Two river valleys meet just below the mountain village of Sella, their streams tumbling down from the majestic Sierra Aitana.
La Ruta del Agua (literally, the Water Route) is a trail full of springs and little water pools, of channels built for irrigation and to supply long-derelict mills. And if you come after heavy rain, the waterfalls can be spectacular.
Sella is a little village with a very big backdrop – the massive cliffs of the Penya de Sella. It lies just half an hour’s drive inland from Villajoyosa on the Costa Blanca.
La Ruta del Agua is about three hours in total, allowing for plenty of stops. Most of it is easy going, with plenty of stretches along tarmac roads.
Getting started!
Park up near the cemetery on the outskirts (map at the end of this post, or jump straight to it here). Then take the Carrer de Secanet into the village, across the Plaza Mayor and through a maze of higgledy-piggledy lanes onto the main road.
As you head out of the village, you’ll see the lavadero – a long, low shed with constantly running mountain water where villagers did their washing back in the day.
Branch off left next to the piscina municipal where you see the sign for Area Recreativa Font Major and head downhill.
The pool of Font Major
Dodge round the barrier (see pic above) designed to stop cars getting through. Walk down to the spring of Font Major, where the waters of the Riu de Les Voltes emerge from the rocks of the Sierra Aitana and form a pool.
Back in the day, it was a popular spot for locals to come for a swim. The info board nearby tells how one such gathering in 1976 didn’t end so well. Members of the Moviment Comunista del Pais Valenciana had gathered here.
Franco had been dead less than a year, and much of his repressive regime was still in place. A Belgian Nazi (of all people) living in Sella tipped off the Guardia Civil and more than 70 were arrested, though they were apparently later released. Police found copies of the Communist Manifesto, pictures of Che Guevara (I had one of those on my wall when I was a teenager!) and red flags. Rebellion! It was a different era.
Retrace your steps back up past the barrier, past the little bridge on your right and a few metres further on, a narrow path heads down to the river Voltes (also known as the Rio Sella).
Beware – it can be slippery when wet. The path criss-crosses the stream on some fairly rickety wooden bridges, with no guardrails, to the pool of Toll de la V. Not recommended for people with mobility issues.
El Riu de Les Voltes becomes the Rio Sella at some point, though I’m not sure exactly where.
Continue walking downstream to the bridge that takes the main road into Sella – the ruins of the much older Pont Vell bridge stand alongside it.
Take the steps up to the side of the bridge (above) and walk along the main road out of the village for a couple of hundred metres. A path takes then you off to the left and downhill continue following the valley of the Rio Sella.
La Penya de Sella
You get superb views of the village set against the sheer wall of rock that is the Penya de Sella
The road gradually brings you down to river level again, where you should find a spectacular waterfall (El Salt de Sella) after heavy and sustained rainfall.
Waterfalls happen here!
This is where the two valleys – the Rio Sella and Barranco de L’Arc – meet. So after stormy weather, a torrent of water comes crashing through here to create an impressive waterfall.
Follow a narrow path uphill (pic below) past a couple of private houses, including the old mill (Moll de Baix).
You emerge onto higher ground, scarred with row after row of terracing cut into the hillsides, most of them long-abandoned. You do wonder how many centuries of back-breaking work went into creating them.
Font de L’Alcàntera
After about 20 minutes on mostly tarmac road (above) you reach the Font de l’Alcàntera, a spring of crystal clear water emerging from the hillside. People come in their cars with water containers to stock up – the spring is apparently famed for its medicinal properties.
True, according to one local man I met filling his plastic casks. “Es la mejor agua de Europa” (the best water in Europe!), he told me. Still sprightly at the age of 80, he was a one-man walking advert for the stuff!
Follow the path a little further downhill to the pool below. The path is barred so you can’t follow the L’ Arc stream any further downstream. So return to the main road and walk down to the Alcàntera bridge.
Here’s where you branch off uphill next to a villa called, imaginatively, El Pont (the Bridge). Head up the hillside towards the pinewoods at the base of El Penyal de Sella.
You eventually emerge onto a tarmac road that takes you back into Sella. Here’s where you get the best views of the majestic Puig Campana mountain, distinctive with the square gap cut into its summit. Head past the village cemetery to where you left your car.
…and relax!
If you fancy a bite to eat and a drink after all that effort, try Bar María in the centre of the village. Eat on the terrace with a beautiful view over the valley. Best to book at weekends and on busy days. It’s a traditional village place, so don’t expect a big menu or speedy service. The menu del dia is good though.
La Ruta del Agua route map
Here’s the circular route I walked on Wikiloc. I started from the free public car park (aparcament públic) here on Google Maps.
More walks nearby
- Into the gorge – the spectacular Relleu dam walkway
- Villajoyosa walks – the Amadorio dam
© Guy Pelham