stretch away while to the east Montgo is seen from a particularly impressive angle and to the south the ridges of the Cavall Verd and the Bernia stand out from a crowd of peaks. The Segaria itself is revealed as a broad crest stretching away to a pair of huge rocky towers.
The paths comes to a belvedere at the foot of the first tower with fine views of the archaeological remains clinging like swallows’ nests to its side. From here the route becomes a serious scramble and this is the end of the road for walkers.
Return to the picnic area and from just below it a path, signed with green and white flashes, heads off downhill through the dwarf palms of the northern slope. It plunges steeply down at first before starting to trend generally leftwards across the slope until finally curving right to rejoin the road. Turn left down this for five minutes to reach a house with a large concrete water tank beside it. Just above the tank a track goes off left signed to Benimeli.
It drops gently across the hillside and eventually joins a farm track. Turn left along this as it curls round the end of the ridge. About five minutes further on it meets a concrete waterpipe and the path breaks off to follow it downhill briefly before the green and white flashes of the SL indicate a left turn down abandoned terraces making for Benimeli and entering the village close to the Placa Major.
WALK 4
Fonts de Pedreguer
| Start/finish | Capelleta de Sant Blai, Pedreguer |
| Distance | 12km |
| Grade | Moderate |
| Time | 3hrs 30mins |
| Terrain | Clear paths and exemplary waymarking |
| Height gain | 550m |
| Map | Costa Blanca Mountains (Discovery) |
| Access | Leave Pedreguer on the CV 720 towards Alcalali and on the outskirts of the town double back left, following signs to the Ermita, onto the Avenida Maria Lopez, which becomes the Carrer del Migdia. Follow this to a T-junction and turn right into the Carrer Passatage. |
| Parking | In Carrer Passatage. |
Water is precious in the dry landscape of the Costa Blanca and ancient wells and springs are still tended and marked. This gentle walk, following one of the variations of the PR-CV 53 Sender de Pedreguer, visits several of the springs emerging from the Muntanya Gran – ‘the Big Mountain’ – behind the town. Clear paths and consistent waymarking mean navigation is seldom a problem on this ramble through a countryside that is less demanding than among the bigger, more dramatic, hills, which feature in the distant views.
Fiesta flags in Pedreguer
From the car park walk downhill and turn into the Carrer Meravelles and just before a left hand bend go right up a ramp to join a path which traverses above the houses. Ignore a path breaking up right and carry on to where the main path reaches a concrete track by a play area. Turn right up this to a brick path but after a few steps turn left by a wooden information board, as indicated by yellow and white paint flashes on the ground, to pass down the left hand side of a building apparently used for barbecuing to reach a path and turn right uphill following the PR-CV 53 to the Font Colberta and Font d’Aixa. Leaving the rooftops of Pedreguer behind, a much older landscape comes into view. The shape of Montgo dominates the view and beyond it Ibiza floats on the horizon.
Font Colberta
Carry on following the path up the rim of the barranc and after about 40mins it passes a ruined casita with a deep well and a couple of minutes later comes to a sign embedded in a large cairn announcing that Pedreguer is 1.7km behind while the Font Colberta is 800 metres ahead and Font d’Aixa another 4.1km.
As the path crosses a col the jagged tops of the Bernia and Olta emerge as well as a colourful collection of villas across the barranc. Zigzag down the terraces to reach the Font Colberta. The font proves to be an old arched well, still with clear water in it but a sign suggests it is not drinking water.
From the font turn up the initially concrete track to pass a house guarded by a large Buddha among the trees by its gate and immediately afterwards, at a four way junction, carry on up the hill and 100 metres later come to a sign on the left to the Font del Rull. A flight of restored stone steps climbs the few metres to the font, which is little more than a black iron door over the old cistern.
Continue up the hill for a little under 10mins to where it meets a dirt road on the left signed to Barranc de l’Aigua. Turn left onto this but after just a couple of dozen paces turn right by a cairn onto a narrow path heading off downhill with the Bernia in front. It traverses round a large bowl across gentle slopes until it turns a corner and broken cliffs and sharp summits come into view with a grand, newly-built house in the valley below. Follow the path as it winds down to it. Across the barranc from the house are the Font d’Aixa climbing crags and teams are often to be seen on the routes.
Carry on down the concrete access road of the house until, on a bend, as you pass another house on the left, a track marked with yellow and white paint goes off leftwards across the hill. Follow it until it comes to a junction and here turn sharply back right down to a road and turn right. This dogleg can be avoided by staying on the concrete road to reach the same spot but the path is more pleasant underfoot.
The road now passes houses and orange groves and a sign pointing right to Pedreguer per Aspres. This is the onward route but it is worth continuing a couple of hundred metres further to visit Font d’Aixa, one of the larger pools in the area. From there go back to the ‘Aspres’ sign and turn up the concrete track which passes a casita and quickly dwindles to a footpath. Keep climbing until it reaches a fairly long level section and about 20mins after leaving the road comes to a fork. Take the left branch, which continues to climb and traverse until after a few minutes it comes to another concrete road with a sign ‘Pedreguer per Poets 3km’.
Turn up this and in less than 5mins come to a right hand bend where a sign points leftwards to Castell d’Aixa. Go up this path and where it comes to olive groves at the top of the first slope there is a T-junction of paths. Turn right, passing a tumbledown casita and following yellow and white paint as it traverses round the bowl. Ignore a path dropping leftwards.
As it continues Montgo and the colourful villas seen earlier reappear. When it reaches a junction turn right signed to Pedreguer. The town is now visible at the foot of the Barranc dels Poets, whose name refers to wells rather than versifiers. At a three-way junction carry on downhill to Pedreguer and at the next junction turn left guided by ample paint marks to arrive back in the car park.
WALK 5
Castell d’Aixa
| Start/finish | Font d’Aixa |
| Distance | 10km |
| Grade | Moderate |
| Time | 3hrs 30mins to 4hrs |
| Terrain | Limestone paths and a high, easy ridge |
| Height gain | 490m |
| Map | IGN Pedreguer |
| Access | Leave the N332 on the CV 750 to Xalo and after 4km take a narrow road on the right signed to Lliber. Follow it to the village where it emerges on the main road at a tricky exit where you turn right for 100 metres and then left on the CV 748 to Gata de Gorgos. After 3.8km, opposite a large white house, turn left onto the Camino Font d’Aixa, which winds between houses and on for another 2.5km to the pool of the Font. |
| Parking | By the font. |
Little remains of the old fortress of Castell d’Aixa sitting high upon its ridge but that is no reason to shun a visit. This route follows a steep path to a col below the castle and returns via a high ridge with fine views to the coast and inland mountains, as well as over the Vall de Pop.
