Winter has finally arrived on the Costa Blanca. On our walk last week we were in shirt sleeves, but this morning was bitterly cold and very windy, though still blue skies. Today it was not only warm coats, but even gloves.
We made David take this group photographs because he was wearing shorts - and we didn't want him to show the rest of us up as a load of wimps.
We only had a couple of very short stops to catch our breath on the way to the top of the Green Horse, but everyone was still keeping their jackets on - except David of course who set an example to us all in his shorts and body warmer.
The best thing about the Green Horse is that there is a relatively easy climb, followed by some of the best views in this part of the Costa Blanca. Not only to the coast at
Denia, but also down the
Jalon,
Orba and
Castells valleys.
Margaret very wisely put on her waterproof. There was no danger of rain, but it does help to keep the chill out and (equally important) keep your hat on in the strong winds.
The route over the Green Horse goes from one side to the other, with constantly changing views of the surrounding mountains. Unfortunately the going is quite rough so it is necessary to keep your eyes on your feet rather than on the scenery.
We usually stop a couple of times to admire the views, but it was too cold today for more than one quite short stop. We managed to get out of the wind, but it was still pretty cold and most kept their warm jackets on.
Then it was on again and more spectacular views. There was not as much chatting as usual today, because it was quite difficult to hear with the strong winds. Not strong enough to be dangerous, but too strong to hear what the walker behind was saying.
And soon it was time to make our way down from the top. This track always takes longer than I remember, but is very pleasant as the paths are better and there is more opportunity to look around at the scenery. We were also less bothered by the wind once we began to lose height.
We always have our picnic lunch at the cafe, which is always closed on a Monday. But today the owner was there as they were doing some work indoors. But they had no objection to us using the picnic tables.
After lunch we did an extension to the walk which we had not done before. It added about an hour to the walk, which some feel is a little too short for a Monday Club walk anyway.
As it was windy and cold it was decided to walk back along the road rather than the usual track along the side of the hill. This was quicker and made up for the extra time spent on the extension to the standard walk.
Winter has finally arrived on the Costa Blanca. On our walk last week we were in shirt sleeves, but this morning was bitterly cold and very windy, though still blue skies. Today it was not only warm coats, but even gloves.
We made David take this group photographs because he was wearing shorts - and we didn't want him to show the rest of us up as a load of wimps.
We only had a couple of very short stops to catch our breath on the way to the top of the Green Horse, but everyone was still keeping their jackets on - except David of course who set an example to us all in his shorts and body warmer.
The best thing about the Green Horse is that there is a relatively easy climb, followed by some of the best views in this part of the Costa Blanca. Not only to the coast at Denia, but also down the Jalon, Orba and Castells valleys.
Margaret very wisely put on her waterproof. There was no danger of rain, but it does help to keep the chill out and (equally important) keep your hat on in the strong winds.
The route over the Green Horse goes from one side to the other, with constantly changing views of the surrounding mountains. Unfortunately the going is quite rough so it is necessary to keep your eyes on your feet rather than on the scenery.
We usually stop a couple of times to admire the views, but it was too cold today for more than one quite short stop. We managed to get out of the wind, but it was still pretty cold and most kept their warm jackets on.
Then it was on again and more spectacular views. There was not as much chatting as usual today, because it was quite difficult to hear with the strong winds. Not strong enough to be dangerous, but too strong to hear what the walker behind was saying.
And soon it was time to make our way down from the top. This track always takes longer than I remember, but is very pleasant as the paths are better and there is more opportunity to look around at the scenery. We were also less bothered by the wind once we began to lose height.
We always have our picnic lunch at the cafe, which is always closed on a Monday. But today the owner was there as they were doing some work indoors. But they had no objection to us using the picnic tables.
After lunch we did an extension to the walk which we had not done before. It added about an hour to the walk, which some feel is a little too short for a Monday Club walk anyway.
As it was windy and cold it was decided to walk back along the road rather than the usual track along the side of the hill. This was quicker and made up for the extra time spent on the extension to the standard walk.