The Great Outdoors: Hiking, Biking & Climbing on the Costa Blanca

Share | Print | +

Delicious

Digg

Facebook

Google

Propeller

reddit

StumbleUpon

Twitter

Yahoo!

The Great Outdoors: Hiking, Biking & Climbing on the Costa Blanca

Did you know:

• Located in the Province of Alicante, the Costa Blanca spans over 200 Km of Mediterranean coastline
• There is a variety of terrain including a mountainous area to the north west, natural parks, salt flats and beaches
• Espuña is the highest mountain in the Alicante province
• Spain's fifth longest river, the Segura, is also found in the region
• The Costa Blanca enjoys very hot, dry summers and mild, warm winters
• The average annual temperature is approximately 18 degrees and there is very little rainfall

The Costa Blanca's variety of terrain and favourable climate makes it a popular year-round location for outdoor activities. Below is information on walking and hiking, climbing, cycling and mountain biking, horse riding, watersports and air sports on the Costa Blanca.

Natural Parks

There are 9 nature parks and other natural areas on the Costa Blanca.

• For more information from the Region of Valencia website: Click here

Walking and Hiking

The Costa Blanca is a great area for walking and hiking with national marked routes and the Vías Verdes crossing the region. The Federación Española de Deportes de Montaña y Escalada is the federation for walking and climbing in Spain and provides information on routes and safety as well as clubs and associations.

• Federación Española de Deportes de Montaña y Escalada
  At: C/ Floirdablanca 75, Barcelona
  Website
• For hiking and rambling information in the Valencia region Click here (in Spanish)
• The official Spanish tourism website provides an interactive map with official walking routes. Click on the region for local itineraries: Click here 

Vías Verdes

Disused railway lines have been turned into cycling, walking and bridal paths, known as Vías Verdes. The project began in 1993 and has been a hugely successful way to redistribute tourism to the poorer rural areas as well as winning a United Nations Best Practices Habitat International Award in 2000.

Information is available in English on the website, although to date most of the route plans available on the site remain in Spanish. Local tourist offices may have the routes in English on request.

• Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles
  At: Dirección del Programa Vías Verdes, Santa Isabel 44, 28012 Madrid
  e-mail: 
  Website (in Spanish) 
• For further information on Vías Verdes: Click here 

Climbing

The Costa Blanca has the most famous climbing rocks in Spain. The Peñón de Ifach, El Ponoch and el Puig Campana are climbs within easy reach of Benidorm and Calpe.

• For local information on climbing in Valencia: Click here (in Spanish)
• The Spanish tourism website has an article offering advice and routes for climbers on the Peñón de Ifach, El Ponoch and el Puig Campana: Click here 
• To search for crags in Spain, with quality ratings: Click here 
• For a Briton's guide to climbing in the Costa Blanca see Costa Blanca Climbing: Click here

Climbing in Spain is regulated by the Federación Española de Deportes de Montaña y Escalada.

• Federación Española de Deportes de Montaña y Escalada
  At: C/ Floirdablanca 75, Barcelona
  Website (in Spanish) 

Cycling & Mountain Biking

Cycling is a popular sport in Spain and the Costa Blanca is an ideal region for cycling. Away from the busy coastal areas there are trails and routes throughout the countryside, some are designed for the road bikes and others for the BTT (Bici Todo Terreno) mountain bikes. The most gentle routes are along the Vías Verdes and disused railway lines.

The Cycling Federation of the Community of Valencia (Federación de Ciclismo de la Comunidad Valenciana, FCCV) provides information on cycling teams, bike tracks, what to do in the case of an accident and more:

• Federación de Ciclismo de la Comunidad Valenciana
  At: C/ Cocentaina s/n, 46035 Benimamét
  Tel: 963 904 932
  Fax: 963 904 934
  e-mail 
  Website (in Spanish)

The Spanish Cycling Federation (Federación Espanola de Ciclismo) has information about routes, cycling events and road safety.

• Federación Espanola de Ciclismo
  At: C/ de Ferraz, 16-5, 28008 Madrid
  Tel: 915 400 841
  Website (in Spanish) 

Horse Riding

Information on horse riding, licences to ride at clubs and horse riding disciplines is available from the Royal Spanish Horse Riding Federation (Real Federación Hípica Española).

• Real Federación Hípica Española
  At: Menorca 3, 28009 Madrid
  Tel: 914 364 200
  Website (in Spanish) 
• For a list of horse riding clubs on the Costa Blanca see The AngloFILE Equestrian: Horses & Riding 

Water Sports

There are facilities for a wide range of water sports, including scuba diving, sailing, surfing and canoeing, on the Costa Blanca.

• To search for facilities on the Costa Blanca: Click here  

The Regional Federation for Underwater Activities (Federación de Actividades Subacuáticas de la Comunitat de la Valenciana) provides advice on diving licences and clubs on the Costa Blanca.

• Federación de Actividades Subacuáticas de la Comunitat Valenciana
  At: Avellanas 14 2°1, 46003 Valencia
  Tel: 963 154 491
  e-mail 
  Website 

The Valencian Canoeing Federation (Federación de Piragüismo Comunidad Valenciana) has information on clubs, activities, events and training in the province of Alicante.

• Federación de Piragüismo Comunidad Valenciana
  At: C/ Avellanas 14 2°1, 46003 Valencia
  Tel: 963 154 467
  e-mail 
  Website 

Air Sports

The Royal Spanish Aeronautical Federation (Real Federación Aeronáutica Española) governs air sports in Spain. It is responsible for licences and accident procedure legislation to ensure the safety of participants.

The local clubs can be found at these links below as well as licence information and availability of each discipline:

• Real Federación Aeronáutica Española
  At: Carretera de la Fortuna, 28044 Madrid
  Tel: 915 082 950
  Fax: 915 110 310
  e-mail
  Website

• Federación de Deportes Aéreos de la Comunidad Valenciana
  At: C/ Avellanas, 14-2º H, 46003 Valencia
  Tel: 963 154 489
  Fax: 963 154 490
  Website

Further Information

• AngloINFO INFOrmation Page: Sailing & Boating on the Costa Blanca
• AngloINFO INFOrmation Page: Fishing on the Costa Blanca
• AngloINFO INFOrmation Page: Golf in Spain