16 November 2023 – Lliber Zoo

The weather continues to be much better than normal at this time of year

I thought it might be too shady at the dry river

However we managed to find a sun trap and had a very pleasant banana break

So much so that no one really wanted to continue the walk

But we had a date to keep with the bar at the end of the walk

As often happens, the zoo was a disappointment

No exotic animals

Only a hungry donkey who ate our last apple

We made good progress

And had a short break at the picnic site

So that we would not arrive back in Lliber too early

This time we were looking for shade from the warm sun

Then downhill to Lliber

Around the church

And into the square

The bar was surprisingly quiet

Apart from our noisy group

 

Temperature – 20-24c

Time taken – 3 hours

Distance – 9 km

14 November 2023 – Parcent to Jalon Play Area

I always think of this as an easy walk

But it often turns out to be longer and harder than I remember it

It is the familiar “pipeline” walk to start

Then past our usual track to Jalon

The next section if particularly attractive

Gentle tracks to our scenic banana stop

Particularly so today in the bright sunshine

Then a winding downhill path on mostly good surface

We were joined today by Jacqueline and Keith on their first walk

 They come from Cumbria, so this walk was no great challenge

We found this newly refurbished well

New information board in English for once

Then down through the woods to our picnic site

There has been a lot of work done on the play area

Including new table tops to replace the ones burnt by portable BBQ

By now it was getting pretty hot

And the return journey was along the very exposed valley

All were pleased to take a last water stop at the Ermita

Then a final push to Parcent

A short stop to feel our friendly black piggy

Ending with a well deserved drink at the Cooperativa

Temperature – 20 to 24c

Time taken – 5.5 hours

Distance – 14 km

Total Ascent – 180 metres  

9 November 2023 – Bernia Fort

 

 This is the most spectacular walk we do with our Thursday Group

But you do need good weather to enjoy the views

We had to cancel last week due to a red weather warning for strong winds

And we almost cancelled again today because of a weather forecast of 40% chance of rain

We changed the meeting place to Jalon to delay the decision to cancel or not

When we woke up it was raining in Parcent

But it cleared as we drove to Jalon

And by decision time the sky was clear and even a little sun

Everyone was in favour of doing the Bernia walk

There were twelve of us

And most had not done the walk before

It was clear and sunny when we reached Bernia car park

But still quite cold (for Spain) at about 18c

So we kept our warm jackets on

I was surprised to find the car park pretty busy

And at least two other groups also walking to the fort

 The walk starts with a steep concrete road

So we quickly warmed up

Then our first water stop at a lovely view point about half way to the fort

While having a short stop one of the other groups overtook us

It was quieter than expected at the fort

Also much warmer than expected

So we had a longer than usual picnic stop to admire the views

The return is downhill, but the track is poor and care has to be taken

We then drove to Refugio Vista Bernia for a well deserved drink

Lovely day and much appreciated by us all

Temperature – 17-21c

Time taken – 3.5 hours

Distance – 6 km