Safe Return Doubtful

Just over a year ago, the 29 October to 16 November 2024, devastating floods hit the area around Valencia, and resulted in considerable damage in Sot de Chera, which was evacuated, in some cases in spectacular fashion, by helicopter (see the video). 237 people died in the region. The two bridges in the town, and the road through the gorge were washed out. A year on, and the rebuilding work has begun, but the road after the town is still impassable. It had a big effect on this last summer’s tourist business as many of the accommodations were in need of complete renovation. A year on, and it is looking better. By new year many people had returned to their homes, and lived in them while waiting for renovation. 

Whereas lower down the Sot river at Chulilla there were plenty of motorhomes and vans, I was the only person parked up at the Hermitage above at Sot de Chera. I walked into town as I arrived, just as it was going dark, and was immediately invited into the Cafe Musical for a drink. The welcome was as friendly as I can remember receiving. The following morning I took a few hours hiking a circuit of the town, a bit higher up, but the folk of the cafe had warned me that many of the hiking trails had been wiped out,

and are still subject to landslides as the ground has not yet settled. 

In the early afternoon I continued south. I was told, again in the Cafe Musical, of a woman who kept an animal sanctuary in the hills to the southwest of Valencia who allowed vans to stay on her land for a €10 donation; money she relied on to feed the animals. Many animals had been relocated there after the floods, temporarily she was promised, but many had turned out to be permanent. 

Her place was magnificently situated amongst orange and olive groves on what seemed a maze of tiny roads. I had liaised with her by WhatsApp so settled on her field just before the daylight faded. The following morning she showed me round. There were about six dogs, two of which were calm enough to roam about, a number of horses, donkeys, cats, and chickens. Two black cats followed her about. Her age was difficult to estimate, as was her nationality. She, Amandine, spoke perfect English but told me she didn’t consider herself a national of any country, though she had citizenship in Spain. Her mother was French, and she had lived in a variety of countries during her upbringing. She had been living in her renovated finca for ten years now. The renovation had been done by local people in exchange for her caring for their sick animals. She had no veterinary training, and largely used herbal potions to treat animals who were unwell. She told me she had some success in treating ill humans in the same way. These skills came from her mother, who, five years before, had returned to her childhood village in Romania. It was an extremely interesting visit, and one I would recommend to anyone passing through the area. 

This morning I continued on, driving an hour or so south to the town of Bocairent, which I had identified as having some good outdoor trails, but the place designated for vans stopping over was close to a busy road, and of no interest to me. Another half hour and onto the town of Biar.

It has a decent aire, but it’s much busier than I expected. It will be fine for a couple of days though. Later in the afternoon I walked up through its narrow streets, up its many steps, to its castle, which dates back to 1245.  The tower that dominates it, Torre del Homenaje, is Muslim in origin.