Back to Montgó - part 1
MONTGÓ is the enormous lump of rock which stands between Jávea and Denia – an elongated ridge which rears up from just behind the coast and snakes back inland, eventually petering out after several kilometres.
The route up is a welltrodden path, which is not overly punishing – unless you do it in the heat. Much of the ascent is on an old Mozarabic trail – a sturdy path crafted hundreds of years ago by the farmers and tradesmen who used the slopes of the mountain.
However, although it has stood up to centuries of use, in recent years it has become worn and is beginning to crumble in parts. It is a waymarked route on the PR-CV 355 footpath, with ample signage and white/yellow waymarks to help with orientation.
On the lower slopes of the mountain there are dwarf fan palms, prickly pear cactus and pines which are all protected under the wing of the Montgó natural park. From the summit there are stupendous views up and down the coast, inland to
the sierras of the Marinas – and over Denia port.
The route which appeared on this page many moons ago, started from a point just off the CV-736 Jávea to Denia road, on the wide track which leads into the natural park.
However, at that time, if I had travelled a little further by car along the track, taking the
first right to reach Denia shooting club (campo de tiro), then I would have found ample parking just before the club building and walk information boards which would have shed more light on what lay ahead.
And that is a rather longwinded way of saying that this walk starts from the ‘campo de tiro’.
The route
At the entrance to the public car park just before the shooting club notice the walk information boards on the left as you go in. This is the start point of the walk.
The path runs into the trees and bears right to skirt the edge of the shooting club property, before plunging into the shaded wood once again.
Having progressed through the vegetation, the path emerges at a wide track. As the sign points out, it’s a right turn for the ‘cim’ (summit in Valenciano). From here, there is a fantastic view of the mountain, which lies straight ahead.
Continue along the wide track towards the Montgó, ignoring the offshoots, until a signpost appears (ahead right), which marks the start of the ascent the mountain. This is on a path, with the small sign again pointing for the ‘cim’, initially passing through dwarf fan palms.
Keep on the path, noticing the waymarks. The gradient is negligible at first. Next up is a signpost which offers lots of possibilities. We bear left for the ‘cim Montgó’ which is 2.7km away.
Rather excitingly, the PR-CV 355 now shares the footpath with the GR-330 long-distance route which traverses the whole of Alicante province. If you were on the GR you would be doing the Denia to Gata de Gorgos stage, following the white/red waymarks.