SERRA CALDERONA

Hello, ’24/7 Valencia’ friends! I’m Vicent Montlleó, a potter and your mountain guide. This time, I’m going to tell you about the Serra Calderona.

The city of Valencia is located on the coastal plain that stretches along the mouth of the river Turia and whose northern limit is the Sierra Calderona (in Spanish). Due to its proximity and the beauty of its landscapes and peaks, it has been for many years, and still is, one of the favourite places for mountaineering and climbing for the inhabitants of the city and the surrounding counties. This includes the classic ascents such as that of the Garbi through the Canal de las Cadenas or that of the Gorgo peak from the pretty village of Marines Vell, among many others. We must also add the classic climbing school of the Penyes de Guaita (probably the first climbing area open to our community, at the beginning of the 1950s), the vertical walls of the Mola de Segart or the rocky (sandstone) blocks of the Garbí.

Walk through its extensive pine forests covered with aromatic plants such as rosemary (rosmarinus officinalis), thyme (timus vulgaris) or honeysuckle (lonicera implexa) along interwoven paths, in some cases paved for centuries.

The skies are crossed by the majestic flight of the peregrine falcon (falco peregrinus) or the short-toed eagle (circaetus galligus). To look out over the edge of the cliffs that plunge vertiginously into the void from their peaks and ridges, to stop at the door of an old abandoned farmhouse or to sit on the edge of one of the rare streams and listen in the silence of the forest to the faint murmur of the meagre flow of water…are experiences that go beyond recreational activities. They bring us closer to ourselves and to a reality that is becoming more and more alien with each passing day, but which is still living and valid too.

It is precisely this proximity and popularity and therefore the massive influx of people, the facts that most endanger these emblematic places: forest fires, erosion of tracks and roads, rubbish and dirt scattered along the edges of the roads. It is true that most visitors are respectful and follow the maxim of caring for nature, but there are selfish individuals who do not really care about anything and end up contributing to destroying our natural heritage.

I strongly recommend that you dedicate a few hours of your stay in Valencia to visit our beloved mountain range and enjoy its secrets in depth. There is plenty of information on the Internet with which you can plan your visit, but if you have doubts or further questions, you can contact me and join one of the various excursions that I have prepared.

As we say to say goodbye around here…

‘salut i muntanya!’

See you next time.

VICENT MONTLLÉO

Tel: +34 659 39 75 97

Article copyright ’24/7 Valencia’

Photo ‘Atardecer desde el Coll de la Calderona’