17 February 2025 – Parcent to Alcalali Mirador

 

17 of us on today’s walk

Lovely warm and sunny day

It was warm enough to enjoy our banana break

But not too warm for walking

We have been very lucky with the weather so far this year

 Hardly any rain and ideal walking weather since January

This January was reported as the warmest in Spain since records began

We are making the best of it, and hoping it is not going to be the hottest summer too

We were not due to do this particular walk until next month

But it was the perfect day to see the almond blossom

This used to be part of our annual Almond Blossom walk

So I had high expectations of some lovely views and photographs

Unfortunately there were very few blossoms

It is still lovely scenery for anyone who had not seen the valley a few years ago

But it was sad to see so few for those of us who have know it then

Alcalali still has an Almond Blossom week

But I fear many visitors will be disappointed this year

Despite that it was a lovely walk

And I was lucky that both Lydia and Paula took lots of photos

Including quite a few really nice ones of me

So I make no excuse for having more photos this week than usual

Jan missed the walk again this week

Her back and hip problems are not getting any better

She has been referred to Denia hospital for assessment

And we are hoping it will not be long before she can join the group again

In the meantime she joins us for the after walk drink each week

Normally she drops me off at the start

Then she has the car to join us at the bar at the end of the walk

Temperature – 12-20c

Time Taken – 3 hours

Distance – 9 km

 

10 February 2025 – Jalon to Alcalali Ermita

18 of us on today’s walk

But a new member packed it in within 15 minutes of the start

Apparently it was too difficult and she turned around without telling me

This was disappointing because we always walk at the pace of the slowest

However everyone does have to be able to complete 9km and 3 hours

Everyone is aware of this before they join the first walk

So I am surprised that she gave in so soon

The rest of us set off on a cloudy and overcast morning

Fortunately it soon cleared up and a little blue appeared

In previous years this would have been our almond blossom walk

In 2017 the almond trees in the Jalon Valley were hit by blight

There was no cure, the roots had to be dug out and whole fields were destroyed

Each year since then more and more trees were cut down

Whole areas which were once part of our almond blossom walk are now overgrown with weeds and not a blossom in sight

There are still a few trees in bloom and I was hoping for some good photos today

But you need a sunny day to see them at their best

The sun did make an appearance today, but not until we were on our way back to Jalon

I did manage to get a few photos, but nothing compared to previous years

Despite this there were a lot more walkers in the valley than normal

I suspect that many were attracted by the reputation the valley gained in earlier years

If they had not seen the blossom at its height, they were probably still impressed by the valley

It is still very beautiful, even without the blossom and even on a dull day

Jan met us in Casa Claudia for the after walk drink

It is still the best part of the walk

Temperature – 11-14c

Time Taken – 3 hours

Distance – 9 km

3 February 2025 – Alcalali to Parcent

Only twelve on today’s walk

This is much less than the numbers in December

There are lots of reasons for this decrease

We have lost some members after the Christmas break

But they have been replaced by new members

The main reason is lack of non resident members

In previous years January has always been popular for visitors

But not this year

There are also a lot of colds, flu etc

And some taking winter holidays

So I have been making the best of the lower numbers

I have always felt that the ideal number on each walk is 12-16

But in December it was up to 22

We had two new members on this walk

Welcome to Mandy, who has friends already walking with us

Welcome also to Lydia, who we met during our recent Olta circuit

Jan didn’t walk, but did meet us at No Nombre for a drink after the walk

Temperature – 9-12c

Time Taken – 3 hours

Distance – 9 km