18 November 2024 – Jalon to Alcalali Ermita

21 of us today

This included another Paul, also from Parcent

Unfortunately Jan was not walking again

Still having problems with her hip

But hopefully she will be walking with us again soon

It was nice to have Lorraine back again

She has spent about four months touring around Europe

Despite the terrible Gota Fria in Valencia we have been very lucky

Apart from a few days of heavy rain, it has been a mild winter so far

And in fact the temperatures have risen again this week

The forecast is for sunny a 20-21c all week

Still need a jacket or jumper at the start of the walk

But extra layers soon removed as the temperatures rise

It was great to do the Col de Rates last week

But everyone was happy to be back with our gentle valley walks

Lots of space to spread out, so lots of chatter

And everywhere looking very attractive in the bright sunshine

Jan gave me a lift in this morning, so that she could join us for a drink after the walk

I gave her a ring when I estimated we were 30 minutes Jalon

And she was waiting for us when we reached restaurant RiuRau

Lorraine’s husband, Elizabeth’s husband and Barry, who was unable to walk, were also waiting for us

RiuRau has become a firm favourite for out after walk drink

Not only because there is always lots of space for our larger group

But also because it is a lovely location and good service

Lovely walk and looking forward to next week

Temperature – 18-21c

Time Taken – 3 hours

Distance – 9 km

11 November 2024 – Parcent to Col de Rates

 

16 of us on today’s walk

Which is more difficult than our usual walks

Most of our walks are gentle valley walks

But once a month we try something more challenging

This is by far the most difficult so far

But it is the most iconic walk in the Jalon valley

And most of the group wanted to do it, at least once

I wanted to have good weather for this one

Not only because the track is more difficult than usual

But also because I wanted them to enjoy the view at the top

No point in all of that hard work if you can’t enjoy the view

The weather forecast had been poor all week

So I arranged to confirm on Sunday whether we would do it or not

The alternative was a valley walk from Parcent to Alcalali

Fortunately the forecast was good on Sunday

It was sunny but cool, ideal for hill walking

I was pleased that everyone reached the mirador without any real trouble

The improved mirador area is a good place to rest and recover after the climb

 But there were mixed feelings when I explained we were not having our picnic there

We stopped so everyone could admire the view and identify our many valley walks using the original stone map

And it was only a short climb to the restaurant

And an opportunity for another group photo

Then a picnic at our seculded  area

With spectacular views of the Jalon and Orba valleys

It was too chilly to sit for long

And we were soon making our way downhill to Parcent

This is a great walk for photo opportunities

Including this old favourite

And I would like to give credit to Martin, Maureen, Tina and Pierre for their lovely photos

It was good to see that the newer information stands now include an English version

Including this history of the “Raisin Trail”

I had so many good photos, including 70 I took, that it was difficult to select those to appear on the blog

 

I try to restrict it to about 20, but there are 38 on this one

We completed our walk with a well deserved drink at the Cooperativa in Parcent

Where Jan joined us for a drink

She was not able to do this one due to hip problems

But hopefully she will be able to walk again soon

It was a very enjoyable walk, and I am sure that everyone will sleep well tonight

Temperature – 11-19c

Time Taken – 5 hours

Distance – 9 km