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WALK 6

Tossal del Moro and the Serrillas

Start/finish	Gata de Gorgos
Distance	12km
Grade	Moderate
Time	3 to 4hrs
Terrain	Good paths
Height gain	470m
Map	Institut Cartografica Valencia, Pedreguer
Access	Gata de Gorgos is on the main N332, 20km north of Calp. As you enter the town from the south pass under a railway viaduct and park.
Parking	Roadside bays or an unmade car park.

The hills around Gata de Gorgos are neither the highest nor the most dramatic of the Costa Blanca but that does not stop them providing very enjoyable walking. This walk begins in the gorge of the Riu Gorgos and climbs through gentle forests to a pair of summits offering excellent views and then a surprisingly wild climax as it returns to the town.

Turn towards the town and almost immediately go left over a wide bridge spanning the riverbed. On the other side turn right into a paved recreation area and drop down to the riverbed and walk to the far end, following yellow and white paint flashes which soon lead upwards into a narrow residential street. Follow this to a T-junction with a wider road. Cross straight over and go down the Carrer Penon to drop down a flight of steps to re-enter the river gorge on a developed walkway following the PR-CV 412 to Font de la Mata and Cumbre de la Serrillas. Follow this paved ‘promenade’ to a flight of steps leading up to a parking area overlooking the gorge. Take the road running above crags and behind houses.

The path now leaves the PR-CV and instead follows red and white flashes as it continues above the barranc. After a couple of minutes along the track, just after it has turned left downhill, look for a path cutting back on the right still marked with red and white paint heading downhill. Take this to cross the riverbed again and climb the opposite bank and at a crossroads of paths go straight ahead. After another 15mins the path reaches a fork. Carry on up the right hand branch marked by a symbol which looks like two letter ‘C’s back to back in red paint.

The path comes to a crossroads by a tumbledown casita. Turn right, following the red and white marks, along the broad stone-surfaced track. It passes between houses to reach a tarmac road. Turn right down this and follow it as the surface deteriorates to reach a PR-CV signpost on a junction. It is worth making the short signed detour to Font de la Mata. The font sits on a shelf below a small crag. It has a deep well and a small array of heavy carved stone drinking bowls once used for watering pack animals.

At the junction turn left (or right if you visited Font de la Mata) to the Cim Serrillas and after about 5mins up the track there is a right hand bend where a path breaks off to the right marked with a pair of painted crosses. Ignore this and go round the bend to where a broad track climbs away to the right. Go up this. It weaves through terraces and passes a renovated casita, beyond which it becomes a narrow path climbing the slope to the ridge. The path then climbs leftwards up the ridge to the sharply conical summit of the Tossal del Moro.

Towards the summit of the Tossal del Moro

On the top are the remains of a watchtower and a large cairn. The view takes in the Penyo Roig, Cavall Verd, Carrascal de Parcent, the Bernia, Olta and the great isolated tooth of the Penon de Ifach above Calp. Below is the rather less welcome intrusion of the Alicante–Valencia motorway. Turning your back on the road it is easy to pick out the next objective, the Serrillas, with a clear path leading down to a col and up the opposite slope.

The path drops down through pine trees to reach a ruined casita in the col before reaching a signpost to the Cim dels Serrellars. If time is pressing it is possible to make a direct return to Gata, 4km away, by carrying on down the valley following the signs.

The path climbs over a subsidiary summit to the main top, which is crowned by a trig column mounted on a large plinth with extensive views. From the column do not continue along the ridge but instead head off downhill on the clear path with yellow and white markings. The path curls down and then back to rejoin the descending ridge. Then, guided by a line of substantial cairns and passing a ruined casita, after a kilometre it comes to a three way junction, here turn left signed to Gata. From here the way is clear, following paint flashes and eventually the buildings of Gata de Gorgos below. On the way it passes a suspiciously large cairn, which on further investigation turns out to be the housing of a well.

As the path reaches a patch of tarmac at a three-way junction carry on straight ahead, still following the yellow and white marks. When, at the bottom of the hill, it reaches a railway line turn left and then pass under a railway bridge to the N332. Go left to the car.