The campsite at Ribamar, north of Valencia, is on the edge of the Sierra d’Irta national park, and one of the last remaining unspoilt mountain landscapes on the Valencia coast. Paths from the campsite lead straight into the pine forests and down to coastal paths on the rugged coastline.
In contrast to the built up coast towns we had passed through on the way, Alcossebre is more attractive with mainly white low-rise buildings and a bustling port area. We walked into town the first time along the coast path and past the Irta lighthouse – Faro de Irta – a rather brutalist white structure that looks like a tall Art Deco diving platform from some angles. The lighthouse has been active since 1993 and is one of only two lighthouses in Spain designed by women – the Spanish architect Rita Lorite takes credit for this one.
Beyond Alcossebre the road and cycle path takes you along the beach to Capicorp, a tiny agricultural village sitting at the mouth of the Coves river with little more than a few houses and an 18th century church.
We’ve left behind the trailer with the motorbike which was probably a good decision given the constrained size of sites in Spain, so our sorties from site tend to be on foot or by bicycle. We, or rather Claire, had some ‘incidents’ with the bicycle last year and decided to invest in a new bike while we were back in the UK. It seemed like a good opportunity to go the electric bike route and, not being sure about weight limits on a new bike rack, we went for a folding electric bike that could go in the trailer or van if required, although we’ve found it’s actually fine on the bike rack if you remove the battery. So far the new bike has performed very well and is comfortable to ride with or without power and with good suspension and tyres. At least Joe can’t complain about me not being able to keep up and he can feel very virtuous that he does not have ‘assisted’ power.
