| Status: | Active, open to new members |
| Leader: |
Kevin McGlone
|
| Group email: | Walking in Foreign Lands group |
2025 Trip to Catalonia
Thirty enthusiastic walkers are back from their travels, fully recharged from their expedition to Catalonia’s Trails & Rails.
Day 1: Started hesitantly, when guide Jose turned up with 2 extra helpers and the coach dropped us off at the foot of a Rockface known as Punta la Mora. Kevin forgot to mention rock climbing was included in the price. Once at the top we walked along the coast, passing the last lighthouse to be built in Spain in 2000, into Torredembarra for lunch and train back.
Day 2: Free day, 6 cultural walkers experienced Pablo Castell Museum, 24 visiting Sitges. Though 4 missed the stop, they ended up in Barcelona! We’ve brought them home – don’t worry.
Day 3: Up Montblanc we went – twin centre holiday? No way Jose, we’re still in Spain! Dropped off in the hills, fog lingering, oh good – a cooler day? Started at Cister Pomblet Monastery and into medieval town of Montblanc – for lunch and 2 trains back. With our faces pink/red/purple – like the grapes in the vineyards, no wine/mead tasters on hand for medicinal purposes, should have been kinder to the monks at the Monastery.
Catalonia 2025 pictures:
Day 4: Thirty roman relics visited Tarragona, with informative local guide, we tried making the statue of “Castell” but couldn’t finish it off as average age for person at the top is 6 years old!
Day 5: Free day, leisurely spent in the Resort. With birds aloof, 3 walkers managed to receive a good dollop of “muck for luck”, was it just in time for the quiz that evening? The 2 quiz masters enjoyed the grimace on our faces with questions like – What date is Lancashire day?
Day 6: Train to Capcanes – known for its vineyards (tasters we’re praying for). Lunch at Marca and left 7 visiting the winery. The rest finished a more strenuous walk up the ravine to meet the winos on the coach with their purchases!
Finished the holiday off with a drink and singalong with the guides Jose and Tony.
All came back with smiles on our faces – Adios Amigos!
An account of our trip last year to Calpe, Spain, which was enjoyed by 27 members, is described in the article below. Photos from that trip are available via the link on this page and our previous foreign walking holidays are depicted below.
Calpe, Spain
Picture the scene if you will. At 4am on a dark, cold October morning, 27 hardy members of the walking group departed for Manchester airport and the Costa Blanca. Not for them the low life and night joints of Benidorm but the mountains and Moorish villages of the interior. Our base was the 4 star Hotel Diamante in Calpe, a pleasant seaside resort, thankfully very quiet at the beginning of the off season.
We enjoyed 3 walks. Firstly, we walked in the terraced, almond and olive covered hillsides round the old village of Sella with its narrow streets arriving in the middle of the village’s festival day. This was a noisy and colourful event with the village bedecked in bunting and the children setting off firecrackers.
Secondly we walked in the Jalon valley after first visiting the local winery. It was on this walk we discovered that our local guide, Jose, did not know the meaning of the word flat. We explained that perpendicular is not flat as half of the party climbed 525 metres in very hot weather to the Col de Rates which has nothing to do with rodents. Much sweat and toil were expended and a cold beer was much appreciated when we reached the top.
Thirdly, we enjoyed a walk around the turquoise waters of the Guadalest reservoir and a visit to the quaint village of Guadalest itself. The village balances precariously on a hilltop atop of which was an old Moorish castle and afforded fabulous views of the surrounding mountains. The day was completed in an authentic Spanish restaurant with tapas and local paella.
An optional excursion was also included to the Albir lighthouse, approached along a 1.5 mile trail across the side of the pine covered cliffs. The day finished with a visit to the old town of Altea with its old square, narrow streets and another authentic Spanish restaurant.
Whilst at the hotel the group enjoyed 2 evening quizzes expertly organised by Senors Peter Hankin and Steve Swarbrick . Who knew that William Gladstone was prime minister on 4 separate occasions?
Special mention should be made of the aforementioned Jose. He was at all times informative, approachable, humorous and a part of the team. He organised some excellent walks with cut off points for those who didn’t wish to make the full trip. By the end of the week he knew that "flat" can go both up and down. On our last evening he assembled us on the promenade for a taste of the local wine and some impromptu singing and dancing much to the amusement of the evening strollers passing by. He also entertained us with a virtuoso performance of blues music on his mouth organ. An excellent finish to an excellent holiday.
Sketches from Foreign Lands
One of our walkers, Ralph Telford, is a man of many talents. At suitable rest stops on our walks or from memory at the conclusion of our day’s activity Ralph produces great sketches to remind us of our enjoyable excursions.
