20 March 2017 – Serrella Castle

This walk had to be cancelled last week due to heavy rain, but today we had clear skies.

It is normally two or three degrees cooler at Castells than in Parcent, and today was no different.  But the early morning sun was warm enough for everyone to be comfortable in shirt sleeves.

As we neared our picnic site we were surprised to find a convoy of four wheel vehicles coming towards us.  I was slow getting the camera out and could only catch the last one. Apparently one of the leading vehicles had a logo confirming that they were a holiday company.  

Fortunately our picnic site was empty when we arrived and we could enjoy the wonderful view of Serrella in peace and quiet.

We then started the most memorable part of this walk, the long climb up to the castle.

The track is not only steep, but it goes on and on and on……

However we must be reasonably fit, because Jackie, Ken and Sylvia do not seem to be suffering too much when they reach the castle.

We had a short stop to recover from the climb…..

…..and to admire the view

Peter, Mike and Ken climbed to the castle, the rest of us set off down the rocky track leading to our picnic site

This part looks gentle at the start, but in fact involves a steep descent following by another climb.

Jan and Sylvia look relieved to reach the picnic site

The views down to Guadalest make this an excellent spot for lunch.   However the wind was so cold that we had to find a sheltered spot to eat.

Mike provided a welcome addition to our lunch by distributing slices of his birthday cake, which he had carried in his haversack.

After lunch the rest of the walk is downhill

We have done this walk quite a few times in the past, and Jan and I have done it on our own a couple of times.  But I still recorded it on my satnav for future reference

Walk Stats 

Distance                  12 km

Time                       5 hours

Total Elevation        682 metres