27 April 2023 – Lliber River Walk

Thirteen of us today, including two new faces

Should have been fourteen but we had one “no show”

Caroline walked with us last year, and is back for a flying visit

Suzanne also walked with us last year but first time this year

Last walk for Norman and Carole before they return to the UK

The high temperatures were forecast

So we came well prepared with plenty of water to drink

There is lots of shade on this walk

So the heat was not much of a problem

Caroline spotted frogs, which prompted an unexpected break

I was worried it might be too hot in the river for our snack break

But those who wanted could find shade

Most didn’t bother and didn’t seem to mind the sun

As always we stopped to admire our “1000 year old tree”

And found it had been decorated with small ornaments

I suspect it was done by local children, probably a local school group

The heat was more of a problem for the last hour

But getting closer to the bar proved a good incentive

It was really busy in bar Varetes

But we all managed to find seats

Temperature – 20-27c

Time taken – 3 hours

Distance – 9 km

24 April 2023 – Juvees de Alt

11 of us for today’s walk

Quite a few less than our normal turnout

It would have been even lower if Clair and Tim were not here on holiday

I think it is mostly because we are in the holiday season

But also partly because most of the group did Baranco Inferno last Friday

This is a spectacular but very challenging walk

And it may be some are still suffering the after effects

The temperatures have risen sharply this week

But it felt even warmer than the forecast

This was particularly so on the long exposed section

It was too hot to take our picnic at the usual place

So we had to push on until we could find some shade

Some of the group found the going hard, and we had to slow the pace

We finally found a shaded spot about half an hour later than planned

And everyone felt much better after half an hour break

We planned to walk back along the side of the Caballo Verde

However half of the group opted for the easier walk along the road back to Benimaurell

We all met up at the bar in the village for a well deserved cold drink

Enjoyed the walk as always, but it was hard going on such a hot day

If these temperatures continue I will have to find some less challenging walks with more shade

Temperature – 19-24c

Time taken – 5.5 hours

Distance – 13 km

Total Ascent – 542 metres

 

 

    

20 April 2023 – Jalon to Alcalali

15 of us for today’s walk

Should have been 16, but one member slept in!

We had three new members today

Norman and Carole have a holiday home in the valley

Susan is a resident who has recently retired to the valley

It’s always nice to have new members, and they were made very welcome by the rest of the group

Yet another bright and sunny day for our walk

We have been very lucky this Spring, especially compared with last March

We have done this walk many, many times

But we never tire of it

And we meet up with old friends along the way

We now have 31 members in the Thursday group

13 are non residents, like Norman and Carol

18 residents is a respectable number

Each week there are always various members not available

But we can always make our target of 12-16 on each walk

Despite this rapid expansion the group has maintained a very friendly and welcoming feel

New members always comment on how nice it was to be made so welcome

The bar visit after the walk plays a large part in the group bonding

And this week at Riu Rau was no exception.

Temperature – 13-22c

Time taken – 3 hours

Distance – 9 km