The Cross standing tall

On the "to do" list for many when coming to Benidorm is to walk up to the cross. This is a landmark, situated on top of the mountain in the Rincon de Loix where you get the most spectacular view of Benidorm - especially when its a nice sunny day.

I have been up there, but cheated - I drove! It really is quite a hike and every time I go I pass numerous walkers trekking up. Make sure that you take water with you as there is nothing up there.

Graffiti defacing the base

Over the last years many people have been going there and leaving mementoes, creating a shrine to loved ones who have passed away - but it has got completely out of hand and the Council are now taking action. The cross and base has been totally defaced and looks very unsightly - the area is actually part of the protected Serra Gelada Natural Park. There were similar mumblings about this back in 2012 and nothing materialized, but this time it will!

Even the trees have been defaced....

At a meeting yesterday they passed a motion for people to remove all the plaques, photos, letters, urns and candles - which are mostly left by holiday makers, by the end of this month. Any items left after this period will be removed by the Town Halls Technical Services department and put into storage in the municipal warehouse for a "reasonable time" before being destroyed. They have not stated what this time period will be but hopefully they will wait until the end of the year allowing those that come here maybe once a year to go and collect sentimental items.

Breathtaking view from the top - worth the trek

Over the last few months the area surrounding the monument has been cleaned up and now it is time to turn attention to the cross itself. Once it has been done they may construct some kind of fence or barrier around the base to prevent the same happening again.

A similar thing happened in August 2012 when the "love padlocks" were removed from the handrail leading from Mal Pas up to the Mirador in the Old Town.

Comments