Thursday 2 October 2008

A walking holiday in Spain

Colin and Evan, two brothers from Suffolk and Norfolk have just stayed with us for a walking holiday. Unusually the weather was not too kind, but, as experienced walkers they were well prepared and spent their week exploring some of the many beautiful walks around here.

On their return to the UK they sent us the following write-up:

“Monticheivo is a small village in the mountains some 40 kms south of Valencia , we (Evan and Colin, two very mature walkers) were met by Caroline and Neil and driven to their home, a converted town house offering a home from home holiday with all the benefits of English speaking guides, they also offered a transfer service to and from the walks that begin and end high in the mountains, complete with detailed maps of the area and details of the walks in terms of distance approx time and interesting things to see while on route.

The area offers walks for all requirements from circular wanders through olive groves, acres of orange and peach trees of between 2 –20 kms all starting within 50 metres of the house on flat roads in the valley.

For a longer walk after a 30 min car ride we followed a well marked path from the small village of Lorcha climbing through the La Safor mountains to a height of 400 metres before descending to a disused railway track alongside the river Serpis which we followed for around 11 klms, the total length of the walk is 22 kms. For us this was a good walk offering views from the mountains and along the river an abundance of wild life, rabbits, birds and fish to watch as we ambled along passing through some tunnels made by English Victorian engineers who built the railway.

The second longish walk was very different, we set out to climb Benicadell - this mountain towers to a height of 1078mtrs. Again we started by being taken by car (around 20 mins), the walk is well marked and the smell of the pines, wild mint and rosemary seems to be everywhere on the mountain, only the last 60 metres is a bit of a scramble but the view from the top makes it all worth while, on a clear day it is possible to see the sea.

In conclusion the holiday offered wonderful walking, good food, and friendly hosts. The weather for us was unkind with 6 days of rain but we still enjoyed our stay and as a reward on the final day the sun came out to show us how much better the area is in the warm sun.”


Colin and Evan have spent many years walking together in many countries around the world and we are delighted that they have looked so favourably on our part of “Real Spain”. We look forward to their next visit.

Wednesday 1 October 2008

House hunting in our part of "Real Spain"

Last week we had Clare and John staying with us from Pembrokeshire. They were spending a couple of weeks in the Valencia region house hunting. We were delighted with the guest book entry they left.

Clare and John wrote -

We have enjoyed 4 memorable, if damp, days at the Casa Blanca Rural in Montichelvo. Our hosts, Neil and Caroline, couldn't have been more welcoming and helpful. Through emails, we explained that we were visiting the area with the intention of finding a simple retreat in rural Spain and, by the time we arrived, they had drawn up a list of trustworthy English speaking estate agents and even found a couple of local properties for us to consider.

Casa blanca Rural is beautiful – clean, comfortable, full of character and homely touches. Neil and Caroline went out of their way to help us in our search, keen to impart local knowledge. Having sold up and moved into a small Spanish community themselves, who better to ask for opinions and advice? Each morning we would chat about our plans for the day and each evening, discuss the results. They know the area, the people, the culture and the geography. They fit in here and have been accepted into village life – we would recommend anyone looking for property in Real Spain to spend a few days here – they have so much information that they are keen to share.

Although we did not see the village at it's best because of the weather, we could see from photos that the views are fantastic. The access to the coast via the CV60 is fast and easy. It is a perfect base to search – quiet and relaxed yet close to the amenities of towns where the estate agents are located.

We will be back to see Montichelvo in the sunshine. Thanks Neil and Caroline.

We have always been very fortunate with the guests that have stayed with us here at Casa Blanca Rural. It is always lovely to spend time with family and friends when they are able to visit and it is also lovely to meet new people such as Clare and John. Hopefully they will find their property in Real Spain and we look forward to seeing more of them in the future.