The impressive cliffs of El Poble Nou de Benitatxell will be the scene, next year, of the traditional Day of the Mountains (DIM) walk organized each year by the Association We Love Mountains in the Marina Alta.
This Thursday, the mayor, Miguel Ángel García, the councilor for the Environment, Jorge Pascual, and the coordinator of We Love Mountains, Jesús Reina, have presented the event, which has been decided not to celebrate this year given the circumstances of Covid-19.
The cliffs of El Poble Nou have been part of the area protected by the SCI Penya-segats de la Marina since 2009, which with 943 hectares joins the coast of three municipalities in the Marina Alta: Xàbia, Benitatxell and Teulada Moraira. Next year, although the details of the route are not yet known, the organizers have advanced that the DIM will be held in December with a morning excursion that will visit the most emblematic places of the cliffs of El Poble Nou de Benitatxell, like Morro Falquí.
There will also be a special guest and, in addition to hiking, climbing will be especially important in this area of steep walls. "The first mountaineers in history were the mountain shepherds, and here in Poble Nou it is said that the first climbers were the fishermen who came to the cliffs to fish. This is one of the clues that we can give of what which will be the event of next year ", Jorge Pascual pointed out.
The International Mountain Day has been celebrated since 2009 with a unique tour of the Marina Alta, with municipalities and places that have come together year after year as the Montgo, Bèrnia, the Penyal d'Ifach, the Cavall Verd and last year, Segària. In addition, the project of We Love Mountains It was recognized by FAO itself as one of the best organizations for group activities of all kinds, not only for excursions, but also for conferences, exhibitions, etc.
Despite the fact that this 2020 there will be a small stop, Jesús Reina has highlighted that "2021 will be a very symbolic event, in a place that is an iconic example of biodiversity, of the union of the sea and the mountains".
In addition, despite the decision not to carry out this massive meeting, the DIM organization has invited people to climb the mountains this weekend, individually or in small groups, share their photos with the hastag # welovemountains and, if you feel like it, download the We Love Mountains flag available on the welovemountains.org website in multiple languages.
Finally, the mayor has launched a hopeful message: "This is a place of hope and life, and for that reason, in December 2021 we will reconcentrate to definitively celebrate the most symbolic International Mountain Day, the one most desired by all. Because as the statement of the DIM , the mountains are a shipwrecked board for this world. "
