Aitana-Guadalest Mountain Circuit *****      40km         2,000M of Acsent

Costa Blanca Mountain Biking Route - This ambitious route tackles three major cols and takes in some of the best views in the region. All the riding is on tracks and roads, the majority of the tracks are well maintained and all of it is rideable by a fit rider. Some of the sections are rough though and care must be taken after rain as some sections can be very slippery.

It is possible to do some of the sections by themselves as independent shorter rides.

Starting in Finestrat take the road to Sella (10 km), try to resist the urge for a cafe stop and continue on the main road through the village and on towards Alcoi. You will see signs for Aitana Safari. A few km's past the village the road cuts into a ravine and on a sharp hairpin take the minor road with a sign for Benifato. Climbing steeply now you enter a hidden valley with impressive cliffs high up on your left. After a few more km's of climbing you come the sign for the German Riding Stables. Carry on through some hairpins and through a wooded area and shortly after passing a water tank the tarmac ends and the first section on track starts. Follow this track, still climbing, through great scenery. You are now high above the Sella Valley (on your right). Make a left turn a few metres before a small ruin and make sure you stop to enjoy the spectacular views on the next section of track as it heads for the first col (1100 Metres). You can look down on some of the route to come. Beneath the dominating mountain of the Puig Campana (with it's unmistakable notch) you will see the long bristly ridge of the Monte Castalletes. The route heads round the North end of this ridge, look closely and you can see the track in the forest below you.

The next few km's are tough cycling over sections of steep rough track, but the reward is a sudden surprise view over the mountainous Guadalest Valley. Dropping steeply now the track, rough in places, cuts back into the hillside and takes you under some immense white North facing Cliffs. Take the first junction on your right, along another track which switches back sharp right. You soon meet another junction, take the left fork here and descend quickly on smooth red track before a right turn at a T junction taking you past almond groves and past a small "casita" (farm house).

Dropping down steeply now the track leads to a popular font and picnic area. Here our route traverses along the hillside and eventually we reach a section of newly surfaced track, and the next climb starts. This is a fairly short climb but gradually the gradient increases until in the last hundred metres it rears up and keeping any forward momentum is an extreme effort. You're soon on the long decent to towards Sella, watch out for the fast gravel laden bends and the occasional "lumps" built to deflect water (or surprise mountain bikers?). You will now get tremendous views of the Sella Divino, a monumental crag (the first part of the route took you almost to the summit of this). At the obvious junction near a climbers refuge take the signposted track to Finestrat (14km) and the penultimate section of climbing, a stiff section past the popular rock faces of Sella crag. At a col the view opens up and the final section of the ride comes into view. A short descent and then a gradual ascent through the woods and under the rock faces towards the col between the awesome west face of the Puig Campana and the end of the Monte Castalletes Ridge. The climb is stiff enough in places and your legs should be begging for mercy by now!

The last col appears and from here it is virtually all downhill to Finestrat. Cafes, Restaurants, and a siesta beckon!

This route can be started from anywhere on the circuit, other good starting points would be Confrides or Benifato in the Guadalest valley.

You can view some panoramic images of the Puig Campana on our panoramas page and some video clips on the movies page