my books.
Costa Blanca I Walking Guide
Innovations can be copied and
printed!
Changes to all editions
Route 5 "The" Great Wall of Fontilles"
Corona restrictions
Since the general corona restrictions came into force, access to the site for visitors has been prohibited to protect the sanatorium patients.
Therefore, you cannot currently use the alternative approaches described below and in the current book text to start the hike. At the beginning of the hike you have
to use the main path, which is difficult in the first section.
On the way back you have to take the "Alternative 2" described in the current book text, which at the end leads us back down to the steep section on which we climbed at the beginning.
"Alternative 2" means:
Excerpt from the text of the book:
“Now the ground becomes very rough, therefore here firm shoes are right for ramblers. We follow the way straight along. It ends at an asphalt road on which we turn left. After about 200 m, another asphalt road turns right, on which we turn now ...”
Now in the Corona time we do not turn right, but we continue
on the street for about 30 m and turn onto the wide path that goes off the street to the right and leads on the left past a yellow house. The path goes downhill and is concreted in places after
another house.
A peak of Caball Verd rises to the left of the path.
As soon as the path goes up again, we come to a wall with a sheet metal gate. Here you follow the path along the wall from the (sheet metal) gate.
There, where the wall bends to the right, the path leads us a short distance straight on onto a street that leads us straight ahead in just under 10 minutes to the
house with the clef on the roof. We then go downhill on the already known route to the car.
The way there and back lead past the village.
Route 11 Pego - Parc Natural de la Marjal
Alternative after a havy rainfall:
… It leads along the Rio Bullent...
Anyone who dared to walk this path even after heavy rainfalls and now comes across puddles of water that can hardly be circumvented should go back a little and take the first path to the right. This path is not the nicer route, but it is usually drier. You will then come across the palm grove described below.
Changes to all editions before 2019:
Amendments to route conditions:
Route 2 "Two Diabolical
Rock Holes"
Changed route marking:
…On the right, we look out to sea between both towns of Oliva and Dénia...
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Below the back of the Tossal Gran, we arrive at a white-green marked pole, where the path forks.
Here we turn on the way to the right, which is signposted with Figuereta and after which is a post with a white and yellow marking. The white and yellow marking now accompanies us on our way, which leads pleasantly downhill.
These poles no longer exist (02.2018)
Maybe they will be set up again sometime.
Therefore, we continue as follows:
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Below the back of the Tossal Gran we keep right and the path winds downhill a bit more.
In front of a cairn, green-white stripes are marked and we go further downhill.
After a short flat stretch we arrive at a sign tree, which points back to Tossal Gran. Here's a path to the right and we make a U-turn. Every now and then white and yellow bar markings meet on this path.
Repeatedly we have wide, nice views at imposing scenery...
Route 5 "The" Great Wall of Fontilles"
After unusually heavy rainfall at the end of 2016 and in January 2017 and a severe storm thereafter, on the first part of our hike hillsides slide down and across our path. Trees also fell or broke and blocked our way.
In the meantime, the obstacles are eliminated, but some parts of the first section are now very steep and slippery and can only be guided with good steadfastness. For anyone who has problems with it, I recommend the following redirection:
We go from our parking lot towards Fontilles. Behind the entrance of Fontilles, the road divides and we take the right road, which leads uphill.
After about 5 to 10 minutes we get to the
right from the road on a wide forest path.
On this forest path, we find a little later on:
• (new from May 2018) a wide path that leads a little further through a wall breakthrough.
More recommendable is the following path:
• further on a small path that
leads uphill to a gate in a wall. We go through this gate and turn behind it right on a path,
which then runs longer along the wall.
At the end of these paths, we
come to a small street, which leads us to the right and after 10 minutes left to a path, which we
would have encountered on the normal trail. (When we reach the small house with the key on the roof, we have walked about
100 m too far and have to go back).
On this path we continue our originally hike:
"... into a way, marked again by white-yellow stripes. Now we walk through a shady pinewood.
At our left rises the Caball Verd ... "
Route 10 "On the Landing Field of the Muntanya Sud
d`Alcalá"
At the parking lot the white-blue sign was removed. Here is a sign saying "Nevero Baix".
Route 11 Pego - Parc Natural de la Marjal
Specification of the way:
… It leads along the Rio Bullent.
New: At a crossroad we turn left and continue to hike until we come across a bridge at a small palm grove. From here we look straight ahead at a weir, which we can look at, when interested.
Right behind the bridge we turn right and follow the "Ruta circular". (The sign "Ruta circular" was removed in early 2019. Maybe it will be re-attached soon.)
New at another point:
… We turn to the second way, a dike next to a rice field.If the dyke (as in early 2019) is so overgrown with reeds that you can not walk over it, there are two options:
1. We go back on the way we came. The walk to the dike and back was still worth it, even to take a look over the rice fields. If we then see a house behind the small palm grove after a short time on the left, we continue the hike as originally described.
2. We continue along the dike on the way and have a look if we can go over another dike to the other side, where we turn right. If we want, we go to the end of the way, where we get on a road (CV-678), on which we turn right. After 350 m, we turn right again on a path through the rice fields. At the end of this path we come back to the described hiking route. This detour is 3.8 km in total and extends the hike by almost an hour.
Route 14 "All around the Serrá del Racó Roig"
Access
... km sign 45, a small street turns uphill.
On this street, we drive continuously upward against impressive mountain scenery up to the end of the asphalt where we reach an unfastened parking bay where we park our car. The end of the paved road is at the highest point. The concreting of the road was continued on the last stretch to there. It can not be excluded that it will eventually continue downhill. We definitely park at the highest point.
From the parking lot, we take a few steps back over the concrete piste. Then we see a small path on the right, marked with a pile of stones. Not to miss this path, attention is needed.
Shortly before the end of our hike, we reach a few boulders that used to be chalk-white, reminiscent of the famous Chalk Cliffs of Dover. Recently, they have inexplicably assumed a gray color.
Restaurants
Restaurant Real de Bernia (Number 19 in the ranking)
The Restaurant is now for sale and closed (February 2018).
It remains to be seen if there comes a new owner.
Restaurant Casa Pinet in Tárbena (Number 26 in the ranking)
Attention: The communist at Casa Pinet has moved to Alcalali!
Since Pinet refuses to accept a higher rent, a deadline has been set. Since there is no agreement, they moved to Alcalali in the fall of 2017.
Alcalali, Passeig del Pou, 14
open daily from 10:00 to 18:00, except on Wednesdays.
Reservations at 965 88 42 29
Restaurant Azalea in Sagra (Number 5 in the ranking)
The Restaurant is now closed.