COSTA BLANCA MOUNTAIN WALKS FONTILLES ORBA CASTLE CIRCUIT

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WALK SPECS: Murla-Campell-Fontilles-Orba Castle-Murla : 14Km. 700Mtrs. Sports centre-Campell-Fontilles-Orba Castle-Sports centre: 13.5Km. 680Mtrs Murla-Fontilles-Murla : 10.2Km. 420Mtrs. Sports centre-Fontilles-Sports centre: 9.8Km. 410Mtrs. WALK DESCRIPTION BY: Jean & Bob Hall [email protected] UPDATED Mar. 2017 LEGAL NOTICE: Although we strive to make descriptions as correct as possible, use at your own risk. WALK DESCRIPTION A moderate/ strenuous walk mainly on good tracks and paths with one unavoidable steep scramble. Not all the paths are well marked so some path finding skills are necessary. The route takes us around the interesting Fontilles leper colony, founded in 1902. This is a peaceful, spiritual place that warrants a separate visit. There is an information centre on the grounds. The first scramble takes us up the little tossal north of the Fontilles centre. The climb rewards us with spectacular views of the colony buildings and the impressive wall that encloses them. The longer version (14km. 700Mtrs) includes trap to Campell and climb to Orba castle. Decisions as to which version to take can be taken en route. The shortest route is 9.8Km. TO THE START Park at Sports centre or in parking lot in Murla.

COSTA BLANCA MOUNTAIN WALKS FONTILLES ORBA CASTLE CIRCUIT

Ref:68

THE WALK. Note that times quoted are walking time only - no breaks. Underlined letters are map references.

Total distance and time for section

SPORTS CENTRE START From parking area walk up road. Take first road off L to crosstrack A. (0.4km. 6min.) Turn L. Ignore track off R. Arrive at cross track by Fontilles wall.(0.15Km 2min) Turn L and take first track off R back to wall. Bear L and follow wall to 2nd turret. Find path going down L B. (0.2km 4min) Follow clear path which eventually turns R at power lines and passes along the edge of Almond terraces to arrive at road C. (0.2km 4min) Turn R. and then immediately turn L up old track. Continue up track to path D (0.3km 7min.) 1.3Km 23min. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------MURLA START From parking lot, walk up road. track runs out and becomes path. Ignore path off L Arrive at paved road. (0.6Km 9Min) Walk down road to unsurfaced track up L. Take this track to its' end at almond bancales.(0.3Km. 4Min) Just before end of track walk along flat field around top of horseshoe-shaped bancale to arrive at unsurfaced track. Turn L and walk to end of track and beginning of path D. (0.3Km 4Min) 1.2Km 17Min -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------BOTH STARTS (From D) Take path up. At Y junction go L and up. At top path becomes old track E. (0.5km 9min) Follow old track to paved road F. (0.8km 12min) Turn L on road. R (down) at Y junction. Watch for green arrow on RHS of road marking path off R (with Y/W markings) G (0.4km 5min). Follow Y/W marked path to T junction with track H. (0.6km. 10min) 2.3Km. 36 Min. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------OPTION TO CAMPELL Go L on track. Watch carefully for path that crosses track. (0.3km. 4min.) Go R (down) path.Ignore track L. Path becomes old track. Arrive at sharp bend R. (0.3km. 6min) Take path off L and arrive at paved road. (0.1km 2min) L on road towards church. First L at T junction then First R. R towards church. Pass church on LHS. At walk sign (presa d'Isbert) find path down L.(0.4km 4min) At track bear L. At Y bear down L. After a few mtrs find path off R . Follow sign to Fontilles. At font take footpath up its RHS to road. (0.8Km 15Min.) Cross road and find Y/W path. Follow this path for a short distance keeping a sharp look out for a path your LHS K. (0.1Km. 1Min)

2.0Km 32 Minn.

GO TO K BELOW --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------

OPTION TO SKIP CAMPELL Turn R. Continue following Y/W way marks. At sharp bend turn L. Just past a little building with a domed roof find path down R. J (0.3km 5min) Arrive at a paved road. (0.2km 5min) Cross road. Turn R and in a few meters at a small parking area find the continuation of the Y/W flashed path going down. Follow this path which winds down to a gully bottom and then ascends. Just before reaching a main road look for a path up R K (0.2Km. 5Min) 0.7Km. 15Min ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------BOTH STARTS (K cont'd) which heads up to the little summit (with an antenna on the top). Vague little red dots will lead you up the scramble to reach this antenna. (0.3km 14min) Just below the antenna and a little hut find a cairned path leading down. Follow this fairly clear path look carefully for the cairns to guide you. Pass interesting Arabic ruins M. (0.3km 0.8min) Continue past ruins. Watch on L for hut-like stone structure with entrance hole visible from path. About 75mtrs. past this hut find two cairns marking start of rough (new) path off L.(0.2km 4min) Follow a series of cairns down path to riverbed.(0.4km 12min) Turn L up riverbed. Shortly after first bend in river find path on RHS of riverbed. Follow path back to riverbed. Cross riverbed and follow path to old track. Follow track to paved road. (0.6km 9Min.) Walk down (R) road to crossroad at stop sign N. Turn R. Go between cement blocks and steel guardrail. About 10 mtrs down guardrail find rough path down to riverbed.(0.1km 2Min) Turn L down riverbed and find rough path on RHS just past half fallen tree.(50mtrs.) Take this path up eventually bearing L on clearer bancales to arrive at surfaced road.(0.1Km 5Min.) Cross road and find rough path leading to cement covered water pipe. Walk up pipe to just before deposito and take clearing L leading to surfaced road.(0.1km. 3Min) Turn R up paved road to sharp bend. Take bancale with tree growing out of its beginning P. At end of bancale climb up to meet a path leading to unsurfaced track.(0.2km. 3Min) Turn R up road and look for cairn on LHS marking rough path (just past bigish rock) down to unsurfaced road S.(0.1km 4Min) Bear R 20 mtrs to cement wall. Climb over this wall and take the path leading to a little concrete hut. Pass hut and continue going up. There are many paths in this area take the one that looks the most used. Arrive at a rough track T. (0.4km 8min) 2.8Km 72Min ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------OPTION TO ORBA CASTLE Depending on which path you choose to reach track (see map) look up and down track for fingerboard for Orba. Follow path which sometimes climbs steeply to reach a track V. (0.5Km 9Min) Turn L down track and watch for walk post with Y/W marking path off R W. (0.8Km. 13Min) Follow path up steeply to castle. (0.8Km 15Min) From castle take path down to track X. (0.7Km 15Min) 2.8Km 52Min ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------

OPTION TO SKIP ORBA CASTLE Turn R and follow the G/W way marked path up to arrive at track and walk sign X. (0.8km 15min) 0.8Km 15Min ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ALL WALKS (from X) From walk sign walk up track about 15 mtrs. Climb over rock boarder up to path. Walk up several bancales and follow bancales to deposito. Walk around deposito (watch out for bees) and head up R. Follow top edge of almond bancales to arrive at old track. Follow old track to crosstrack Y. Continue R to crosstrack A. (0.8km) 0.8Km. 15Min. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------SPORTS CENTRE START - Turn R down road back to car(s). (0.4km 7min) 0.4Km 7Min ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------MURLA START - Follow sports centre start notes to D then MURLA START notes backwards back to start. 2.6Km 39Min ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------