Route: The Alt de Ample - Clockwise
and anti-clockwise Sketch
Map
Landmarks |
Description |
Time |
| CLOCKWISE Start 0 parking to 1 Pylons at foot of gorge |
From your parked car walk back towards Jalon. On the next bend you can see a stone-faced building on the right. Cross the road in front of this building and look down into the stream bed to its right. You will see a path just one terrace down, running along beside the stream. Follow this path which dips down into the stream bed and after about 5 minutes crosses over a rocky outcrop to the other side. The path then turns sharp right and climbs steeply for a few metres. You meet a T junction. Turn left, ignoring the notice - "propriedad privada"( which may have been dumped beside the path) and continue on this path. On reaching a small fig tree the path climbs a couple of shallow terraces. Continue horizontally until you reach a stone ruin (20 minutes). Ignore the tarmac road to the left and turn right, following a concrete water pipe upwards. The path now passes through an almond grove and a wooded area. Here the path forks, take the right fork which leads upwards and emerges at the foot of the Barranco de Cao (gorge), passing beside two electricity pylons.
|
0 hours, 30 minutes |
1. Pylons to 2 Summit - Alt de Ample
|
You now begin the ascent. Initially the path climbs gently up the right
side of the gorge. After about 10 minutes keep right and ignore a path
which dips down to the left. The path, which is
now obviously a mozarabic trail, climbs steadily zig-zagging up through
the terraces which cover this side of the mountain. A fire in 2002 destroyed
the forest which blanketed this hillside and many of their blackened trunks
are still visible. You can see the craggy summit ahead. You climb, passing
and old oak, and then a small ruin. |
1 hour 40 mins |
| 2.Summit to 3. Copse of trees | Follow the path back to the junction, and take the right fork heading
south. You pass some scraggy oak trees on the right and after 10 mins
pass close by a small casita on
the left. This is a good place for lunch. If you are more adventurous
clamber down the terraces to the remains of an
old era which overlooks the gorge. |
2 hours 40 minutes (inlcuding 30 mins for lunch) |
| From 3 Copse of Trees to 4 end of footpath | Turn right, follow this path which It passes beneath a secondary peak then zig-zags down with views of the Ferrer Ridge opposite. It cuts into a gorge (barranco) and you can see the peak of the Alt de Ample above. After 1 hour the footpath merges with a driveable track in an almond and olive grove. |
3 hours 40 minutes |
| From 4. End of footpath to 0 cars. | Turn right and continue along this track until it joins with the tarmac road. Turn right and within 200 metres re-join your car. | 3 hours 55 minutes |
Landmarks |
Description |
Time |
| ANTI - CLOCKWISE 0 parking to 4 start of footpath |
From your parked car, walk away from Jalon along the tarmac road. You cross 2 bridges and pass a house "Casa Bry Trees" on the left. Another 100m further on, where the centre lining in the road stops and after 5 minutes or so, look out for a driveable track leading off to the left. This bears a notice: "Prohibida tirar basura - Sancion Maxima" and beneath (rather defaced) "It is absolutely forbidden to throw rubbish". Take this track and continue heading north, parallel to the main road through almond and olive groves. Ignore driveable tracks which branch off to the left until, after 10-15 minutes, you reach a place where the track dips down sharply to join another new unsurfaced road coming in from the right. There is an electricity pylon on the left and a cairn that marks the start of the footpath which leads off to the left.
|
0 hours, 15 minutes |
4. Start of footpath to 3. Copse of trees
|
You now begin the ascent. The path climbs and crosses
a barranco then zig-zags up with views of the Ferrer Ridge on the opposite
side of the valley. You pass beneath a craggy peak (a good spot to stop
and rest). Then the path straightens and climbs gently onto a flat terraced
area. and passes close to a copse of scrubby oak trees. Note
a cairn which indicates a fork to the left . |
1 hour 30 mins |
| 3. Copse of Trees to 2. Summit | Take the left fork which continues over the high plain
(a good place for wild flowers in the spring ); after 5 minutes you pass
a ruined finca on the right then the path swings to the other side of
the mountain, so that it's mass is on your left, and the gorge of the
Barranco de Cao is on your
right. After 10 minutes you pass a
casita on the right which overlooks the gorge. This is a good place
for lunch or if feeling adventurous clamber down the terraces to the remains
of an old era which overlooks the
gorge. After lunch, continue on your way, after a few minutes pass
two oak trees in your left. The path swings to the left and the peak of
the Alt de Ample comes into view. Continue on the level towards the peak,
noting a fork off to the right just before the
path climbs towards the summit. |
3 hours 10minutes (including 30 mins for lunch) |
| From 2. Summit to 1 Pylons | Retrace your steps from the summit, passing the old well, then look for a fork turning left and south. Follow this path which zig zags down towards the base of the gorge. It then flattens out, heading north and hugging the left side of the gorge. You reach some electricity pylons. |
3 hours 40 minutes |
| From 1. Pylons to 0 cars. | From the pylons the path turns left (west) passing along wooded pine and almond terraces. After 10 minutes it reaches the top of a concrete water pipe. Walk down this pipe to a ruined casita at the bottom. Just before the ruin turn left continuing on the footpath (not on the road which is a little further on). The path again runs along terraces, finally approaching two houses (one brown) after another 10 minutes. Immediately look out for the path turning sharp right and down into a dry stream bed. Cross the rocky stream bed and turn left following the stream until the path takes you back up onto the tarmac road near a stone-faced building. Turn left and within 20 metres return to your car. | 3 hours 55 minutes |