Whilst at Vila Joiosa, we visited the old town of Finestrat which was only a few kilometres away. We took the van and set off in the direction advised by neighbours on the campsite. Of course, they were all either cyclists or motorbikers! That should not have mattered but, when it comes to small towns and parking a campervan, there is a difference. We drove into Finestrat and up through the town and out the other side without finding anywhere to park.
The resulting journey up the usual winding mountainous roads up around Puig Campana mountain, took us to a wonderful high road above Benidorm. There were fantastic roundabouts complete with fountains and a parking place with far reaching views across Benidorm to the sea. However, we did not stop as we were determined to get to Finestrat. Now we had our bearings, we made another assault on the mission and found a space outside a covered car park right near the town.
Unusually for us we had managed to get there before siesta and the Tourist Information centre was open. We picked up a map and information and followed signs that took us around the best bits of the old town. We enjoyed a wander around the narrow streets, popped into the church where piped music broke the silence (rather nice), and called into a lovely little shop to buy savoury pastries and cake for our lunch.
Now that we were practically locals, we managed to find our way back up to the parking place with the lovely views and put the kettle on. Our spoils from the shop in Finestrat were greatly enjoyed with a nice fresh cup of tea.
One strange thing about Finestrat was that it has a beach that is not attached to the town. Unless we were really mistaken, it was actually nearer to Vila Joiosa. Still, we had not gone there for the beach so we never got to visit. There is a street of houses hanging over the rocks apparently. We missed that particular spectacle. You can’t see everything.