Montgo, Javea, Alicante, Spain.

This is not a walk to undertake the morning after sitting in a bar thinking “lets climb the mountain” It needs some thought, in regards to what time to set off, how hot is it going to be, water, snack(s), footwear, clothing, fitness level, vertigo sufferers, camera battery level, slap it on sunscreen and if you want some decent photographs, the weather forecast……….. whilst also understanding that this walk will take a minimum of 3 hours there and back.
We undertook it from the Javea side in June, starting at 9am, from the small car park, 15 minutes’ walk away from the bottom of the mountain itself.
First thing to note is and I stand to be corrected, I believe, that the word for ‘Top’ ‘Peak’ ‘Summit’ in Valenciano is “CIM” therefore you follow the signs indicating ‘CIM’.
The path is basically a stone/rock path, discoloured by the many people who have walked it previously, this is where a sturdy pair of walking shoes or the like will be of benefit, I wore the latest light as a feather, super cool Nike running trainers and I might just as well, worn carpet slippers, I felt every rock I trod on whilst my ankles worked overtime trying to keep me upright whilst being manipulated in every possible direction imaginable……. The path in the main is very manageable being indicated by yellow and white paint marks en-route, however in places it can be something in the region of possibly only 2 feet wide with a steep decent to one side, hence my warning re vertigo sufferers and where care should be taken with young children……..
The walk up will make your heart work so that in places you will be breathing rapidly, sweating and possibly, almost definitely, want to stop to admire the view…….. In the main my heart rate ranged from 110 - 151, the higher ranges also involving me having four points of contact with the mountain, especially after about an hour, where it the path almost disappears, becoming more of a scramble/climb up and over a rock face, however once over this, the final access to the 'Cim' is easier.
Once there, the elation of succeeding, the 360 degree views and your physical geographic location, makes you feel on top of the world........ There are no bars, restaurants or shops at the peak, so this is where it appears the majority of successful climbers take their snacks. One word of warning here, watch where you place your rucksack/bag or in fact sit, if it's anywhere near one of the large ant colonies, you will be bringing some of them back down with you.......
The first part of the decline can be stressful on the knees but after that it's a breeze and for some reason you appear to see a lot more of your surroundings than you did on the way up....... You will see several small paths that appear to be short cuts, be aware, some are but are steeper requiring slightly more exertion and some are dangerous leading you off into the unknown.......
Whilst on our way down, we passed several groups of persons going in the opposite direction, this is why at the beginning I warned re giving this walk some thought. One group had no water or food whatsoever, another had clothes that were more suitable for a spring stroll through the New Forest, rather than in 27 degree sunshine and another couple, who were resting at almost the beginning of the climb and looking somewhat like the unfit dad who thought it would be a good idea to go with his athletic looking son, starting off at just after mid-day, again with what appeared to be only one small bottle of water between them......... We got through a litre of water each during the walk, a small bottle once back at the car and several large beers once back at the Port......
During the period of time we were at the 'Cim' a bank of cloud developed out of nowhere and whilst it was just slightly below us and made for some stunning photographs, it did cause some concern as to what it would be like to descend through...... Fortunately most of it disappeared as quickly as it appeared and what did remain, stayed on the Denia side of the mountain. This was my third assent and I feel that it's possibly better to do this walk/climb during good weather in the winter months as there appears to be less haze, making the best of the views and photographic opportunities.

Visited June 2015