13 April 2026 – Parcent to Alcalali

 

The weekly forecast for Sunday and Monday was for heavy rain

I choose this walk because it gave me some options

If it was raining at the start we could go to the cooperativa

If it rained during the walk I could cut it short

We had heavy rain on Sunday and a forecast of more for Monday

On Sunday morning I was considering cancelling the walk

I received a couple of emails asking if I was going to walk

By late Sunday the forecast was a little better so we decided to risk it

I was pleasantly surprised when all 22 turned up to walk

This included Julie and Don who arrived in Spain yesterday

The sun made an appearance as we started the walk

But the temperature was considerably lower than recently

So most of us were wearing coats or jackets

Some were tempted to remove a top layer of clothes

But not for long as the wind was very cold

We tended to walk faster than usual due to the cold wind

The sun was replaced by a grey sky as we arrived at the Alcalali mirador for our banana break

So we had a much shorter break than usual

We had a second break at the Ermita as we were well ahead of schedule

We finished the walk in 2.5 hours, half an hour faster than normal

Temperature – 13 to 16c

Time taken – 2.5 hours

Distance – 9km

6 April 2026 – Lliber Zoo

 

 18 on today’s walk

This is much more than I had expected, it being Easter Monday

There were 20 booked in, so only two cancellations this week

We had one new member

Micheline is a Belgian lady who speaks excellent English

The weather forecast for today was sunny and warm

And the weather did not let us down

It was warmer than expected at the start

So almost everyone was in short sleeves

And quite a few in shorts

There was also a pleasantly cool breeze

So pretty well ideal walking conditions

A sunny day improves any walk

But it particularly so on this walk

There are more wooded sections than normal

The sunlight through the trees always reminds me of walking in the UK

In the past Bar Varetes has been busy on bank holidays

One year there were no tables available at all

This year Bar Placa, which has been closed for many years, has reopened

On our last was from Lliber they gave us cards and said they would welcome us

So this morning we told them there would be 18 of us at about 1pm

The bar bas been renovated, and has a lovely courtyard

They went to a lot of trouble to lay out tables and erect umbrellas

It was also cheaper than Bar Varetes

So we will definitely use it again next time we walk from Lliber

Temperature – 15 to 19c

Time taken – 3 hours

Distance – 9km

30 March 2026 – Alcalali to Jalon Play Area

20 on today’s walk

There were 24 booked in

But four cancelled, all after 0800 on Monday

This has happened most weeks over the past couple of months

I think it may be because the group has gotten so large

Resulting in more having to cancel for genuine reasons

However they are often the same members doing so week after week

This is very unfair to those on the reserve list

Obviously it is too late on Monday to offer it to one of the reserve

It may be that some members really are too ill to walk once or twice a month

But then perhaps a group who walk every week is not a good fit for them 

I have reminded all members why it is important to cancel early if necessary

Hopefully this problem will solve itself

The temperatures today were similar to last week

But it was sunny and felt much warmer

It really feels like Spring is here

We changed to summer time yesterday

So it seems reasonable to expect higher temperatures

But it was quite chilly when we met this morning

We soon warmed up once we started walking

P21

And it was very pleasant in Bar Toni after the walk

Temperature – 10 to 14c

Time taken – 3.5 hours

Distance – 9km