We put Serra de Segària in our list of the top ten mountains for trail running in Alicante.
There is a slight problem with that.
We haven’t run it yet.
We know where it is. We have looked at the routes and read about the summit. We have probably spent longer working out which version to follow than it would take to drive there.
But Segària keeps getting pushed down the list.
It is not as tall as Aitana. It does not have the reputation of Puig Campana or the obvious pull of Montgó. It is only 508 metres high and looks fairly harmless on a map.
Then you start researching the route.
Which Serra de Segària route?
The main circular trail is the PR-CV 415.
According to the official Marina Alta route information, it is 9.73 km long with 632 metres of climbing. The estimated walking time is four hours and 15 minutes.
That sounds perfect for us. Short enough for a morning but with enough climbing to make it worthwhile.
Except that other versions are 11 km, 13 km or more than 15 km. Some include Benimeli. Some visit Cova de Bolumini. Some climb the summit and others circle beneath it.
Several of them are described as the Serra de Segària circular route.
This is usually the point where one of us says, “Just download a GPX and we’ll work it out.”
The other one then finds a different GPX.
The summit is not part of the normal circuit
The official PR-CV 415 loops around the mountain. It passes the irrigation channel on the southern side, Pas de Benimeli, an old Iberian settlement, Font de Català and the caves on the eastern end.
What it does not automatically include is the summit.
To reach the top, you leave the circular path around Portell d’Ondara and cross a section of lapiaz. This is limestone that has been eroded into sharp ridges, cracks and holes.
It is not impossible. Plenty of people climb it.
It just does not sound particularly runnable.
Route descriptions mention awkward footing and small scrambling sections. Other paths continue onto more exposed parts of the ridge where climbing equipment may be needed.
We enjoy a rough trail. We are less keen on accidentally following paint marks towards a climb we did not intend to do.
The mountain is known as the sleeping giant
Seen from the surrounding area, Segària has the outline of a person lying down. This has given it the local nickname of the sleeping giant.
It separates the Girona valley from the Marjal de Pego-Oliva and rises straight out of otherwise flat land. At only 508 metres, it still gets an uninterrupted view across the Marina Alta.
That position may be the best reason to run it.
From the higher ground you should be able to see Montgó, the coast, the wetland around Pego and the inland mountains. It is not often that 508 metres buys you that much of a view.
The route also changes sides several times. The southern face is pale, dry and exposed. The northern side has more vegetation and shade.
On paper, it looks far more varied than its modest height suggests.
What concerns us
Heat is the obvious one.
The south side has very little shade and would be brutal in the middle of summer. This is not a route we would attempt on a casual August morning because it is “only ten kilometres”.
Water is another issue.
Font de Català is close to the circular route, but the water is untreated and cannot be relied upon. We would carry everything we needed from the start.
Then there is navigation.
The PR-CV 415 is not one simple line. It connects with several paths crossing the mountain. A wrong turn might take you towards Beniarbeig, Benimeli, Cova de Bolumini or one of the ridge approaches.
We would want a GPX showing the exact circuit we had chosen. Not just a track called “Segaria circular final new route”, uploaded by someone whose idea of a path includes clinging to a rock.
We have made that mistake before.
The route we would choose
For a first attempt, we would keep it simple.
We would start at the Parc Públic de Segària on the Ondara and El Verger side. From there, we would follow the recognised PR-CV 415 circular route around the mountain.
The official route gives the following figures:
- Distance: 9.73 km
- Climbing: 632 metres
- Walking time: 4 hours 15 minutes
- Difficulty: Medium
- Route type: Circular
It follows the southern irrigation channel before climbing towards Pas de Benimeli. It then reaches the area around the antennas and Iberian settlement before descending towards Font de Català.
The return crosses the northern and eastern sides of Segària past Penya Roja, Morro de les Coves and Cova Fosca.
That is enough for a first visit.
We would decide about the summit at Portell d’Ondara. If the rock was dry, the weather was clear and we were still feeling enthusiastic, we could add it.
If not, the mountain would still be there next time.
When we would go
Not summer.
A clear winter morning would be our first choice. Autumn or early spring should work too as long as the limestone is dry.
We would take trail shoes with decent grip, at least 1.5 litres of water and a downloaded copy of the route. We would also allow far more time than we normally would for a ten-kilometre run.
Segària does not look like a route where average pace means much.
So why haven’t we run it?
No dramatic reason.
There has always been another mountain. One with a clearer route, a bigger summit or a name we already knew.
Segària is the one we keep leaving for later.
Researching it properly has made that harder to justify. The standard circuit looks good and the navigation is manageable if we choose the route before arriving. We do not need to include the summit and we certainly do not need to turn the day into an accidental ridge climb.
So this is not our Serra de Segària route report.
Not yet.
It is the plan we will use when the sleeping giant finally reaches the top of the list.