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Motorcycle Tour Photograph GalleryCosta Blanca |
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Motorcycle Tour Photograph GalleryCosta Blanca |
| This section contains various photographs taken on the Spanish Costa Blanca during motorcycle trips from the UK. For more information about the photograph gallery please visit the Gallery Guide for techies. Click on the photograph for a larger, better quality picture, or Detail for a close-up photograph, then BACK on your browser after you have finished viewing it. |
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The castle of Santa Barbara sits high above the city of Alicante with superb views over the Mediterranean sea close by. One way to climb up to it, is through a tunnel accessed from the seafront road and then up the elevator. |
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A tiled roof or dome, usually coloured blue, is very common in this part of Spain because of the Moorish influence. This photograph shows typical ones on the church at Altea, although the photograph is poor quality. Note the mural on the white wall and the statue in front of it. |
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This small beach is called El Horno and is situated between Benidorm's large Levante and Poniente beaches. Horno is spanish for oven, so this implies that the locals consider this beach to be hot. They are not wrong because it is inside a semi-circle of cliffs which face south. |
| Photo taken from the promontory at Benidorm above the El Horno beach. Legend has it that the island is the bit kicked out of the mountain behind Benidorm (Puig Campana) by a giant called Roldan. |  |
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Between Calpe and Moraira are many tiny bays nestling under the cliffs. Most do not have sand, and are almost impossible to find, so they are not great tourist attractions but are used by the local residents who are mainly Spanish, German, British and Belgians. |
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This is one of those Costa Blanca beaches that is staggeringly beautiful to view, but almost impossible to find. The locals keep it that way because it is used as a nudist beach. There are caves and dangerous walks along the cliff tops, but no real sand because it is nearly all pebbles. However, the lack of sand means that the sea is very clear and blue. The beach can be found at the bottom of the Cumbre del Sol hill near Moraira. |
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Lots of strange happenings occur on the beach at Calpe, and this is one of them. During fiesta time you may find a rock group or a team of circus performers. This photograph was taken just before sunset which accounts for the gorgeous quality of the light. |
| Even in tourist hotspots like Calpe there are small quiet beaches such as this one, half way between the town beach and the port. The Levante at Calpe is the main tourist beach with brilliant sand and clear blue water. |  |
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The old town of Calpe, at the very top of the main shopping road, is in a different world to the main tourist areas. There are several tiny roads and if you look hard you will find examples of spectacular wall murals. The locals disappear in the afternoons and the only living things are the cages of canaries on the house walls. The man in the chair hasn't woken up in time for his siesta. |
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This sort of interesting doorway can be found down many an alleyway on the Costa Blanca. The picture is made up of painted ceramic tiles. These are usually called ajulejos (blues) because early tiles were coloured blue. Detail |
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Houses hanging on the sides of rocky outcrops occur all over this part of Spain. I believe it comes from the attempt to protect themselves against marauding Moors in the 8th to 15th centuries. |
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Behind the town of Altea is a jagged edged mountain called Sierra Bernia which enters the sea at a hill called Morro de Toix. Walking around from the north side of the mountain, at about 2000 feet high, you come across these very ancient ruins. The view from this south facing side is great - the mediterranean lies sparkling in the sun, and the towns of Altea and Benidorm can be studied in peace and quiet. Bernia is high enough (1129 metres) that on a clear day you can see the island of Ibiza about 80 miles away. I have seen a 35mm print with the cliffs and cliff-top houses of Ibiza clearly visible. |
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Gata de Gorgos is the little town which has a thriving basket weaving industry. The local women toil away, hour after hour, making or selling their wares in a small shop front. If you believe that, you'll believe anything! Most of the baskets have 'Made in China' stickers attached. It's still worth a stop if you want to buy a basket; but why a motorcyclist would want a basket I do not know. |
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This photo was taken from the C.3318 in the hidden valley I described in the Spanish roads page. There is virtually no habitation, except for a few farmhouses, and the feeling of isolation is surprising considering that it is only a few miles from Benidorm. There are many Roman terraces in the valley, and the majority are still planted and kept in good order, with many dry-stone walls. |
