Something different - Romance and Adventure :
30 minutes from blue flag (duned) beaches at Gandia & Oliva. Nestling in the 'Circ de La Safor', a breathtaking limestone Caldera, featuring 'La Finestra' (Valenciano for 'the window' - the hole at near top of La Safor 1013m). 'Casa de la Finestra' is approached by a lush, wooded, wildflower strewn, adventurous track. The house stands 10m above the river Serpis (teeming with trout, carp & barbel), as it tumbles out of the wooded gorge of El Raco del Duc; great swimming. Next to the house, the disused-railway trail from Gandia to Alcoi, forms an eco-tourist route [warranting an entry in 'Lonely Planet Guide': Gandia]. 16km of unsurpassed scenery, waterfalls, birds, flora & fauna, following the river's course. It's a paradise for walkers & cyclists of ALL abilities, anglers, bird watchers, botanists, geologists, climbers, mountaineers and don't forget children! Golf course/8km. All will find this area spellbinding. More pictures? Join 'Friends of Casa de La Finestra' on www.facebook.com.
Flora & Forna:
Sit in the comfort of the 'panorama' kitchen and count kingfishers, egrets and purple herons; daily visitors! Marvel at the antics of crag martins, swallows & bats as they admire their reflections in the windows and the pool. Watch out for hoopoes, red kites, peregrines and eagles. At night, framed in the arches of the kitchen windows, the sun sets and moon rises over El Raco Del Duc. You'll be enthralled by the chorus of frogs and cicadas and enchanted by the song of the nightingale. Pine martens, otters & wild boar are native here. Butterflies, insects, lizards and geckos will delight you. Walking along the disused railway trail, you will discover a myriad of flowers you're used to seeing cultivated in gardens, only here, they're wild, as nature intended, orchids, hyacinths, lilies, succulents, cacti, sweet peas, fennel, thyme, rosemary, cistus, lillies, bamboo & oleander. In this limestone wilderness we are blessed with unbelievable diversity of flora, fauna & geology second to none
History:
El Raco del Duc (see Google) means 'the retreat of the Duke', the father of Lucretia Borgia & grandfather of the Borgia Pope. The disused railway from the Ducal town of Gandia to Alcoi, was built by the British to bring coal from Newcastle, to fuel the textile industry. Only the flat wooded path remains, punctuated by five exciting tunnels, ideal for cycling and walking; ALL abilities. Ten minutes walk from the house is a magical place where the track meets the river Serpis. Here is the shrine of 'Mare de Deu de la Font', a pilgrimage site where a 15 century wood cutter, discovered a wooden casket floating upstream. Inside he found a statue of the Virgin. Below the crags are lagoons to fish & swim in or just float in the healing waters among fish, birds and flowers, like an `endless` pool. A tile in our kitchen depicts the scene. Wanting something more intrepid? You only need to wander off the green track to discover routes up the mountain to 'La Finestra' and La Safor itself (1013m).
Other Activities:
Quad-biking, gorge-walking, climbing, cayaking/canoeing, white-water rafting, flamenco, wine-tasting, cooking, painting.
