The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Hiking the Costa Blanca has loads of high points
Robin ranges from the sierra to the city and finds Alicante and the surrounding area full of beauty, history and striking scenery
Mention the Costa Blanca to many people and they conjure up big resorts packed with bronzed holidaymakers. There is another side to this sun-kissed stretch of Spain, as I discovered when I jetted down to hike through the local countryside and spend time in Alicante, a city that these days is far more than just a convenient gateway to Benidorm.
Working out where to hike and how to get there can be tricky in the Costa Blanca, as walking tourism is really in its infancy compared to mass beach tourism. I was in good hands, though, as I was on an organised group tour with Ramblers Worldwide Holidays (www.ramblersholidays.co.uk). I’d been on six week-long walking tours with them all over Europe and had not been disappointed yet. I hoped this week-long trip – From the Spanish Sierra to The Sea – would not be my first letdown.
My guide, Rod, stood out with his scarlet red top at the airport and soon marshalled us all together into a bus for the short transfer to our hotel. The Hotel Meridional in Guardamar del Segura proved a great choice. This four star enjoyed views over the Mediterranean and had a rooftop bar that came complete with a hot tub, which was handy for soothing hiking-strained muscles.
There were walks on five of the seven days but you are free to dip in and out of any of them. I took in four walks and, although this is the first year RWH has been organising holidays in the Costa Blanca, there were no duffers. Each walk had its own charms and – unlike some of the mountain-centric breaks offered by other companies further north in the Costa Blanca – this trip opened up a real variety of terrain and scenery.
Handily, as well as Rod we had a local guide, Fran, on board each day, too. He really knew the area, in terms not just of less-travelled walking routes but also the bountiful flora and fauna, aspects of which would be very easy to miss if you were on a self-guided trip. He was only too eager to stop and explain various plants and animals en route.
Our first walk saw us explore the little-known Escalona Mountain. We didn’t see another soul for the entirety of the 10km route. Although the week was graded a four (a relatively moderate RWH grading), we had to negotiate a rocky ridge. This proved to be, as it is often on this type of trip, a real bonding experience, as we helped each other out.
This feeling of bonding grew over dinner at the hotel. The hotel’s El Jardin restaurant has won a number of awards and it was a real highlight on the five nights we dined there. We also took in a brace of excellent local restaurants. Although the age range swung from mid-40s to almost 80, we had in common our love of walking and travel so there was plenty to talk about.
Our next walk took us into the otherworldly Salt Ravine Albatera. It proved quite unlike anywhere else I’ve ever been in Europe. We passed along narrow trails in the desert-like landscape, making our way across narrow viaducts as we lost ourselves deeper and deeper in a wildscape that felt very far from the world of honking traffic and bleeping mobile phones.
As we explored the ravine, Fran told stories of the miners who used to work in such harsh conditions, and about the hardy plant life that ekes out an existence here. It was surreal, walking through a steep-sided gorge along a stream coated in layers of gleaming white salt and seeing waterfalls awash with sparkling, white salt crystals.
Our third walk brought a flat day that my calves welcomed. We
discovered the famous lagoons of the Torrevieja Lagoons Nature Park. These heavily-salted oases are a haven for all manner of birdlife. We watched cormorants swoop in from the nearby Mediterranean, which the lagoons are connected to. The highlight, though, was the striking flamingos.
After a ‘rest day’, which I spent checking out the fascinating history of Guardamar del Segura (I’ll leave you to discover it for yourself), my last walk proved the most spectacular, as we bussed it north to tackle the mountains of the famous Sierra Aitana. I had been looking forward to this all week.
Our bus transfer proved handy as it basically took us up to about Munro height and meant we only had a short, steep uphill section before the wide path levelled out. The views of the vast amphitheatre of limestone mountains were breathtaking and we even managed to make out the distant isle of Ibiza far offshore, sparkling in the Mediterranean.
As well as rich plant life we also spotted a couple of eagles and buzzards soaring around on the thermals in search of prey. The landscape looked deeply inhospitable to humans, but we came across massive manmade pits. Fran explained that these were once used to ‘make ice’, huge blocks of it from compressed snow, at a time when there was no electrical refrigeration.
All too soon my week with Ramblers Worldwide Holidays was at end. As the group made for the airport, I headed into the city of Alicante, which local friends had been enthusing about.
I saw they were right from my room at the Melia Alicante (www.melia.com). A sweeping, clean sandy beach unfurled in front of me and above it all hung one of the most impressive castles I’d seen in Spain. I took an elevator up to Santa Barbara Castle and enjoyed a bird’s eye view of a city that is really going places.
Alicante has always been dominated by the Mediterranean and it is still a busy port. It also now boasts a glitzy new marina where swish sailboats and gleaming super yachts tie up under the brilliant blue skies. I learned more about Alicante’s connections with the sea and the famous yacht race – the Volvo Ocean Race – the city held recently for the third time at the museum dedicated to this serious maritime adventure.
I enjoyed a couple of days in Alicante, savouring top-notch, great-value tapas bars and exploring the city’s sprinkling of excellent museums.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy relaxing in a beach resort as much as anyone but I loved the buzz of this Mediterranean port city, too. That it lies at the heart of a region that is also superb for group walking makes it even more appealing and adds even more depth to the Costa Blanca beyond the resorts.