Costa Blanca Walks Vol 1 West - southern Spain, Europe

• Location
• Description
• Contents
• Introduction
• Sample Route
• Maps
• Updates
• Further Reading

View Sample Route Map

23: Morro Blau from Callosa d'Ensaria

---

Grade: strenous
Distance: 12km
Time: 6hrs
Ascent: 750m
Maps: Benisa 822 (30–32), Altea 848 (30–35)

---

Morro Blau (1126m), along with the lower peaks of Sierra del Oro and Almedia, forms the southern end of the 17km Serrella/Aixorta ridge, from the pass of Confrides to the interesting town of Callosa D’Ensaria. Other routes on the ridge are included in Routes 16 to 22. This circular route concentrates on the mountain itself. It is partly waymarked, and on tracks of variable reliability. The ascent is unremittingly steep.

Getting There
The town of Callosa d’Ensaria is built above the crossroads where the CV755 to Guadalest from the coast crosses the CV715 from Benidorm to Pego. The main town is to the north of the Placa de Quatre Caminos, and is signposted to the centre of the town and the health centre (centro salud), your essential marker. Your passengers may be lucky enough to catch the street name. Your route is north along Av Jaumie 1, right into C. Calvarie Convent into C. Fonteta, with Placa del Llaurador with its trees on your right. At Placa Mare Amalla abandon the signs for the health centre to keep going north into C. Clara Dels Pobres. Go along a lovely country road, Cami de Font de Onaera, with the entrance to Urbanisation Almedia on your left. After 3km the surface deteriorates near some water tanks, but with care you can take your vehicle just a little further and park at the bottom of Barranco De Onaire, with the detached pinnacle of rock known as El Fares on the left of the barranco.

This approach to the walk makes an excellent stroll in itself, amongst beautiful scenery, but to start the walk in the town would add two hours’ road walking to what will, in any respect, be a challenging day.

Making a Start – to Col De Bariet
Follow the steep, if sometimes deeply eroded, path which ascends through trees the right-hand (north) side of the barranca. You are heading west and at times there are waymarkers, many of which seem to have been obliterated. There are now good views ahead of the summit, with a cave, Cueva Calliente, to the right of some crags which form a false summit. Above is a ruined finca, with its millstone, which you will pass below. Stop to give a backward glance to the Bernia, which looks superbly alpine from this angle, with its outriders Ovenga and Severino. The steep crags which drop down to the Algar and Paso del Bandoleros are also impressive. Morro Blau is to the south-west, but you need to cross another ridge before you can come to grips with it.

Now, thankfully, the gradient eases. There is a little well on the right of the track as you approach the Col de Bariet, where you join a broad forestry road and turn left. To the right the road continues north-east towards a casita and goes on down to Bolulla. 40 mins

On Towards Morro Blau
From here you can now see the highest point of the Aixorta Ridge, Cerro de los Parados (1218m), and on the first few steps along this road note the cairns marking a route off to the right. This is your return route from the summit.

The route lies to the north to ascend a pathless shoulder, keeping to the right of the crags of Alt Coca Calenta (a new name, it seems, for the crags to the west of Cova Calliente). To the left (south) the highest point of Almedia can be seen.

Along a Good Path
From the col a decent track continues north-west, and views open up ahead. There are exceptional views now down to the Guadalest Valley and the whole of the Aitana Massif from Ponoch to the main summit, Chirles and the high ground to Benimantell.

Turn left on the broad road for a while (north-west) then leave the road to descend into a gully bottom and scramble up easy rocks for a short while to gain a narrow track going uphill to another col overlooking Almedia and the Guadalest Valley. Avoid the barranco bottom as it is over-vegetated with spiky plants. You are heading for a small copse of trees on the skyline; tracks are somewhat vague but cairns are being built to help you.

Arrive thankfully at the trees to enjoy the views south-east towards the sea, Helada and Benidorm island, with majestic Puig Campaña inland. North-east you can see Montgo in the distance, with Tancat Pass and the Bernia across the valley. 1hr 15mins

Upwards Towards the Crags
Once through the trees the hard work starts, avoiding the main crags by passing them on the right. There are some vague tracks, but some most artistic and helpful cairns. Soon you are amongst the outcropping limestone.

As if by magic you breast the last rise to find a level area (probably a helicopter pad), and you thankfully walk along it to join the broad forestry road, north-west, for the last 15 minutes towards the fire lookout point installed on the summit of Morro Blau. 2hrs 45mins

There is lots to see as you identify the surrounding mountains from the most advantageous viewpoint. It might be more fun to find which are missing, notably Peñon De Ifach, although Calpe’s castle is there, or rather the one remaining wall of it! New mountains are the Alcoy ones, Almisira, Azafor, Benicadell and to the north-west the highest point of Aixorta, Cerro de Parados and, of course, the whole Aitana Ridge. Below the summit is a wooden waymarker, which announces that you are on the right summit and also on PRV150 footpath.

Descent of Raco de les Coves
Leave the summit with its trig point and fire hut to retrace your steps, passing the helicopter pad and walking for a while west along the broad forestry road which eventually leads to Font de la Teja (see Route 22). There are high crags on the left, but to the right the land slopes down towards Raco de les Coves, a forbidding gully. A narrower track now leads off to the right just as the main road starts to rise. For how long I know not, the junction has been marked by an old car! 3hrs 25mins

You are heading now straight in line, with Paso Tancat and Rates Peak to the east for a while, until you encounter an old bath tub, an improvised trough for the goats, where cairns show a change of direction left for a while until you find an indistinct path on the right and change course to south.

Into the Unbelievable Gully (Raco de les Coves)
The next 45 minutes will be rough, tough and loose, so do take great care. Again, devoted mountaineers are building cairns to guide the way and to replace waymarking, most of which has been painted out. Thankfully you eventually gain the bottom of the gully, where you should turn round and approve its unofficial name. 4hrs 15mins

The Traverse
Now a nearly level, comfortable path contours around a hollow with bancales, rising slightly towards the skyline; a little finca nestles in the hollow.

You now join an old Mozarabic trail, eroded and overgrown, but still easy to follow as you get views to the south with the sea and Benidorm and Albir. Below also is the little casita on the road you crossed on the ascent, then that road itself and you have come full circle and have regained the Collada de Bariet. 5hrs 20mins

Walk now left for only a few metres to the cairns which mark the ascent route up the Barranco de Oniare, and reverse the ascent route. If this last section is done in the evening, and especially in good winter weather, the setting sun makes Bernia and Ferrer Peaks look even more majestic as the southern crags glow golden, whilst the northern ones are deep blue to purple, and the contrast sharp enough to satisfy any photographer.

No more route-finding to do: just follow the good track down into the trees and your waiting transport. There are refreshments at Callosa, and do not despair, you will eventually find parking. 6hrs