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ALSO KNOWN AS "THE COSTA BLANCA"
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A walking holiday in...BENIDORM !? Well ... perhaps not in Benidorm itself ... but we would like to introduce walkers and ramblers from the UK to an area which, although regularly walked by local residents, is unknown - or at least mostly overlooked - by British walkers. The winter of 2007–2008 is our sixth season offering rambles & day-walks in the Las Marinas mountains behind the Costa Blanca from our base in Finestrat. With cheap flights into Alicante and Murcia airports and abundant accommodation available in and around Benidorm, the mountains of Las Marinas are a great choice for an economical winter walking break - plus the area enjoys an average of 340 sunny days a year!
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In 1995 Bob Stansfield, in his Cicerone Press guide to Mountain Walks on the Costa Blanca, noted : “The Costa Blanca has the potential to rival Mallorca as a winter walking venue". |
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People
who have walked
with us during the past seven winter seasons
have been amazed at the beauty and variety of the countryside to be found so close to the
Costa Blanca. Many of them were well travelled walkers who realized
they had found a surprisingly favourable alternative to better known - but
often more expensive - winter walking areas. Las Marinas has spectacular mountain trails - a combination of tracks, farm lanes and traditional mozarabic pathways which link the older villages. They wander among rugged limestone peaks whose lower slopes are covered with almond and olive trees, through high valleys with cherry and nispero trees and on down to the orange groves of the coastal plane. All this can be enjoyed under sunny skies with temperatures in the 60´s F (15–22 C) On weekends, local resident walking groups (there are at least seven of them) car-pool to and from walks and between start and finish points. But with almost no public transport inland from the the densely populated coastal strip, the difficulty for visitors has always been getting to and from the best walking areas. We use our own 9-seater minibuses to take out small groups which rarely exceed 16 people (unless by request).
We can also provide easy rambles (with vehicle support) for groups of six or more. Walking boots with good ankle support are strongly recommended for all walks (except the easy rambles) and in case you hit one of those statistical 25 days which don't have sun, it's a good idea to bring wet weather clothing “just in case”.
On most walks we assign a minimum of two of our guides - all English speaking residents - who have walked this area for many years before joining our program. They are first-aid trained, carry walky-talkies, GPS and mobile phones and have all the necessary local knowledge and experience to show you the best of an area they love .... and bring you safely home.
After a day of great walking, the attractions of Benidorm and the coastal resorts are close at hand from the unashamedly tacky to the internationally sophisticated – to be enjoyed or ignored - and Benidorm itself is truly a year-round resort. A walking and/or activities break on the Costa Blanca with Walks+Plus lets you explore the mountains by day and the jungle by night. For those who like the idea of walking the Las Marinas mountains but are perhaps put off by the prospect of being in Benidorm !? - please contact us for information about staying in one of the quieter surrounding villages - (but please be aware that quieter can mean very quiet indeed). Our 2008 Las Marinas season is till 5th April and from 1st November till 6th December 2008. The 2009 season will be from 17th January till 7th March. If you would like to book with us directly or need information on available dates and prices for 2008 or 2009 - or for information on our group rates for walking clubs - please email us at mail@walks-plus.com or write to Walks+Plus / Aptdo de Correos 7 / Finestrat 03509 / Alicante / Spain. Phone : (00 34) 965 878 600 or 0844 734 9256 (at UK local call rates). |
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