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

 

 

    

 

17 April 2023 – Pinos to Bernia

17 of us today

This included Paul’s four young visitors

Missed Jan when it came to feeding the donkey’s

It is almost four years since we last did this walk in May 2019

This was partly due to covid

But also because of concerns about the track

When we last did it there were signs of building which might close the track uphill to bar Refugio

So when we started the climb I was quite concerned whether it would be blocked

If so we would have to return downhill and take a long detour to Bernia

The build did indeed block the old track, but there was an alternative in place which required only a slight scramble

Some of the group were disappointed that we did not have a drink a t bar Refugio

The temperature dropped as we approached the cloud covered peak of Bernia

There were also lots of cars; apparently it is yet another Spanish holiday today

It was chilly as we started our picnic, but fortunately the sun appeared to warm us up

I had to take a second set of photographs as it looked so much better in the sun

Fortunately we left the “crowds” behind as we continued down into the valley

In fact we didn’t pass any other walkers for the rest of the walk

Despite the total ascent, there were long sections of gentle walking with lovely views

Colin tested the cracked wall before we sat down for our last water stop

Richard even found a chair, but the cracked wall looked far more comfortable

The gorge was overgrown

But I found the way through ok

The final detour was even more overgrown

And I had to find a new track in places

We were all very impressed when one of our young guests produced a doughnut, rather than an apple or banana

It was a weary, but happy, group who completed the walk

This week I managed to get all of Alan in the final photo at the bar

 

Temperature – 16-20c

Time taken – 6 hours

Distance – 14 km

Total Ascent – 320 metres

13 April 2023 – Tormos to Isbert Dam

13 of us for today’s walk

This included Gillian who walked with us for the first time

It also included Bianca who has missed a few walks now that she is working again

 We met our fair share of “guard dogs” and made a fuss of all of them

The “bull run” was as impressive as ever, especially for those who have not seen it before

We had another warm and sunny spring day, what a difference from last year

We crossed the river near the dam this time, “with a little help from our friends”

This meant we also walked through the unused railway tunnel

Where we took the traditional group photo

Surprised to find no one at the new hotel once again

Lots of welcome shade as we started the return to Tormos

And plenty of space to spread out and chat on the wide road

Mind there is never any lack of chat, whatever the width of the track

The river extension was open today, which accounts for the extra half an hour

And of course we had to stop to make a fuss of the horses

They appreciated Bob’s apple

It was with some reluctance that we continued our walk back to Tormos

It was quite hot by now and the prospect of a cold drink kept everyone moving

Bar Almassara has been closed for a couple of years

It has opened under new management, but just as friendly as the previous one’s

Temperature – 12-18c

Time taken – 3.5 hours

Distance – 9 km