Route 13 - Valencia Region

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A forgotten, unfinished project converted
into a green way
Route 13
From Alcoy to Alicante
1 • Viaduct: Viaducto de Canalejas
2 • Industrial ruins: Fábricas de El Molinar
3 • Nature Park: Parque Natural del Carrascal
de la Font Roja
4 • Mount: Montcabrer
5 • Paraje del Salt
6 • Viaduct: Viaducto de Sant Antoni
7 • La Sarga
8 • Cave drawings: Mas de la Cova
9 • Summit: Cumbre del Menejador
10 • Gully: Barranco de los Molinos
11 • Castle-Hermitage: Castillo de Castalla y
Ermita de la Sang de Crist
12 • Mount: Sierra del Maigmó
13 • Mount: El Maigmó
14 • Hotel: Xorret del Catí
15 • Abandoned house: Caserío Sarganella
16 • Balcón de Alicante
17 • Castle: Castillo de Tibi
18 • Reservoir: Pantano de Tibi
19 • Mount: Sierra del Ventós
20 • Narrow Pass: Collado de la Horna
21 • Viaduct: Viaducto del Barranco del
Fontanar
22 • Viaduct: Viaducto del Barranc del Forn del
Vidre
23 • Mount-Castle: Monte Benacantil/Castillo
Santa Bárbara
24 • Mount: Serra Grossa
25 • Settlement: Tossal de Manises-Lucentum
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From Alcoy, city of bridges,
through Serra Mariola and Font
Roja nature parks
Alcoy 38º 41' 86'' N 0º 28' 38'' E
In 1926, as industry around Alcoy grew, it was decided
to create a train to give an outlet for the products
created at these factories. The narrow gauge railway
that went from Alcoy to the Grao de Gandía [port] was
proving insufficient, so it was decided to create a broad
gauge railway that would go as far as the Alicante port.
It was a Titanic project from the start, due to the
mountainous geography. The route was laid out, great
differences in level were negotiated by means of
viaducts and mountains were passed through creating
various different tunnels: civil engineering works of
Pharaonic scale that have remained to this day despite
the tracks never having been laid along the line and so,
no train ever ran along it. The last stage of the works
coincided with the outbreak of the Civil War. The postwar period and its miseries prevented the project ever
reaching its conclusion and the tracks being laid so as
to get this railway service running, so this route through
the Alicante sierras was left in oblivion. Even today the
sides of the track bed are still visible, the mounds of
chippings and stones for bedding-in the sleepers and
supporting the rails that were never laid. The route has
been rehabilitated in two stretches for hiking and cycletourism, thus creating the Alcoy Vía Verde or “green
way” and that of Maigmó. On the stretch from Alcoy to
Alicante we will get to know, amongst other places, the
Carrascal de la Font Roja nature park, the town of Ibi,
the spectacular Maigmó sierra, the town of Tibi and its
reservoir, the town of Agost, San Vicent del Raspeig and
finally the provincial capital: Alicante; a spectacular
route that unites impressive natural richness with a
splendid cultural heritage.
Our route starts in the city of Alcoy. Two things mark
the character of this place: first, its geographical
location, and secondly, its having been the pioneer of
the Industrial Revolution in Spain. Alcoy is set in a valley
surrounded by large, attractive mountains; moreover, it
is crossed by the rivers Riquer, Benisaidó and Molinar,
tributaries of the Serpis, for which reason it is
sometimes known as the “city of bridges”. The former
centre of Alcoy has inherited the urban development
that took place during the second half of the 19th
century and the beginning of the 20th. Although its
streets and houses might have been conditioned by
the previous developments, the present appearance is
a direct result of the fact that the city was the precursor
of Spanish industrialisation. The factories, working class
districts and the houses of the Bourgeoisie coexisted in
a reduced space among the valley and rivers. We will be
deeply moved on visiting the city, if we have never
been there before, for it seems impossible that in such
complex mountain geography such a beautiful and
monumental city should have prospered. We make a
tour around Alcoy to take a look at the position of
modernism in the place. The last years of the industrial
expansion left in Alcoy a varied catalogue of
architectural displays of the modernist style. Buildings
that were put up in the wake of what was called here
“stil nouveau” [new style], signature of the local
industrial Bourgeousie, in the same way that it was
developed, although with greater force, in Catalonia.
