Desert de les Palmes Mountains

Desert de les Palmes, also known as Serra del Desert de les Palmes is an 18.8 km long mountain range in the Plana Alta comarca, Valencian Community, Spain. Its highest point is Bartolo (729 m).The Ermita de La Magdalena, an important church for Castellonenc people, is located on a hill at the southern end of the range. The Prime Meridian crosses the Desert de les Palmes roughly in the middle.The Columbretes Islands can be seen on clear days in the horizon looking seaward from the Desert de les Palmes heights.Origin of the nameDesert, the name of the range, originated in an ancient eremitical settlement or hermitage, known in Catalan as Desert, that was located in the mountain range.Palmes on the other hand refers to the abundance of Chamaerops humilis palms in the range. Short, stocky, and growing in clumps, Chamaerops humilis is the only palm endemic to Europe.LocationThe Desert de les Palmes stretches in a NE - SW direction in the municipal terms of Benicàssim, Cabanes, La Pobla Tornesa, Borriol and Castelló de la Plana. It is located near the Mediterranean coastline, crossed by the highway between Barcelona and Valencia.