Mutxamel is more than the town round the church. The municipality covers 47.7 km² and counts 28 population nuclei. It runs from the bed of the Monnegre, the river also called the Riu Sec for its long dry spells, at about 40 metres, up to the Sabinar at around 470. In between are the partidas: Baiona Alta and Baixa, Benessiu, Borratxina, El Boter, El Cantalar, Els Plans, Foia Poveda, L’Almaixada, La Palmera, Molí Nou, Pla Seguins, Tossal Redó and more, with names that have been there for centuries.
Out there, a house may have a number that no sat-nav knows, or no number at all. When you need someone to come at night, that matters.
What to say, in this order
- The partida. “Benessiu”, “Els Plans”, “Molí Nou”. The official names are in Valencian; say them however you know them.
- The camino. Which road or track you turn off, and from which direction.
- A landmark nobody could miss. A water tank, a gate of a particular colour, a palm at the corner, the name of the house painted on the wall.
- A location pin on WhatsApp. If your phone has any signal, this beats everything above.
At night
Turn on an outside light, or leave the car’s lights on at the gate for a minute when you hear an engine. If the track is hard to find, offer to meet at the nearest junction with a proper road. In the north of the municipality, Penya-serrada and its palace are a useful point to give directions from.
Once help has found you
Say whether there is a street gate, a dog, or a second door before the house. Most houses out here have at least a gate, and opening it first gives a way in and out while the front door is dealt with: how each kind of door usually opens.
If your house is on one of the estates on the line with Alicante rather than in a partida, this guide to Valle del Sol and Monnegre is the one you need. And if the trouble is a car at the golf rather than a door, here is what to do at Bonalba.