Costa Blanca Walks Vol 1 West

Guidebook covers walking in Spain's Costa Blanca area north and west of Benidorm, and includes the Costa Blanca Mountain Way and the Gallinera Way. Sierra Aitana/Campana/Ponoch, Aitana Way, Val de Arc, Sierra Heldada and Sierras de Cortina, Sierra Serrella/Aixorta, Val de Algar, Val de Gallinera, north-west sierras and western sierras.

1:50,000 Mapas Militar

Jativa 29-31 (795)

Alcoy 29-32 (821)

Benisa 30-32 (822)

Villajoyosa 29-33 (847)

Altea 30-33 (848)

1:25,000 M.O.P.U.

796 I Gandia Sheets III – IV

795 Jativa Sheets I – IV

822 Benisa Sheets I – III

823 Javea Sheets I & III

847 Villajoyosa Sheets II & IV

821 Alcoy Sheets I – IV

848 Altea Sheets I – III

Notes on maps
The official Mapas Militar are at 1:50,000, the nearest thing to the UK Ordnance Survey maps. The detail and printing, however, are far from OS standard, and buying a new edition does not guarantee an updated map. I find that it pays to keep old maps. They are often more reliable, as the editor of the series is capricious, to say the least, in removing information from new editions. It also takes a very long time before new roads are shown on the maps, and the vast network of forestry and rural roads remains unmarked. There are also the 1:25,000 Ministry of Public Works (M.O.P.U.) maps, produced by the Institutio Georgrafico Nacional, who produce the Mapas Militar. These maps are still based on the old 1:50,000 grid system, with four sheets to the area covered. The printing is better and new roads are shown (still not the rural and forestry), but on some sheets important detail is missing which appeared on old smaller-scale maps. The contours and the spot heights on some sheets of Mapas Militar are questionable.

Road Maps
These are quite good, but are at times misleading to say the least. They have the annoying habit of not showing road numbers for provincial and minor roads, which walkers use a lot. And there are glaring mistakes on some, such as showing a dam which failed 20 years ago and the wetlands below Pego as a vast lake. Some roads which were completed years ago and now have an official number are shown as mule tracks.

Michelin     1:400,000     Central/Eastern Spain 445

Firestone     1:200,000     Costa Blanca T28

M.O.P.U.     1:200,000     Province of Alicante (based on Mapas Militar)

Map Suppliers
Many newsagents and bookshops now display a sign showing that they supply Mapas Militar, but don’t get excited – their stock-keeping is atrocious. I list suppliers who are (more or less) reliable.

Altea    Newsagent near Supermarket Pepe Clara, Calle Ingen Munoz, in centre of town

Alicante    Librea International, Altmir 6, near Town Hall

Benidorm    Librier Atlas, Calle Valencia

Calpe    Papeleria Vasquez, Av. Gabriel Miro and other branches

Jalon    The Sweetie Shop, on main road just before you reach the river (English)

Valencia     Papeleria Regolf, Mar2, side street near Cathedral and Zaragoza Gardens

England    Stanfords, 27A Floral Street, London WC2E 9LP; The Map Shop, 15 High Street, Upton-upon-Severn, Worcs WR8 OHJ (Both stock the military maps plus smaller scale tourist maps of the area.)