Description of Site – Mont Olta is located at the back of Calpe railway station. The mountain rises to 587m between the N332 and the A7 motorway. There is a Walk around the mountain that takes around 3 hours. There are also other walks that are marked. The top of the mountain is fairly flat (not quite Table Mountain!) and has some sheer sides down to where the pine trees start. There is a campsite, at around 200m elevation, which can be driven to saving a lot of legwork. On the walk around the mountain (if taken in a clockwise direction) there is a small church and grounds after about 30 minutes. In the grounds there are six large picnic tables, clean toilets, and plenty of seating with spectacular views of the sea over Calpe. The walks are marked with wooden signs and the green and white paint stripes. These are sometimes confusing but there are usually occasional walkers to ask directions from. The paths are generally wide and not too steep. Birds seen here include; Blue Rock thrush, Great tit, Coal tit, Long tailed Tit, Crested Tit and Goldcrest.
This photo of Calpe is courtesy of TripAdvisor
Directions – First you need to get to Calpe railway station. Approaching Calpe on the N332 from the south take the Calpe Sur (south) turn – this is actually the main dual carriageway that runs through the town. After about 300m going downhill you will reach a roundabout. At this roundabout go right round and start coming back up the hill keeping to the left hand lane for Alicante. Go under the N332 and do not take the road off to the right for Alicante but carry on for a few more metres where you turn left for the station (estación). Approaching on the N332 from the north, turn off the N332 for Calpe Sur (there is a large Aitana store on the right) and immediately turn right for the station. If you go under the N332 you have gone too far and need to go round the roundabout as above. You now go past the station, over the railway track, and continue for approx 4 km following the brown signs for Mont Olta and “Camping”. The road seems endless but it saves a lot of legwork as the “Camping” and carpark are at an elevation of around 200m. There is plenty of parking, and the walks start from the carpark and immediately climb above the terraced camping area.