Extended Serrella castle circuit from the south
This strenuous walk has very little flat sections. The ups and downs are often very steep. The normal approach to El Castlett (Serrella Castle) is from the North at Castell de Castells. This more dramatic approach is from the the South near Guadalest.The ascent of the rugged Borranco de les Coves begins on the West side with a good path. A rock scramble brings us to the east side. This crossing is made more exciting when there is flowing water. The path continues ascending as it heads into the spectacular widening Canal of Malla de Lloup. About half way up the Canal we exit by zig zagings up the east side, affording great views of the Canal as we gain height. The very steep track leading up to the pinnacle of El Castelet can be daunting but good views offer excuses for many rest stops. The scramble up to the castle ruins (not for those suffering from vertigo) is rewarded with stunning 360-degree views. A steep decent followed by a nice ramble on an abandoned track to return to the Barranco de las Coves where we retrace our steps back to the start.
Spanish maps included within these descriptions are provided courtesy of the Spanish IGN and remain © Instituto Geográfico Nacional.
OSM (OpenStreetMap) and OCM (OpenCycleMap) maps are © OpenStreetMap Contributors. The OSM project welcomes contributions from all to enrich the map data, which is made freely available. Land (Thunderforest Landscape) maps are © Thunderforest based on data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
The grade of this walk is S/B/Scr, which means
S – Strenuous: More than 600 metres ascent and/or more than 15km in length with steep, loose or heavily vegetated sections.
B – Less than half the route on rough ground.
Scr – Scrambling: This implies the need for handholds to ascend steep rock pitches with a sense of exposure to vertigo and where a slip could lead to a serious accident.
Nearest town | Guadalest |
Directions to start |
From CALLOSA de en SARRIA: Drive towards Guadalest on the CV 755 for 10 km to a side road going down R to the dam. Drive across the dam and continue on surfaced road for approx 4 km to a T-junction. Turn R up surfaced road, (ignoring road off R), for approx 0.6 km to a track going off left just past a large ‘Deputacion De Alicante’ sign. Turn left on to this track which is well surfaced but very narrow. Continue up until reaching a ruin on LHS and park. |
Start point (Lat/Long) | 38.698519, -0.213718 Click here to view in Google Maps (in a new browser tab) |
Length (km) | 10.90 |
Ascent (metres) | 768 |
Walking time (hours) | 3.75 |
Total time (hours) | 4.50 |
Recommendations or Restrictions |
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