COIL DE RATES ROAD

The Coil de Rates road,  less than 20 minutes' drive from Benidorm, is one of the most scenic on the Costa Blanca and gives a chance for a quick and easy taste of the beauty of the Inland sierras. The road climbs and twists steadily through mountain scenery to the pass, which lies at 780m. From the north the rise is gradual, the fertile agricultural plain dropping away and the vegetation changing as views of the sea emerge. Through the coil, the southern landscape is enclosed by the dramatic Parcent and Aixorta mountains.

Lying beneath the heights of the Montgo natural park, historic and elegant Denia is a far less brash holiday resort than some of its neighbors. Inhabited by the Phoenicians and the Greeks, it was named in honor of the Roman goddess Diana; the inhabitants are still known as dianenses. English raisin dealers lived here throughout the 19th century and many are buried in the almost forgotten English cemetery; the town's broad streets and solid buildings date from this time.

A small Museo Etnologico has displays on the town's early history Denla's other attractions include the Castillo de Denia (castle), perched high above the town and housing a small Museo Arqueologico (archaeological museum), the lovely  18th century Church of the Assumption, and a picturesque old quarter near the fishing port. From here, ferries run to the Balearic Islands and a narrow-gauge train runs down the coast to Alicante (Alacant). But a car is probably the best way to see the lovely coastline to the south.