Almond blossom walk
WITH the almond trees in bloom, this is the time of year to head into the hills to see the wonderful colours on view. As well as the pinks and whites of the blossom, there is also the deep yellow of the gorse flowers and the purple of the rosemary. The sweet smells appear to have come directly from heaven, although if you suffer from hay fever then you may not want to breathe in too deeply.
This route from the village of Confrides in the Guadalest Valley – on a country lane and track – passes through a series of almond groves. It’s a steady climb with an ascent of more than 200 metres, which is fairly steep in places
– but it’s worth the climb.
If you are lucky with the timing, then the summits of the surrounding mountain ranges of Aitana and Serrella will be capped with snow to add to the spectacle.
Entering Confrides on the CV-70 road, park up in front of Pension Pirineo. Maps (1:20,000 scale) of the area can usually be bought from the pension. They also offer a good ‘menú del día’ lunch.
Orientation is made easier because the route is on the GR-330 long-distance footpath, which has signposts and red/white waymarks to follow. Anyone who is not able to do the walk can also enjoy the almond blossom with a stroll around Confrides village, which is surrounded by almond groves.
To get to the start point by car, take the CV-70, passing La Nucía and Polop to reach Confrides.
The Walk
Head out of Confrides on the CV-70 towards Alcoy. It’s uphill out of the village, then down. After a couple of hundred metres turn right at a sign for Castell de Castells on the GR-330 footpath – first onto a concrete slipway, then over a bridge onto a country lane which starts to wind its way uphill, passing rural houses.
The almond orchards soon start to fill the slopes and the views up to the towering Sierra de Aitana behind Confrides improve dramatically. It’s a gradual climb to the top of the rise. Here, take time to admire the view down the Guadalest Valley and over Confrides and its almond groves. It’s a blanket of colour – with a background of deep green after heavy rain and snow has filled the mountain streams and brought much-needed moisture to the land.
When the road starts to descend, it takes on a rougher hew. Head downhill and at a junction bear left onto a wide track, where there is another GR-330 sign. Follow the wide track through an almond grove, passing an old farmhouse. The next marker is an irrigation pool with a stone wall (on the left of the track). This is in the middle of a wonderful area, replete with almond and pink and white blossom. This is where our route ends. However, intrepid explorers may want to continue on the GR-330 for a while longer. It heads down to a mountain river in ravine/ gulley and follows the bed of the stream, which is lusty with snow melt at the moment and the walk involves some manoeuvring from rock to rock and bank to bank. The heavy snow in January also brought down many trees, which have to be skirted. The path then climbs to a track and heads up into the Sierra de Serrella, via a dramatic breach in a cliff face.
The basic route to the irrigation pool is around 3km one way with around 250 metres of ascent. Return to Confrides on the same path.