Teulada Moraira
'The Jewel in the Costa Blanca Crown'Guadalest
El Castell de Guadalest, or Guadalest for short, is one of the most interesting and beautiful pueblos in Spain. Perched atop a mountain, with breathtaking views across the valley and down to the Guadalest River from which the town takes its name, the picturesque, white-washed pueblo of Guadalest is a stunning location and is one of the hidden gems of the Marina Alta region on the Costa Blanca, Spain.
El Castell de Guadalest
The drive to Guadalest is almost as interesting as the pueblo itself. Not for the faint-hearted, the journey inland starts at sea-level in the picture-postcard village of Altea and proceeds along roads that twist and turn their way up the dramatic Sierra de Aitana mountain range, through the villages of Polop, Xorta and on to Guadalest valley.
Sierra de Aitana Trees
As the drive climbs higher, so the pretty villages of the region appear smaller and the craggy, dusty brown mountains with their proud, jutting features give way to lush greenery and deep, vivid flowers, and the harsh sounds of the sea-gulls are replaced by the tuneful, melodic notes of the alpine swift and the blue rock thrush.
Approaching the village of Guadalest, through an abundance of pine trees, playing out their swishing tunes as the summer breeze dances gently across their pines, the village protrudes above the rock, where the remnants of an ancient medieval castle can be found. Built by the Moors over 1200 years ago to protect the villagers of Guadalest in their battles with the Christians, the castle was once an important military outpost. Today, it lies in ruins, damaged beyond repair, marked by the scars of countless battles.
Sierra de Aitana - Guadalest
The village of Guadalest has two very distinctive neighbourhoods: The Arrabal, where locals live and ply their trades, on simple stalls, to the many visitors who keep this village alive and ensure it remains the most visited village in Spain, and The Castle, where, as the name suggests, the ruins of the ancient castle are located. Guadalest means Eagle’s Nest. It is easy to see where the name comes from.
El Castell de Guadalest - Image by Anguskirk via Flickr
Visitors wishing to gain access to the castle do so through a tunnel carved into the rock. Emerging from the tunnel, the ruins of the castle lay claim to the precarious cliff-top overhangs that extend out and overlook the valley floor below. The drop and the views are particularly breathtaking and extend all the way back down the mountain and on to the coast.
Guadalest Rock
The Arrabal has maintained a medieval feel where visitors enjoy the ‘souk-style’ craft shops, cafes, restaurants and museums and where it is possible to experience a lifestyle that has changed little in over a thousand years. The main street in the Arrabal is called Calle de la Pena and is sublimely pretty. The white-washed houses provide a blank canvas and are in stark contrast to the terracotta pots that hang from them, overflowing with tumbling, richly coloured flowers, whose perfume is caught by the high-mountain breeze and mingles with the sweet scent of the pine trees around pueblo. Along the street are a series of small stalls, run by excitable locals who banter with the tourists and gesticulate wildly to encourage the tourists to buy the wide-range of leather goods and paintings on offer: the only outward sign that tourism has arrived in Guadalest.
Guadalest - Arrabal
At the end of the main street is the town hall which, in ancient times, doubled as the home of the dungeons. Also carved out of the rock, they date back over 1000 years. Along from the town hall is the local church of the Virgin, with a bell tower also carved out of the rock. This is the oldest part of the village and also the highest: providing a vantage point from which any intruders could be seen and the town’s protection assured.
Guadalest Bell Tower Costa Blanca - Image by Anguskirk via Flickr
In addition to the castle and the stalls in The Arrabal, Guadalest has a number of authentic museums, in which it is possible to see a wide range of exhibits such as the Guernica of Picasso painted on a seed or the Statue of Liberty, in the hole of a needle.
Deep in the valley below Guadalest is the stunningly beautiful, turquoise-blue lake of Rio Guadalest. Established by the construction of a dam built between 1953 and 1964, lake is over 25 metres deep and 270 metres long and supplies much of the water to many of the towns along the Costa Blanca. The lake can be seen from most viewing points in Guadalest and is an excellent backdrop against which the picturesque and popular pueblo of Guadalest can be seen.
Guadalest Lake
A holiday to Costa Blanca is a truly magical experience. Be sure to include Guadalest in your plans for that special something extra.
Enjoy!
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