Two Rock Arches Circuit
Although there is an easier way to visit the Large Rock Arch this circular walk includes the Little Rock Arch and a traverse along the northern slopes of Aixorta. Both arches are geological curiosities and probably formed by a harder part of the roof of a cave the remainder of which has fallen in. The initial ascent to the Little Arch is arduous and can be mitigated by taking Variation A. To reach the Little Arch pathfinding skill is useful but not essential as the ground to its SW is generally passable with care. The descent to the Large Arch is steep and requires care. 70% on tracks, (some muddy after heavy rain) 30% on mostly rough paths. (Good boots are necessary to visit the Little Arch). Gloves and snips are often useful on the goat path up to the Little Arch.
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 MS/B, which means
MS – Moderately Strenuous: Up to 600 metres ascent and/or no more than 15 km in length with some rough going taken at a reasonable pace.
B – Less than half the route on rough ground
| Nearest town | Castell de Castells |
| Directions to start |
From Tarbena: Drive towards Col de Rates on the CV715 for approx 500meters to the crest of the road and turn left onto the CV-752. Head towards Castell de Castells for approx 5.3 km. Reach an unsurfaced road and walk sign on the left near the Km 7 post and turn left. Drive 1.2 km. along this major unsurfaced road to a T-junction with, at present, a signpost and park your car(s).This is the start and finish point. |
| Start point (Lat/Long) | 38.706188, -0.158040 Click here to view in Google Maps (in a new browser tab) |
| Length (km) | 8.00 |
| Ascent (metres) | 300 |
| Walking time (hours) | 2.50 |
| Total time (hours) | 3.25 |
| Recommendations or Restrictions |
Hi there… Just had a go at this walk … We looked, and looked again! Could not find the begining of this route (Around Barranc Xorquet – it’s just not there?). Thankfully we were doing the route the right way round and the ‘non path’ was not at the end of the route.