I was in Benidorm for a week and was eager to walk the Puig Campana but unfortunately time got the better of me and I didn't get to do it. As a warm up to it, I had decided to go a walk up to the cross and have a ramble on the hills on which it's situated, so from my accommodation I walked along the seafront of Levante beach.

A zig-zagging road takes you almost right to the top of the hill but you turn on to a walking trail for the last 30m or so. All in it took about 40mins with some lovely views of the sea and overlooking Benidorm town, the Puig Campana in the background. On the way up to the cross there is a side road which is inaccessible to traffic, that takes you to the Caletes tower; a restored watch/defense tower which was damaged during the Napoleonic war. This will add a few kms to your walk for anyone in an exploring mood.

The cross seems to have become a memorial for people to pin pictures and messages of deceased loved ones however I discovered it was originally erected as redemption for the sins of Benidorm town. It was fairly busy so after taking a few obligatory photos, I wandered off looking for the walking trail.

The Serra Gelada is a national park and the main route takes you from Benidorm to Alibea town, going up and down sea cliffs. The trails are fairly well defined with yellow and white painted lines on rocks on the trail at fairly regular intervals to keep you on track. The route takes you mostly along the edge of the cliffs which allowed for some stunning views of the drops down towards the shore which was in stark contrast to the more arid landscape towards the Puig Campana.

I discovered later that the bays below the cliffs were used as hiding places for pirate boats back in the day and the hills to signal if any potential bounty was spotted out on the high seas.

As I was only out for a wander, I didn't really have a planned route, thinking I'd probably walk so far and about turn, coming back on the same route however I noticed several treadways veering towards the back end of Benidorm and so I decided I'd return on one of those trails, making it a circular walk.

I had walked up and down six of the sea cliffs before deciding that I had better find a trail that would take me me towards Benidorm, conscious that I would still have a fair walk back into town once off the hill. I soon found one of the paths which appeared to head towards Benidorm but it became fairly obvious that it wasn't as frequently used and wasn't waymarked but as it was heading in the right direction, I decided to carry on.

The path became less defined and bouldery and rather than retrace my steps, I scrambled down into what I think was a dried out river bed and as I was walking in my own, continued slowly and carefully; hoping to come across another trail. This section was quite hands on at times, wrestling myself through some shrubbery and bushes. I really should have worn long trousers rather than shorts. I eventually negotiated the valley and found a trail, noticed some footprints and so was fairly confident that I was on the right road.

The walk off the hill was easy going and I soon found myself in a residential area on the outskirts of Benidorm. Overall I had a lovely afternoon and would highly recommend exploring these hills. I probably only saw about a handful of folk so it was nice to get some solitude away from the mayhem of the town. The walk itself even though up and down, isn't that challenging if you have a decent level of fitness; walking poles and extra care to be taken considering the loose terrain.