Albir to Benidorm via Sierra Gelada (2022)

I first climbed Sierra Gelada back in 2012 and a lot has changed in the last decade. Although I had been to Benidorm, I’d never managed to get back to Albir to do this walk again, mainly because we had been there in extremely hot conditions. For my first post-Covid / post-Brexit foreign holiday I was returning to familiar ground and was looking forward to carrying out this walk again, and as this was mid April I had hoped the weather would be a bit more comfortable.

I awoke on Day 2 of our holiday to be greeted by thunder, lightning, torrential rain and hailstorms. Apparently back in Scotland it was quite pleasant. By late evening the weather had improved, however the following day was again dull, and not suitable for sitting in the sun – but the cooler conditions made it ideal for hiking. You don’t need much gear for this walk. At around 4 hours end to end it’s another microwave mountain adventure, and I grabbed my walking poles, some camera gear and plenty of water and headed off.

Signpost for the route to Albir Lighthouse

The first change I noticed was at the junction on Carrer Andromeda, where the hotel block which formerly stood here had been replaced by a pile of rubble. Slightly disoriented by this, I headed up Carrer Neptu, and quickly arrived at the park entrance which has a multitude of signs on display, detailing the various paths which are signposted in the park. I was heading for Sierra Helada, or so I thought. New signposting now refers to the area as Sierra Gelada, and the peak at 438m as Alt Del Governador. Despite the rebranding, the path is still waymarked by the familiar white and yellow painted signs on trees and rocks, supplemented at intervals by wooden signposts, and I am able to follow the path without too much difficulty. After around 800m of walking I break through the trees and am rewarded with a view across to the outskirts of Benidorm and to the Puig Campana, the mountain which towers over this area. Below me there appears to be a small play park and an old quarry, the latter of which now hosts a small Via Ferrata. Unfortunately I have no harness with me, so I give it a miss.

Looking from the trail towards Altea

Looking back to Alt del Governador

The access road and Benidorm

The paths are showing signs of scouring from the previous days heavy rains, and as I approach the summit there’s even some surface water lingering. Even so, I’m finding it hot and make sure to keep drinking often to ensure I don’t become dehydrated. I cross the access road for the telecommunications mast and make my way through a cloud of butterflies to the summit, and the trig point which perches just a few centimetres from the cliff edge, the drop here is all the way to the see and makes my bladder churn as I peer over. I drop back to the road and the signpost indicating that the Croix De Benidorm (Benidorm Cross) is around 3km distant. The road makes for easy going, but after only 700m or so I part ways with it to go off-road again. The path now heads towards the cliff edges and for pretty much the remainder of the walk it hugs the edge, the drops suddenly revealing themselves and then veering off. By and large the path is again easy to follow, although there was one section where I found myself losing sight of the marked way, but I picked it up again fairly quickly. Between here and the cross is a succession of steep descents and reascents, the first and last of which I found to be the most taxing, and there’s the odd section where it can be a bit hands on, but by and large it’s nothing which a reasonably fit and agile walker can’t manage. Soon I was descending into a small gully, which frames the Torre Lugano apartment building, now the highest point in Benidorm, before climbing up to the wonderful viewpoint at Benidorm Cross. Viewed from Benidorm at night, this is illuminated in brilliant white light. Apparently the cross was originally erected on this spot in 1962 as a reminder to bikini-clad sun worshippers of their Christian responsibilities.

The path along the cliffs and Benidorm in the distance

Torre Lugano

Benidorm Cross

I, on the other hand, was reminded of my own responsibilities; dinner with the family. The walk down the Avenida Tokio is far harder on the knees that anything that has came before. A relentless tarmac descent leaves you pining for the rocky trails above, and it is with a sense of relief that I emerged from the Calle de Berlin and turned onto the main drag for the short walk to the bus stop to get me back to Albir, where there will be time for a quick shower before the evening’s entertainment begins – back to Benidorm to view the cross by night and a beer or two. With no wet gear to dry out this has made a pleasant change. Soon it’ll be back to Scotland, where normal service will be resumed. In the meantime I’ll take advantage of the sun. Cheers!

Sierra Helada/Gelada