Too many dots, the never ending ridge

North of Benidorm, just a stones throw lies some amazing rocky landscapes. They appear in many of the marketing images. We went to take a look ourselves. They had a surprise in store for us.

The area is called Sierra Bernia, and the start of the walk was in a small tourist area, surrounded by tacky restaurants and parking areas. They were here because of a series of waterfalls and natural pools and a dinosaur park!

We arrived the night before and attempted to drive Dora to the start of the walk. It was too steep and her tires kept slipping. We retreated back down the road to park in front of the information office.  We decided to take a walk around and see whether we could see the start of the walk.

 

There was no one manning the kiosk to the waterfalls at this time of year, so we slipped in to take a look. There was only one other group of three walking around. The setting was beautiful and what they had done with it had made it miserable, all to attract tourists, to make it safe and to make money!

It deserved only one photo.

The next morning we set off bright and early, moving Dora slightly up the road to a restaurant car park. The sky looked clear, just a few clouds.

When we popped in in the tourist information office the day before, the staff member, who was also a frequent hiker, warned us not to go up there. “It has been raining heavily over the last couple of days, the rocks can become quite slippery” she said. Okay, thanks for the warning, we will still go ahead and turn back if it gest tricky. So we set off at 8.00 o’clock, with plenty of time to play if we felt like it or in case things go wrong and we have to turn back. SM

We soon started to climb an agricultural road through a terraced landscape covered in netting.

The netting housed trees, millions of fruit trees, not oranges but a smaller citrus fruit, the nisporo, they would be heading towards Asia where they are very popular. The netting must stop the fruit being blown down by the wind. It was a blustery day.

Maybe they also were meant to protect them from the birds, although these aviaries were full of them.

They covered everything.

Hugging the landscape, folding themselves above it, recreating the mountainside, a new layer to protect the nisparo.

They are simply supported. A few metal posts, tensioned with guy ropes, like tents. Very economic engineering.

We climb higher.

Soon we are above the nisporo. The agricultural land is giving way to scrub and trees. The roads are getting more worn, breaking up, becoming unpaved.

Eventually even the 4×4 tracks give up and we are left with paths. Beautiful mountain paths, climbing steeply upwards.

In the distance, you can see Benidorm, so close, but very far away. How many tourists get to see this part of the countryside.

The ridge is getting closer, but it is still high above us. It is really difficult to work out the route we will take. Our map in the guide is not too detailed. The better map we got from the information office we left behind!

The netting glistens in the morning sun, looking like bodies of water. The sea shimmers.

We get to a plateau, the ridge and our route is opening up before us, however parts of it are becoming covered in cloud. We still have quite a climb before we get to the summit.

Now that is clear directions for you, up through the trees

We come across an old fort, high on the ridge. Built in 1562 is was also occupied by the muslims. It could do with some tender loving care.

We carefully navigate across it before once again picking up our route, even steeper now.

The paths get more rocky,

It is getting quite blustery, now that we are quickly gaining high. I stop a couple of times to hold myself onto the rocks. If it continues like this, I am turning back. It is not advisable to walk on a ridge when it is very windy. The wind can make lose your balance very easily. SM

as the cloud and mist closes in.

Until eventually, we reach the top. There is no view, but there is a box with a notepad where we add our name and our web address. Maybe we will get a new reader.

On a good day, you can see Ibiza from here. Not today. We can hardly see each other in this mist. SM

And too be honest the rest of the day becomes a bit of a blur. We were looking to go along the ridge a bit, before coming down the south side, in a small pass.

We never found the pass. We spent most of our time on the north side, with the occasional glimpse back south when the clouds broke. The winds were very blustery, pulling relentlessly at our clothes and adding to the feeling of exposure.

So we climbed along the ridge. Up and down, continuing along for hour upon hour, trying to find the route down. Several times we tried different routes off of a summit, each time getting nowhere. It was frustrating and exhausting.

The ridge seemed not to end. We were desperately trying to find red dots which indicated the route. They started to look like quite old and knackered. Almost as if they were indicating an old route, a route that should no longer be followed. This brings memories from La Pedriza (LINK), a trek which ended up being quite scary. SM.

We continued along the ridge hoping to find another way off, but couldn’t. We would have to backtrack all the way to where we last had a positive description from the book. It was getting late now, maybe 4.30. We were unsure how far back it was.

We retraced our steps to a scree slope going off to the north. I persuaded Susana to continue back a little more to find the route off of the south, another 30 minutes. We only went another ten before deciding the safest thing to do, get off the ridge. Susana was right, go down the scree slope and get off the north side. There were scattered houses down below, maybe we could get one to call a taxi to take us back around to Dora.

Although we could end up walking longer, we needed an easy, flat walk, no more rocks please! SM

We headed down, getting off really quickly. Quite soon we were at a fountain, another landmark mentioned in the book. If we continued all the way around the mountain, it should only take us an hour and a half and we we would be back at the fort. It would only just be getting dark. The rest we would have to descend in the dark, but we knew the route, and it would only be another hour and a half.

We get out our torches as it begins to get dark. Another thought dawns, will the restaurant owner have closed the gate, locking Dora in. It is a depressing thought. We eventually dragged ourselves back to where Dora is at 9pm.

We normally hate walking back the way we came, we always try to design circular routes. This time, we were glad the route forced us to go back the way we came. It is much easier getting back in the dark on a route you know. At least we were very well prepared, with our torches, emergency blankets, first aid kit, plenty of water, and lunch that we never had! SM.

The gate is unlocked, although the owner has placed a traffic cone and no entry sign by her, he is not pleased. We write a note apologising and thanking him for not locking us in. We drive back to the information office for a shower and food. We have spent twelve hours on the mountain and haven’t really stopped once, not even for lunch. An exhausting, frustrating, memorable and invigorating day.

Susana’s knees may take a while to recover!

 22 kms 12 hours

 

GDR + Susu