Along the beach at la Olla de Altea on the Costa Blanca, there is a walkway of approx. 3 kilometers. The beach consists of volcanic rock and small rounded stones. Park the car at the eastern end of Altea near the market square. Head east until you meet the course of the Río Algar. Follow the footpath along the river towards the sea until you reach a railway bridge.
Continue straight ahead under the bridge and then take the road to the left over the river. Follow this for approx. 100 meters until you come to a right turn.
There you turn left up a narrow street with a green line in the middle. This is often referred to as the orange road because of the orange groves it passes through.
Follow the road until you reach the N-332 at Cap Negret. Cross the pedestrian crossing and continue straight ahead until you reach the beach. There you turn left on the footpath.
At the end of the beach in the picture above, there is a large white house by a small headland. Take the path that runs along the boundary of the garden to get around the house and back to the beach on the other side.
The building was once used as a holiday home by the dictator Fransisco Franco. He used to sit on the small terrace down by the rocks in the morning (see photo above) and read the day's papers with the Spanish flag raised in the background.
A few hundred meters further along the beach is another white brick building. It was used as a holiday home by the Prime Minister. After another few hundred meters you come to a stately yellow brick house by a small harbor for small boats.
The harbor area has been used as an anchorage for boats ever since Roman times. The yellow house was the summer residence of the famous tenor singer Emilio Sagi Barba and his wife Luisa Vela. That is why the building is called villa Sagi-Vela.
They had two sons who were not very good friends. When the sons took over the house, they divided it in two with a large wall that can still be seen from the outside.
The bunkers on the beach were built in 1937 during the civil war. They were designed to prevent Franco from landing troops there, but were never used.
The route is simple. Just continue along the beach until you reach a large harbor for small boats and jet skis. Along the way you will find several restaurants.
At the end of the pier by the harbor there is a small restaurant (top right in the picture below). Here you get close contact with the Mediterranean.
The walkway continues for a short distance on the other side of the marina. From there you can see Mascarat in the distance, and up to the left you can make out the houses in Altea Hills where Putin is supposed to have a holiday home.
More excursions: www.turideer.com
This week's excursion: Hike along the beach from Altea to the marina in la Olla Altea.
Duration: Approx. 2.5 - 3 hours, 4 km each way - a total of 8 km.
Fits everyone. Also suitable for wheelchairs and prams.
Getting there: Follow the N-332 to Altea. Park at the east end of town near the bridge over the Río Algar. There are parking options along the roads in the area and in separate marked places in several places. Head towards the river bed of Río Algar. Follow the river towards the sea. Turn left immediately after the railway bridge. Cross the river and then take the first road on the left. It is a relatively narrow road with a green center line. Follow it until you reach the N-332. There you go straight across the road on the pedestrian crossing and continue straight ahead until you reach the beach. Then you follow the beach until you reach a large harbor for small boats. Same way back.
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