Finally, I had a free day!
I don't want to complain, but the fact is that it didn't happen for a while to be able to spend a whole day outdoors. Even on weekends, it is just half of the day that I can spend in nature. But today my mind was more than happy as we had a day off. A perfect opportunity to go out and feed the soul with the chirping of birds, the greenery of the surroundings and the blue of the sky.
We woke up at 7 a.m., packed the equipment and food and were ready to go to the mountains, more precisely to the shore of a lake that can be found there. My boys took the fishing rods and they settled themselves by the water but I made my small "camp" in a flat area, close to some ruins of an old house.
The lake was not here forever. It was just a valley with a tiny river and a few houses around. In the 1950s, a dam was built and the river became an artificial lake, which provides water to the surrounding towns. That is now called the lake of Guadalest. The stone houses that were here became just ruins.
So, I had a shelter, the backpack with the food (the most valuable item hahaha) and a rag rug.
In a few minutes (and with a little bit of magic) the small shelter tent was ready. Usually, I read (or sleep hahaha) there and then I leave the camp and go hiking, mushroom hunting, or just wandering around. The air is sooooo different here, you can feel how fresh it is and believe me, it brings you genuine happy feelings.
To do a different hiking route this time, I decided to take the blue pathway that leads to a nearby village, Benimantell. On the map, you can't actually see that this is not flat terrain, but believe me, it was all the time uphill :D
It took me a bit more than 30 minutes to reach the village. To be honest, a bit more as I saw so many nice things so I had to stop at almost every shrub, flower, mushroom (yes, I found a few of them 🤓) or berry. The coming back went much quicker, as it is obvious that I walked faster going downhill.
Just right after the board with the map my hiking adventure started. Let's go. I had to remind my legs many times not to give up. Luckily, they listened to me and led me to the destination.
The path was well-marked with signs so I felt safe and not worried that I would get lost. Just some years ago the routes were not marked in this way, but just with small blue and yellow lines painted on the stones.
In the meantime, my eyes sabotaged the walk. It is unbelievable how many small daisies can be seen around, and we are already writing the first day of November in the calendar. Seems like spring, but it is autumn on this side of the globe.
Berries. I would not try any of these as I am not sure whether they are edible or not. The same happens with mushrooms, if I am not sure if they are edible, I don't pick them. Not that I usually find many of them, I am just bragging here right now as the consequence of finding them in my wood adventure 😁
This already looks more adequate for autumn. Although I don't really know which this pant is I know that these are the seeds, attached to fluffy, light threads. They can be carried by the wind, which helps in seed propagation.
I found more of the fluffy seeds, but from a different plant. They were so smooth.
A shrub with very green and prickly leaves also crossed my path. It was beautifully adorned with acorns, some of them still green and others already of brown colour. If someone knows the name of this plant, please feel free to write it in the comment section. It is never late to learn something new ;)
In the middle of the path, I found one more treasure. It was a hidden sign between the leaves of a fig tree. It kindly informed me that I can arrive at Benimantell in 15 minutes... if I don't stop and get distracted with the gifts of nature every minute...
Ok, I stopped just once as the flowers of the loquat tree showed themselves in the full blooming outfit. The scent of it is characteristic, it reminds me of a plum, but it's not the same. The fruits of it will come in spring.
But just a few moments later the village was conquered - I reached my destination!
I made it! However, this is a post about nature and my day spent outdoors so the streets of Benimantell will come on another occasion. Maybe sooner than later, but not today :)
Going back to my little camp went quickly - as already concluded. My legs felt light while descending this path!
And what about your day spent in nature? If you want, you can share with us your experience of any of your free days spent outdoors.
