The town of Calpe on the Costa Blanca has many attractions, the first one being the Ifach Rock.

This is the smallest Natural Park on the Mediterranean and it is possible to climb it.

This walk takes approximately two hours and the trail starts in El Aula de la Naturaleza, which houses an exhibition hall exploring the protected natural spaces and displaying specimens of flora and fauna from the park itself.

The path to the summit is bordered by lavender, pine trees and other shrubs.

The route passes by the remains of an ancient wall rebuilt in the 14th century and continues on to a tunnel which cuts through the rock and opens up on the north east side.

There are some glorious beaches and coves in and around Calpe, some of the rocks form sculptural figures and also here are archaeological sites.

Just below the rock there is the fish auction and port and if you visit this area in the afternoon you will see the fishing boats coming in with their catch and unloading, ready to start the fish auction at 5.0 p.m. You can watch the auction from a special walkway. There is a screen which shows information on each crate of fish with its lot number, the type of fish, the weight and the starting price, which is gradually lowered until a buyer presses the Purchase button and stops the process.

Just behind the fish auction all the fishing nets are lined out to dry in the sun and behind this again are several fish restaurants, all vying for your custom. They are all very competitive and a very good three course meal, including wine can be bought for as little as €8.50 plus VAT.

The centre of Calpe is a long street starting at the sea and climbing to the top, with many shops, cafes and restaurants and the old town at the top on the left hand side also has many tapas bars and restaurants.