17th of November

A truly unique spot giving you the opportunity to get from the inland slope of a mountain, through a narrow, 25 meters long tunnel, to “The Balcony of Mediterranean” – an incredible lookout point with views of some of the iconic towns one the shore of Costa Blanca.

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We’ll meet in Valencia in the parking lot on av. Aragón in front of Mestalla stadium and drive towards Casas de Bernia. There is a bar up there with awesome views from the terrace, so, naturally, we’ll start with a coffee there. After a bit of a flat part, a rather steep ascent begins, which leads us strait to Forat de Bernia – a tunnel, that will take us through the mountain to the other side. Once on the other side, we’ll get exceptional views of Costa Blanca, with Serra Gelada and Puig Campana standing out among others. Next, we’ll continue along a trail that will get us to a former fort. We will stop here to have lunch and rest a bit. From here it would be time to head back down, go round the mountain and get to the starting point. Once there, we will have a drink on the same terrace and return to Valencia.

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A bit of History

Bèrnia has an attractive landscape, which can only be appreciated when you walk on its trails. The Fort of Bèrnia, located 850 meters above the nearby Mediterranean has a very curious history. In 1568, King Philip II ordered Vespasiano and Antonelli to build the coastal fortifications of the Valencian Kingdom. John Baptist Antonelli, Italian military engineer, was responsible for building the watchtowers and defensive fortifications in the face of frequent berber attacks in the area of La Marina. He chose a site of exceptional beauty to be the location for the fort of Bèrnia, which was supposed to be magnificent judging by the plans and the ruins that can still be recognized, with their vaults and pits. Its functionality was ephemeral though since it remained active barely half a century. The main weakness was that it was built in a place so hard to access and so distant from the villages and the coast, that the military reaction capacity was very limited. It was decided to abandon the fortress and destroy it, which happened during the last Moorish uprising in 1609.

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Difficulty: medium (11km with 400m of elevation gain).
Technical level: medium/high (steep trail in the beginning)
Meeting point: Mestalla, parking lot on av. Aragón, 8:30 (return to Valencia ~18:30)
Price: 35 euros (31 euros signing up before Thursday, 16.11) / 14 euros coming to Casas de Bernia.

The price includes professional guide, transportation, accident and public liability insurances.
Bring at least 1.5l of water, lunch, cap and hiking shoes.
Become a member and get a 6-euros discount for every hike.