Summit of La Replana and Font del LLop near Castalla

The starting point for this hike is located at the Font de la Carrasca car park near the town of Castalla. To get to this starting point by car, see the practical information section.

(S/E) From the car park, head towards the large green sign and the barrier. Continue a little further. You will see a water reservoir. Go and see the Font de la Carrasca with its small flow of water.

(1) Continue south-west on a path that goes straight up. Follow the sign for "Pou del Carrascal" and ignore a few paths on the left.

(2) At the crossroads (Mas del Carrascal opposite), turn left, still heading towards Pou del Carrascal.

(3) At the crossroads shortly afterwards, continue left and uphill. At the next crossroads, go straight ahead to the foot of a large wooden staircase on the right-hand side.

(4) Climb these steps to a metal gate: although it is closed, you can see the base of the pou. Retrace your steps.

(4) Follow the main path to the right.

(5) At the intersection that immediately follows, turn right to quickly reach the pou (an admirably well-preserved 18th-century snow well).

(6) Retrace your steps to the previous intersection.

(5) Follow the main path to the right. Climb up, ignoring a path on the left, and reach Collado de las Hermosas.

(7) Turn right, heading south, and continue climbing. Halfway up the slope, turn sharply right and climb westwards. Reach an unnamed peak (elevation 1228).

(8) Descend on the other side.

(9) At a fork (cairn), take the right-hand path (west) which leads easily to the summit of La Replana, marked by a geodetic signal (a cylinder on a cube).

(10) Descend on the other side (south-west). Ignore a path coming from the left and continue the descent to the south-west.

(11) At a fork at the foot of an electricity pylon, take the path on the left and pass under the high-voltage line. Keep heading south-west and ignore two paths on the left.

(12) Shortly after the second intersection, at a fork marked by a cairn, descend to the right into the rocks (be careful to spot this turn-off). Follow a few cairns to reach a final cairn marking the start of a path that turns right. This path is in poor condition and descends quite steeply with small rolling stones: be careful! Then continue on a good path.

(13) Pass under the high-voltage line again, ignore the paths on the right and pass under the line again. Immediately after, at a three-way junction, turn left. At the next two crossroads, which are close together, turn right. Then ignore a path on the right and continue to a crossroads.

(14) If you wish to see Font del LLop, turn left (to return directly, turn right). Descend along a dirt track which then becomes cemented. At the foot of a farmhouse, turn left and, at the T-junction, left again. You will soon reach Font del Llop, below the "Non-potable water" sign.

(15) Retrace your steps up the cement track, which then gives way to a dirt track.

(14) Continue straight ahead (east, then north-east). Pass under the high-voltage power line one last time. Ignore a path on the right and continue east-north-east.

(3) At a junction you took at the start of the hike, continue straight ahead.

(2) At the next junction, turn right. Follow the same route back to the car park where you started (S/E).

The starting point is accessible via a dirt road from the CV-811 road between Castalla and Sax. Coming from Casatalla, heading west, after kilometre 2 (marked on a sign on the left side of the road), a little further on, at the end of the first right-hand bend, turn left onto a dirt road: there is a green sign marked "Deposit contra incendio forestals". Continue along this dirt track for almost 1.5 km until you reach a hairpin bend with a green sign marked "Deposit contra incendio forestals". Follow this direction: you will arrive at the Font de la Carrasca car park. Park here, leaving the passage completely free (for any fire engines).

For information, the journey by car from Alicante is approximately 45 kilometres and takes around 45 minutes.