Barranc de la Fos Trail

The Barranc de la Fos trail is the walk that takes you from Bocairent's old town to the bottom of the ravine and the mills and fulling mills of the Clariano river, along the old road from Bocairent to Ontinyent. It is an 11 km circuit, about 3 h 30, between 436 and 676 metres in altitude, with low difficulty according to the Tourist Info. It coincides with the PR-V 121 trail.

The route

It leaves from the Plaza del Ayuntamiento and climbs Calle Mossén Hilari. It passes the Darrere la Vila bridge and the En Ferrís fountain and washhouse, and at the boundary cross you take the left-hand path, uphill. A small staircase cut in the rock goes down to the tanca del Bou and, from there, to the Barranc de la Fos.

Once in the bed of the Clariano, the mills follow one after another. The best known is the Eduardo Juan mill, with a vertical wheel about 6.5 metres in diameter. At the casa dels Julians the route joins the Barranc dels Tarongers, and then come the Lluna mill, the Patirás mill and the Tarongers fountain.

At a bend in the CV-81, the road between Bocairent and Ontinyent, the rock known as the Cagalló del Gegant is opposite. From there a steep staircase, on the right, climbs to the Alto del Castellar, a viewpoint over the road's bends, the Xàtiva to Alcoi railway line and its tunnels. The return to Bocairent leaves the Masarra estate on the left and passes the 16th-century hermitage of Sant Antoni Abad.

The mills audio guide

The town council has an audio guide, the "Mills Route", with 11 points: the origin of textiles in Bocairent, several mills, two textile factories, the Patirás aqueduct and the Toribio mill. Each point has its PDF on the tourism website; download them along with the route map before you set off.

Tips

Although the difficulty is low, there are two sections that need care: the staircase cut in the rock and the stairs up to the Alto del Castellar. Bring hiking footwear, water and something to eat; the Tourist Info doesn't say whether the fountains along the way are drinkable. In summer, better to set off early. With children, only if they already walk well; it can't be done with a pushchair, because of the stairs.

Getting there and parking

The old town is pedestrian: leave your car on Calle Batalla de Lepanto and Calle Joaquín Sorolla and walk to the Plaza del Ayuntamiento, where the Tourist Info is. The office is open Tuesday to Sunday and public holidays from 10:00 to 14:00, and Tuesday to Saturday also from 16:00 to 18:00; there they can answer questions about the state of the path.

What to combine it with

The route passes beneath the old town and opposite the cliffs of the Covetes dels Moros, which you visit in the morning with a timed slot. On your return, a walk round the old town and lunch at El Cancell or at La Parada, the restaurant of Hotel L'Estació.