THIS SITE HAS MOVED

I have moved all of the Paul and Jan in Spain blogs to a new site because I am running out of space on this one.

The new sites are:

Jan and Paul move to Spain

http://janandpaulmovetospain.blogspot.com/

Jan and Paul in Spain 2006

http://janandpaulinspain2006.blogspot.com/

Jan and Paul in Spain 2007

http://janandpaulinspain2007.blogspot.com/

Jan and Paul in Spain 2008

http://janandpaulinspain2008.blogspot.com/

Jan and Paul in Spain 2009

http://janandpaulinspain2009.blogspot.com/

4 May 2009 - Monday Club Jalon Baranco

Its called "back to back barranco" because you walk up one valley, climb the mountain, walk around the back of it and come back down the valley on the other side. We had not done this walk for about a year, and were not prepared for how overgrown the paths had become. These lesser walked routes can quickly become difficult to walk when the under growth gets out of control. It might be because the goats which created it in the first place have been moved to a new area. Whatever the reason, it is a threat to a really nice walk.

3 May 2009 - Parcent House and Garden

At this time of year the garden is looking particularly nice. Also we have had a lot of work done on the outside area, including new hand rails, crazy paving and tiling. So we thought it might be nice to have a permanent record of what it looks like now.

27 Apr 2009 - Richard and Avril Col de Rates

We only had a morning to do this walk, as Richard and Avril had to get to Alicante for their flight home. They were keen to visit the Col de Rates, as they could see it from our naya. So we drove to the restraurant via the viewpoint, and walked part of the route. Its a very pleasant walk, and we had excellent weather. A little cool, but clear enough to see the view of the Jalon and Orba valleys and all the way to the coast.

I hope it went some way to make up for the previous day walk to Benimeli aerials.

24 Apr 2009 - Richard and Avril Benimeli Walk

It really was not the right day for climbing a mountain! However we had promised Richard and Avril that we would take them up to the aerials at Benimeli, and they were keen to do it. The weather was overcast as we left Parcent, but I could see that it was even worse at Benimeli. When we got to the village we could not even see the aerials. I suggested an alternative, but they asked to do it anyway - so we did.

As we climbed the weather got worse and worse, and by the time we reached the lunch spot at the end of the ridge it was raining. We had a hurried lunch, which reminded me more of the Scottish Highlands than the Spanish Hills.

Despite knowing the track very well, we still lost it a couple of times making our way back to the aerials. However we quickly found it, and the weather improved slightly as we returned downhill.

What a shame that the one day they had available for the walk it had to be so miserable. Hope that they enjoyed the experience anyway.

23 Apr 2009 - Richard and Avril Jalon Walk

This was Richard and Avrils first visit to Parcent. They had asked to do some walking, and we always feel that this is a good first walk for a variety of reasons. First it is a valley walk, with the option of returning along a slightly higher route along the side of Col de Rates. Second it is a very attractive walk, with lovely views of the orange groves and the local mountains. And thirdly it has many cafes in Jalon where we can have a sit and drink before deciding which route to tackle on the way back. Richard and Avril were keen to do the more difficult higher route.