Isbert’s dam from Tormos
The small village of Tormos sits around the head of the lowlying Girona valley as you prescribe an arc around its lowlying terraces before contemplating a higher-level excursion up to the Vall De Laguart.
Starting at Ondara from near the coast your arc will include Benidoleig, Orba, Tormos, Sagra and now returning towards the sea, Rafol de Almunia, Benimeli, Sanet y Negrals and finally Beniarbeig.
In recent years, all of these towns have enjoyed the benefits associated with the cultivation of citrus fruits and it was for this reason that attempts were made to collect, store and distribute water from the Girona River by damming it at one of its narrowest points. Certainly, it is worth visiting and the dramatic scenery that surrounds it commands attention – if only to wonder about the consequences of a possible collapse!
Tormos lies off to the western side of the CV-715 and has a large parking area beside the village swimming pool, although finding it is something of a challenge. Intermittent signs point you to the stone camping barns of Costera del Moll and just before you reach them is the parking area.
From here many routes will take you to the dam of the River Girona giving you anything from an easy amble to a stiffer mountain challenge (searching for Tormos on the WalksinSpain website will show you the options).
The sleepy village of Tormos is part of a larger community called La Rectoria, which embraces all of the villages named above into one useful administrative mass, and together then use their purchasing power to secure better contracts for their residents as well as several community associations. The choir of La Rectoria gives several performances during the year and – along with invited guest choirs – hosts a choral festival over Easter each year.
Our walking terrain at its easiest is mainly along good wide tracks and leads initially through citrus groves slowly trending ever more westerly as it enters the steadily narrowing gorge of the ‘Infierno’. Higher up the valley is a famous scramble and abseil suitable only for the very experienced and this regularly features rescues of the less fortunate who become trapped – often in unfavourable weather – and have to rely on firefighters to fish them out.
Also higher up, starting at either Fleix or Benmaurell is the famous walk sometimes called the 10,000 steps as it features a circuit that rolls up and
down to the river bed, crossing and re-crossing it as it threads through some amazing scenery. It’s a tough day out which we might save for cooler weather and improved fitness.
Today has its own magic however as we swing in to the narrows of the barranco (ravine) and are faced with lofty and almost vertical crags which narrow in from both sides to arrive at a water pumping station and then rougher going for a short while into the heart of the ravine. Above us on the right is Mediodia – a rambling ridge containing several worthy