Beyond all the concrete, where hills start to take over from the plains and give way to orange groves and ancient olive trees, rises Bernia, a mountain framed by the azure blue of both the sea and the sky, and which has been the sub-ject of /egends for thousands of years. Old pathways, followed in other more distant times by masked bandits and Roya/ist soldiers, rise to the summit of this mountain which divides the two Marinas. The secret is that Bernia is a mountain that knows no compromise as it takes on its distinctive multi-coloured hues, the envy of any expressionist painter, capable of baring the soul of a landscape that takes hold of the emotions as soon as it comes into view.
PRODIGIOUS NATURE (Bernia, Jalon)
Various pathways traverse and intersect Bernia 's horizons, and the beauty of
the landscape be/ies the difficulty of the terrain. Bernia, whose orientation is
NW-SE, is a mountain which encroaches on the municipa/ities of Altea, Callosa
d'En Sarriá , Calpe, Benissa and Xalo, and like the backbone of a giant monster,
divides the Marina Alta from the Marina Baja (the lower and upper Marinas).
The mountain descends smoothly from Callosa d'En Sarriá until it reaches the
sea, where the towns of Altea and Calpe merge. The sharp crest maintains a
constant orientation and the simplicity of its form disguises its complicated
geology
Nine kilometres in length, it /ies perpendicular to the coast where it sud-denly
descends rapidly at the rugged Morro de Toix and forms part of the Pre-Betic
southern section of the Betic range. Its amazing cliffs and narrow passes, like
that of Mascarat for example, as well as the scarp edges and aggressive peaks
reveal the youth of the mountain and make it seem much higher than it actually
is. Another outstanding feature is that of the narrow transversal pass of
Mascarat, which represents a veritable fissure of more than 300 metres in depth.
A combination of biological and physical factors has made the morphology of
Bernia what it 15 today, including climate, temperature, vegetation and the
effects of grazing animals. However, it is man that has left the most obvious
mark.
LUSHNESS ANO COLOUR (Bernia, Jalon)
The most aggressive slope in Bernia is to be found at its southern edge where it
falls away steeply to the sea and is criss-crossed with footpaths and animal
tracks. Although rainfall is scarce, it does have its effect on the landscape
where it col-lects in the folds of the rock and the slopes of Mascarat,
maintaining enough humid-ity to support swathes of la vender and rosemary as
well as carrasco pine. In fact, Bernia supports a vegetation cover which is
surprising in its diversity, densityand range of colour.
Along the crest of the mountain and in other areas the palm Chamareops humilis
(also known locally as margalló) flourishes. It is the only palm native to
Europe. Whilst these palms are much more commonly found on the south facing
slopes; on northerly facing slopes they are relatively scarce.
PIRATE ATTACKS (Bernia, Jalon)
Since time immemorial Bernia has been subjected to intense human activity which has left its mark throughout the massif which, as well as serving as a front between warring factions, is also the stuff of legends dating back to the times when the Moors and Christians struggled for control of the territory. The Fort de Bernia is just one of these footprints left by mano The fortress was constructed in 1562, by the Ita/ian engineer, Giovanni Battista Antonel/i, under the orders of Phillip 11, to keep watch over the coast and avoid attacks by Barbary Pirates. The fort never really lived up to its expectations and remained operative for a mere 50 years. In 1612, it was pulled down by royal decree to avoid it being used as a stronghold by the very pirates and vil-lains it was intended to protect against, since the protection offered by Bernia often served as an operational base for all kinds of invading factions in the Marina in those days.
Your Holidays in Jalon Xalo Valley Alicante Spain
MASCARAT
In
the 18th and 19" centuries, and even up until the beginnings of the 2()'
century, Bernia was home to legendary bandits who robbed the rich to give to the
poor. In fact, one of the largest passes in the mountain was named after one of
the most famous of these ban-dits: Mascarat.
