Els Arcs de Castell de Castells or Arc d'Atancos, Province of Alicante

The starting point for this hike is on the CV-752 road, between the towns of Castell de Castells and Tarbena (near the 7 km mark); there is an information sign by the roadside.
To reach this starting point by car, see the “Practical Information” section below.
Locally, the route to follow is the^PR®-CV 151. There are therefore regular signposts.

(S/E) From the information sign at the car park, follow the CV-752 road (^PR®-CV 151) heading left, then take the first path on the left and follow it. You will reach a signpost near the Cami del Pi de Bertol.

(1) Turn left. Pass in front of a farmhouse and continue straight on until you reach the second post.

(2) At the post, take the path on the right to reach the two arches. There are one or two sections to navigate with care: don’t hesitate to use your hands to steady yourself on the rocks.

(3) At the foot of the two arches, take in the view. Retrace your steps back to the signpost.

(2) Turn right, then head towards a four-way junction.

(4) Take the left-hand road. The path winds downwards. Ignore the paths you cross along the way. You’ll reach a junction after a wide left-hand bend.

(5) Take a short detour, there and back, to the right, to see an “aljub”, a water well.

(6) Aljub del Xarquet, a well that for decades has supplied water to the people who lived and worked the fields in this isolated area.
Then retrace your steps to the junction.

(5) Take the road on the right. Walk down to the Corral de Sénsio.

(7) Turn right. Follow the signposted path, passing the Corral del Somom, to return to the car park (S/E).

Directions by car to the start of the hike:

From Alicante city centre, take the A31 motorway (from Calle Mexico) towards Madrid and, shortly afterwards, take exit 236A towards Benidorm and Valencia. You will then be on the A70, which becomes the AP7 towards Benidorm.

Take exit 64 towards the N332 / CV-755 / Altea / Calpe.
Then, quite soon, head left towards Callosa D'en Sarria: get into the left-hand lane and turn left onto the CV-755, following the sign for Altea 2 km / Callosa 9 km.
At the roundabout, take the second exit (i.e. go straight ahead) onto the CV-755 towards Callosa d’en Sarria.
Just before the sign for the entrance to Callosa d'en Sarria (on the left there is a sign for “Poliesportiu”), turn right. (You are now on the CV715).
At the stop sign, turn right onto C/ de Callosa/CV-715 (towards the Fonts d’Algar campsite). Follow the CV-715 for approximately 11 kilometres. You will pass through the village of Tarbena.
In Tarbena (towards the end of the village), you will see a sign on the left for “CV752 / Castell de Castells 12 km”; turn left to follow this direction.
Just after the 7 km mark on the CV-752, turn left (in the middle of the countryside) onto a dirt track: there is an information sign; park here.

For your information: from Alicante, the journey by car is just over 90 km, taking around 1 hour 20 minutes.