4th of February
This time we are going to hike to probably the biggest remnants of the Spanish civil war in Valencian Community – the trenches of Villamalur, located at the far end of Sierra Espadán.
The village of Villamalur is located in the Alto Mijares area. It was a conclave point of struggle against the nationalist side. We’re talking about the time when the country was practically divided into two parts (those in favor of the regime and those who opposed these ideals).
The decision to settle down and start a bloody fight between opposing forces, made it possible not only to leave a mark in the memory of those who were present or participated in this confrontation, but also leave structures that today we can even witness and touch ourselves.
Some of those memories that will allow us to travel back in time are the trenches. The ditch or structure that allowed soldiers to shoot at the enemy in a more “safe” way is called a trench. The most usual thing was to make two types of trenches, they could be directly dug into the ground (if it was made of soil) or made in a way, let’s say more constructive and elaborate. There were more variants, it all depended on the place where the battle took place. It was not the same to fight it in an area with visibility, or in the very centre of a town or city, than in the middle of the mountains; where practically the opposite was sought, the more they went unnoticed, the better the offense would be…
Restos de trincheras en Villamalur
Difficulty: medium (10km with 330m elevation gain)
Technical level: medium (single track trails and gravel roads)
Meeting point: Mestalla, entrance on av. Aragón, 9:30 (return to Valencia ~18:30)
Price: 32 euros (28 euros signing up before 02.02 13:00) / 12 euros coming to Villamalur.
The price includes professional guide, transportation, accident and public liability insurances.
Bring at least 1l of water, lunch, long-sleeve clothes and hiking shoes.
Become a member and get a 6-euros discount for every hike.