Legend has it that a masked bandit would continually hold up wealthy trav-ellers
through the area for the benefit of those less well off. Nobody could ever say
for sure who the man behind the mas k was, but there were those who dared to
suggest that it might have been a young man from la Vall de Laguar, who had
reportedly disappeared without trace from his village and whose /ifeless body,
dressed in black and hooded, was left in the doorway of the house where he had
been born. When the neigh-bours removed the mask they were hor-rified to see his
once handsome face disfigured by leprosy
TO WALK (Bernia, Jalon)
This article propases two short routes (PR-V) taken from the guide: Guía Senda
Verde, senderos de la provincia de Alicante (Green route guide:
Hiking trails around Alicante Province) published by the Valencian Regional
Department for the En vironment. This type of route is marked with typical
yellow and white signposts. The first ofthe proposed routes begins in Altea la
Vella, and the second in Callosa d'En Sarriá . However, in Bernia there are
several more routes to choose from since the whole massif is crisscrossed by
paths which begin in the rougher terrain of the interior and end where the waves
wash up against the rocks of Morro de Toix. AII that remains is to choose your
route and set off to enjoy thls wonderful stretch of countryside with
spectacular views at every turno.
PRV-7
The PRV-7 is a circular route whict takes in all the slopes of the mountain:
beginning your ascent in La Font following a path which climbs to El Forat -a 20
metre tunnel cut under the summit-which then allows one to descend, thus taking
in the exceptional panoramic views of the Aitana and Puig Campana. Serra Gelada
ranges and Altea bayanc return from El Forat to La Font del Runa' and from there
to Casas de Bernia.
Length of trip: 15.2 kilometres Estimated time: 5 hours Difficulty: Medium
Itinerary: Altea la Vella - Font del Garrofe¡¡;: - old bridle path, les Penyes
ravine - rec/'f7 ation area and spring at Runar - Cross the same path - Fuente
del Fort - For: de Bérnia -link with the PRV-48 - Callao:; de Xaló - Penyal de I
'O venga - Casas as Bérnia - Font de Bérnia - Forat, mour:-tain tunnel - Font
del Runar.
Camping: Fonts de l'Algar in Callosa dEn Sarriá .
Recreation areas: Runar in Altea aro:; Bancal L1arg in Xaló.
Places of interest: The summit of Bernia;: at an altitude of 1,126 metres, Fort
os Bérnia, various springs, Xaló pass, Pas deis Bandolers and the tunnel, El
Forat..
PRV-48
The PRV-48 begins at Les Fonts del Algar, a spot where the slopes of Bernia and
Ferrer meet and where crystalline waters pass through a narrow gorge. The route
climbs up to the Cava del Bardalet and from there on to Corral del Bancal Roig,
an ancient resting place for cat-tle. Following a dirt track which runs between
ancient banks, you come to Fort de Bernia, where the route joins with the PRV-7
which then climbs to the summit following a well-marked path.
Length of trip: 5.5 kilometres Estimated time: 2 hours 30 minutes Difficulty:
Medium
Itinerary: Fonts de I 'Algar - Cueva del Bardalet - Bancal Roix - Fuente and
Fuerte de Bernia, link with PRV-7.
Camping: Fonts de l'Algar in Callosa dEn Sarriá.
Recreation areas: El Runar in Altea and El Bancal L1arg in Xaló.
Places of interest: The summit of Bernia at an altitude of 1,126 metres, Fort de
Bernia, Fonts de l'Algar, Xaló pass, Pas deis Bandolers and the tunnel under the
summit called el Forat and the cave at Bardalet.
FLORA Y FAUNA (Bernia, Jalon)
Morning breaks in Sierra Bernia with the squawking of seagulls. The black-headed gull, together with other seabirds, like storm petrels, shags , Cory's shearwaters, Balearic shearwaters and gannets and some species of birds of prey like peregrine falcons and Bonelli's eagles are the most conspicuous bird l/fe dur-ing the day. In the heat of the sun, the sound of cicadas mingles with the f1utter of butterflies playing among the f1owers. At night, nocturnal predators like tawny owls, longeared owls and eagle owls show up to share the terrain with foxes, martens, badgers and bats that enjoy the pitch black of the night at their leisure. This is the life in Bernia.