After the Maratón de Castellón: Peñíscola

The Route: Castelló de la Plana → Peñíscola → Castelló de la Plana Logistics: HIFE bus from Castelló bus station, about 1 hour direct. Alternatively Renfe to Benicarló-Peñíscola station and a local bus into town. Marathon Month: February Duration: Day trip

Castelló de la Plana ──(about 1 hr HIFE bus)──> Peñíscola ──(about 1 hr)──> Castelló de la Plana

The Maratón de Castellón is flat from start to finish in Parque Ribalta. Peñíscola is not, at least at the top, and that is the thing to plan around. The old town sits on a rocky headland joined to the mainland by a narrow neck of sand, and its lanes climb from the sea walls to a castle at the summit. The beach below it is as level as anything on the race course.

February in Peñíscola is low season. The town lives on summer tourism, so many seafront restaurants and shops close for part of the winter, and the old town is quiet enough to hear the sea against the rocks. Days are usually mild and bright, in the mid-teens, but the headland catches the wind. The castle keeps winter hours, 10:30 to 17:30, from mid-October to Palm Sunday.

The direct HIFE bus from Castelló's bus station, beside the railway station and Parque Ribalta, takes about an hour and costs a few euros. The rail alternative is a Renfe regional train to Benicarló-Peñíscola station, then a local bus the last few kilometres into town, which adds time. Check the Monday timetable before setting out, since services are thinner out of season.

The castle and the old town

The castle was built by the Knights Templar between 1294 and 1307 on the highest point of the rock. A century later it became the home of Pedro de Luna, elected pope in Avignon as Benedict XIII during the Western Schism. When the rest of Christendom abandoned him, he retreated here and ran his papacy from the rock until his death in 1423, still insisting he was the rightful pope. The castle's vaulted halls and the view from the parade ground are the reward. Entry is €5.

The approach is the difficulty. The lanes of the old town are cobbled and steep, with steps in places, and the climb to the castle gate is the whole height of the headland. Take it slowly, use the handrails, and stop in the small squares on the way. Coming down is harder on marathon quads than going up. Anyone struggling the day after the race should leave the castle for later in the week and stay by the sea.

On the north side of the headland, a gap in the rock called El Bufador sends spray up through the old town when the sea is rough. It is reached down a short set of steps from the lanes.

The promenade

North of the headland, Playa Norte stretches for several kilometres, backed by a paved seafront promenade. It is completely flat, with benches and wide pavements, and gives the best view back to the walled town on its rock. This is the recovery walk: an hour along the front and back, with the castle getting smaller behind you.

Lunch and the return

Arroz a banda, rice cooked in fish stock and served with the fish on the side, and suquet, a fish and potato stew, are the dishes of this coast. The restaurants that stay open in winter are mostly on the streets just inside the walls and along the seafront at the foot of the old town. Buses back to Castelló run into the evening; check the last departure before settling in.