Altomira site in the hills

We have now moved away from the Mediterranean coast and inland up in to the hills. Although we're still not far from Valencia the landscape has taken on a different feel and the air is noticeably cooler. Our site for the next two nights was Altomira (which translates as high view) and is located in the picturesque town of Navajas.

 

The site itself is large with terraced, gravel pitches surrounded by trees, overlooking the town and its mountain backdrop. Whilst many of the access roads are steep within the site, the pitches themselves are flat, although you need consider manoeuvring between trees in places. Each pitch has an electrical hook up (oddly situated at the entrance of the pitch) and nearby taps. Toilet blocks are located close by with a small number of showers and toilets, and a covered area for washing dishes and clothes. Tucked behind reception is a shop that sells a small selection of essential items, including bread that needs to be ordered the previous day. A restaurant / bar is located centrally and offers meals and drinks at certain times of the day. You also get one hour of free wifi in this area. There is also a small playground aimed at younger children. As with most Spanish sites, there is an outdoor swimming pool but at this time of year it was closed.

 

We arrived the Wednesday of Semana Santa and there were very few people of site. Arriving midday meant that we had the afternoon to explore so we quickly set off on foot towards Navajas. The lady at reception had provided us with information and maps of places to see and things to do in the area and during the time we had left of the afternoon we decided to explore the nearby vicinity. Not far from the site is a short walk towards a waterfall (Salto de la Novia). It is about 1km away and takes in the route of the fountains - historic fountains ornately decorated appear occasionally along the riverside. The waterfall is impressive and as some photographs in the town depicted the area gets full of visitors in the summer, as people enjoy swimming in the pools beneath it. We were lucky enough to have the view almost to ourselves. The walk ends here but we decided to continue on through the valley, climbing up a path further along to appreciate a higher vantage. I'm not sure how far the path would have taken us but we decided to turn back and walk through Navajas. 

 

On our second day at the site, we ventured out on bikes. The Via Verde de Ojos Negros (cycle path) runs alongside the site and is an easy route on which to explore the areas further afield. Upon the recommendation of the lady in reception, we chose to turn right and cycle towards to Jerica - approximately 10km away. We stopped regularly to take in the fantastic views, including a view over the Pantano de Regajo reservoir, which you can walk, drive or cycle to and apparently it is possible to hire canoes from there. The Via Verde actually extends far beyond Jerica and it is one of many possible options for cyclists. We were handed a booklet of extreme cycle rides that included steep hill sections but we soon dismissed these once we realised they weren't family friendly!

 

When we returned from our cycle ride, the site was filling up quickly. Numerous families had arrived and caravans and tents were pitching up all around us. The bar and playground were buzzing with people and the Easter holiday mood had began.

 

Unfortunately we only had two nights in Altomira and would have loved to explore the area further. If we had had more time, we would have continued on to Viver where we could have explored the National park, visited the various monasteries and sanctuaries dotted about and made the "obligatory" trip to Montanejos to visit the Fuente de los Banos (spring with crystal clear water) and Spa.

 

Whilst it may have felt like we were in the middle of the mountains, some of the larger city attractions were not far away. The historic city of Valencia - only 60km away - is accessible by train and timetables are available at reception. I think if we'd had longer here we might have even ventured into the city for some sightseeing.

 

@meekroadventure