The hike nearby Planes is a rather gentle one. It starts by following the Barranco de la Encantada starting with the Gorg del Salt, a small but nicely located lake. After following the canyon for quite a while, we can take some breathtaking views onto the valley, before the path leads us onto well paved dirt roads. From here on the hike is very easy. After reaching Planes, we take the serpentines up the mountain to get to the Ermita Santissim Crist. Exhausted, we take a longer break and enjoy the view on top of the mountain before going down the easy way on very gentle roads. After a while, we reach our starting point
Category: Alicante
Sierra de Bèrnia
The hike on Sierra de Bèrnia is a great one. Definitely one of the best hikes, I’ve done so far. Starting from the restaurant Rte. Sierra de Bernia, we make our way towards the Font de Bèrnia, before the climb starts and stuff gets more and more interesting. At one point, we cross the mountain in a very narrow tunnel, whereupon we are rewarded with a breathtaking view of the city of Benidorm. We continue the walk towards the Castell de Bèrnia or Fort de Bèrnia, which was built in the year 1562 to defend the coasts of the Ottoman attacks and demolished 50 years later, so that it couldn’t be used by the Moorish rebels. The path now leads us around the mountain before we reach our starting point.
Montgó
Climbing the Montgó was a rather stupid idea as the hike to the Cima del Montgó is a rather hard one. While the climb itself onto the mountain is manageable, it gets harder once you reach the tree line and you have to deal with razor sharp stones. Once on top, you can enjoy a great view onto Dénia and its harbour. Of course, reaching the top is not enough, if you can also head towards the Creu de Dénia. The hike down is a test of patience, as you are now running out of water and there are no fountains anywhere to refill your nearly empty water bottles. Once the flora is back, the hike is rather relaxing with beautiful landscapes, until you reach the Cova de Ampla and your way down gets significantly harder due to the loose gravel as now one wrong step would lead to a longer slide down the mountain. With the last drop of water you then finally reach your car and start searching for the nearest place to get a drink. In hindsight, we should have taken the same way down, as up, as that would have been a bit faster. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful hike, yet three litres of water per person is definitely not enough if you planning to climb the mountain on a rather chill day in August.