The Casa del Pavo, the Círculo Industrial, the building
that houses the Monte de Piedad y Caja de Alcoy, the
Conservatoire, the Albors mansion, the Bambú building,
the Cultural Centre, and some façades in San Lorenzo
and Gonzalo Barrachina streets are examples of this
fact. Another route we should do around Alcoy is called
the Volta als Ponts. This is a walk around the bridges in
Alcoy. The first bridge over which we pass is the
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Cristina, built in 1838. This bridge makes it possible to
industrial ruins of El Molinar. Abandoned houses and
cross the river Barxell or Riquer, along whose banks
many factories are preserved from over a hundred years
ago, retaining their manufacturing chimneys still
factories, half in ruins, in a delightful setting where the
vegetation is gaining ground on human action, creating
beautiful spots full of magic. Investigating around the
standing. The next bridge we cross is that of San Roque,
also from the same era and with three semicircular
arches each measuring eight metres. Continuing, we
will enter the tree-lined avenue where we find two
renaissance style mansions and, straight after that we
come to La Pechina bridge which crosses the river
Benisadó describing five semicircular arches with a
maximum height of 28 metres. Very close by, the San
Jorge bridge stretches out, which certainly identifies the
city to a greater extent. The San Jorge bridge was a
whole revolution in town planning for Alcoy, for it
involved the development of the Ensanche [expansion]
area, a new urban area that enabled the city, in the first
third of the 20th century, to grow beyond the
traditional boundaries.
We return to where the Volta als Ponts started out and
we still have time to visit the last of the urban bridges:
the Canelejas viaduct, opened in 1907 to get across the
river Molinar. Specifically following the course of the
Molinar, leaving the city on a road leading downhill and
then taking a narrow footpath, we will come upon the
ruins we come across an enormous mill, remains of
Alcoy’s industrial might. We have mentioned that Alcoy
is boxed in between various sierras and mountains. So,
before going to the starting point of the “green way”, it
might be interesting to get to know one of these
mountains and sierras at first hand. From the Barranco
del Cint, a ravine with spectacular vertical walls, we find
one of the best gateways into the heart of the Serra
Mariola nature park. An officially marked path leads up
to the summit of Montcabrer, at 1,390 metres above sea
level, from where wide panoramas of the surrounding
regions open up. All the way up we will enjoy the
charm of one of the most amazing mountains in
Valencian lands.
We cannot but admire the harmony of its landscapes
and, in amidst unimaginable silences and airs free of
contaminating smoke, will set about discovering its rich
cultural and ethnographic heritage: caves or pits in
which snow was stored, archaeological deposits,
country house estates, castles and hermitages. We will
also come across spots of captivating beauty like the
Fuentes de Mariola, La Fontfreda, the source of the river
Vinalopó, ancient woodlands like the modest stand of
yews on the shady side of Agres, areas of impressive
Holm oaks and, on all sides, the herbs and bushes of
Mariola that have historically been gathered for their
medicinal properties and the preparation of liqueurs,
which has given Mariola its fame among those studying
The Font Roja 38º 39' 82'' N 0º 32' 34'' W
ethnobotany.
Now we do indeed make for the start of the Alcoy
green way. We are situated in the Batoi neighbourhood
and, no sooner have we begun the itinerary through
the pretty spot with the name Salt, we go through the
first of the eleven tunnels we will find on this green
way. It is recommended, despite the tunnels having
electric lighting, to carry a powerful torch with you. On
the way out of this tunnel we come across, this time,
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there is a good example of Mediterranean mixed forest.
It is a mountainous ridge orientated southwestnortheast. This determines a clear difference in the
distribution of vegetation on its two sides, the sunny
the first of the green way’s three viaducts. Having
passed through another tunnel we now come to the
Siete Lunas viaduct over the river Polop, which affords
some impressive views over Alcoy, the Font Roja nature
park and the Serra de Mariola nature park. As a curiosity,
it is worth saying that the viaduct is a common spot for
doing bungee jumping. The poetic name of Siete Lunas
[seven moons] derives from the seven concrete arches
that support the track bed. The green way continues
with a gentle downhill slope through a series of small
tunnels until it reaches the Barranco de la Batalla, a
ravine where we come to the three longest tunnels on
the line, almost joined (two of them are 900 and 1000
metres long respectively).
The first has a surprising opening in the side, which
lights up, almost magically, the darkness of the railway
cavern. When we come out of these tunnels, we now
find ourselves immersed in the Carrascal de la Font Roja
nature park and we pass over the Sant Antoni viaduct,
so named because it stands in the shadow of the Sant
Antoni sierra. The Alcoy green way leaves the
mountains behind and heads for, to end at, the area of
La Sagra, an outlying district of Xixona well known for
the cave drawings that are found in the caves situated
beside what is called Mas de la Cova. Once we have
one and the shady one, giving the area a high
ecological and scenic value. The side lying closest to the
CV-806 is the sunny side. In the more shaded and
humid spots on the north face, higher up than 1,250
metres, there are small deciduous woods, made up of
Portuguese oak, ash, maple, whitebeam and yews.
Being trees that lose their leaves during one part of the
year (deciduous), these spots have a variety of colour
which gives them a singularity and special beauty.
Between altitudes of 600 metres to 1,250 metres the
Holm oak woodlands [for which the park is partly
named, “carrasco” being one of its Spanish names]
abound.
