Santa Llúcia Arch

On a clear afternoon in late December, at about ten to four, the sun lines up with the hole in the rock on the ridge above Penàguila and a beam falls through it onto part of the town. Tradition fixed the moment to Saint Lucy's Day, 13 December, and held that the light helped the women it touched to conceive. Research by Dr José Lull found that the alignment repeats every day from 13 to 29 December, so a cloudy 13th does not end the chance.

The rest of the year the arch is the goal of a hike: a stone window on the mountain ridge, with wide views from the top and the sun going down behind it at sunset.

• Map-app walking directions do not reliably lead all the way up to the arch; it can also be seen from the town below.
• The December alignment is watched from the town, on Avenida País Valencià in Penàguila.
• The light through the arch needs a clear sky: on an overcast afternoon there is nothing to see.
• There are no toilets at the arch, and none nearby.
• Neither the parking nor the approach suits a wheelchair.

The arch sits on the ridge above Penàguila, and the last stretch is on foot. The nearest car park lies about 1 km from the arch in a straight line, and the Hotel La Escondida car park about 1.5 km; from either, you walk up onto the ridge. An information board stands about 800 m from the arch.

Map-app walking directions do not reliably get you all the way up, so set out knowing that the arch can also be seen from the town below. The nearest public transport stop is about 2.8 km away in a straight line.

Best: a clear afternoon between 13 and 29 December, around 3:50 pm, when the sun shines through the arch onto part of Penàguila; the rest of the year, late afternoon for the sunset from the ridge.

Avoid: overcast days in December, and rain or strong wind for the walk up.

Cloud cancels the alignment that is the reason for a winter visit, and wet rock on an exposed ridge is the main risk of the walk.