We Don’t stop hiking because we grow old- we grow old because we stop hiking
Walk- Route to the Remains of the Cabeza Negro Quarry
Date- Friday 14th April 2023- Start 09:00
Distance: 11 km approx.
Height/ Elevation gain – 500m approx.
Estimated duration – 3.5hrs approx. + 20 mins break
Difficulty – Moderate
RVP (Rendezvous Point) – 09:00– Near to Veinte Ocho Restaurant. Park in Hondon Los Frailes, there is parking near the restaurant to the rear and front of the Ajuntament/ Ayuntamiento del Hondon Los Frailes.
Walk Description: This is a circular route that starts at Hondon Los Frailes. We head towards the Camino del Agudo where we start to ascend until we join the Carretera a la Cantera. Walking along this gravel road we will have good views over to Orihuela and the surrounding area; the road then changes to a tarmac road and ascends and descends until we reach the Cabeza Negro and Cantera de Aridos Quarry.
This is the location that was used for the recent Guy Ritchie film “ The Covenant”, as the makers of the film said that the countryside was similar to Afghanistan. Unfortunately, over the last few months much of the machinery in the quarry has been removed for scrap but you can still see the main features, I witnessed the demolition.
As we descend towards the quarry, we will have views of the Mont Alt and the Rambla Ventana. After a rest at the quarry, we retrace our steps back up until we take a right turn along a winding rock and gravel trail that takes us towards Frailes. The trail has good views of Callosa de Seguro and the coast.
Please note this is a moderate trail but there are a lot of ups and downs for the first half of the walk, nothing too strenuous but be prepared.
This route is also a taster for a much harder trek to be done in the coming weeks that has fantastic rock formations and scenery for those that want a challenge.
Dogs
This route is good for dogs but they will have to be on the lead until we reach Cantera.
Lunch– I will book lunch at Peppins ( they do excellent fish & chips). Lunch does not start until 1:30.
Equipment– Good trekking shoes/boots or trail running trainers. If you have them, I would bring hiking/ trekking poles as when we descend there are some parts of the trail that can be slippy due to small stones.
Ordinary sports or leisure trainers are definitely not recommended.
There is no shade on this route so a hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen are advised.
At least a litre of water/fluid and a snack/ picnic
Walk leader: Ken
Hondón Walking Group 
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