At La Font Roja [red water-source], cultural heritage has
nothing to envy that of nature. Wherever we walk we
come across snow pits [for storing snow in summer],
limekilns, charcoal burners, farmsteads, unirrigated
fields, hermitages, the sanctuary, waterspouts…. As part
of this ethnographic cultural heritage, we will discover
the world of the ‘nevaters’ [as these snow pits are called
in Valencian]. Of all the snow pits we highlight the Cava
Roja or de Simarro, which is the best made and has the
greatest capacity, of 2,700 cubic metres. From the 17th
century until the beginning of the 20th they served to
supply the neighbouring municipalities with
compacted snow for culinary or medicinal purposes.
The snow trade played an important role in the
mountain areas and favoured the birth of the ice cream
finished the itinerary along the Alcoy green way, we
industry nearby places like Xixona. We leave our visit to
head for Ibi along the CV- 806.
Before we get to this town, it would be a good idea, to
make a round trip detour to get to know the Carrascal
the Carrascal de la Font Roja nature park and continue
with our route which leads us, through the sub-region
of Foia de Castalla, to the town of Ibi. Today it is the ‘toy
de la Font Roja nature park, which is on our right as we
go along this road. The protected natural space covers
some 2,298 hectares and is situated between the towns
capital’, but until the beginning of the 20th century this
activity, the manufacture of toys, did not exist in this
town. It was as a result of a clever tinsmith, Rafael Payá,
of Ibi and Alcoy. The Cumbre de Menejador at 1,356
metres, is the highest point in the park. On this sierra
making a little “tartana” [small two-wheeled carriage] for
his children, out of scraps of tin, that the toy-making
Alcoy green way 38º 40' 84'' N 0º 30' 43'' W
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gully set boxed-in between almost vertical sheer sides,
Maigmó mountain pass
tradition of the municipality began. Shortly afterwards,
the first toy factory appeared in Ibi: Payá Hermanos
[Payá Brothers]. Today there is a plaza in Ibi named La
Tartana, and the development of the toy industry has
been such that we now come across the Toy Museum.
This museum is made up of collections which the Payá
brothers’ company made over to the town council after
it became a co-operative in 1990. The Payá brothers
had travelled all over the world purchasing toys (two
per model, one was dismantled, the other remained
intact) to get to know the trends in this industry. Also in
Ibi, we can find the Toy Technological Institute and the
only monument known in the world dedicated to the
figure of the Three Wise Men [known in Spanish as the
Magic Kings of the Orient, and traditionally it is they
who secretly leave the Christmas presents for the
children on 12th night (6th of January - Epiphany),
rather than Father Christmas], inaugurated in 1975.
Walking around Ibi, we realise that, as well as toys,
another of the economic sectors that have driven this
town is that of ice cream. We have already commented
factors which, along with the humidity, enabled elm
groves, black willows and poplars to grow here, their
colouring standing out among the pinewood on the
sides of the gully. It is a natural spot of great
environmental value with a recreational area and an
interesting climbing school.
We leave the town of Ibi to go along the CV-806 to
Castalla, accompanied by fields of almond trees and
terraces of cereals still painstakingly worked today.
Among almond groves, from the
mediaeval airs of Castalla to the
Tibi reservoir, over the Maigmó
pass
We reach Castalla, historic capital of the sub-region of
Foia de Castalla and cradle of the writer Enric Valor. Its
urban centre stretches out at the foot of the hill on
which we find its famous and clearly visible Arab origin
castle and the Ermita de la Sang de Crist, a 13th century
hermitage in early Gothic style. The castle is catalogued
as a Place of Cultural Interest and was remodelled by
the Spaniards between the 14th and 16th centuries. It
is, even today, a magnificent defensive fortress,
on the traditional ice-cream industry in the area and
the town of Ibi is no exception. And we said we would
powerful and well put together in stone. We will visit
Castalla’s old quarter and we can begin looking around
realise this fact as we walked around because, amongst
other things, we will come across the monument to the
‘Gelaters’ [ice-men], situated in the park of the same
from the Carrer de Tronotes, which is beside the church
and is one of the most typical streets in the town with
its white houses and cobbles. The old quarter retains its
name. This is a monument in honour of the Ibi ice-men,
which depicts the trails and tribulations of a family of
mediaeval feel, with steep narrow streets. Between the
Castalla and the Maigmó pass our route makes use of
ice-men, an example of so many others who moved on
all over Spain and even abroad as precursors of this
important industry of today.
the former main road CV-815. The motorised traffic now
goes along a splendid dual carriageway, which was
built largely over the line traced by the track bed of the
Within the municipal boundary of Ibi it would also be
very interesting to have a look around the Barranco de
unused railway. The old road has now been marked as a
cycle route and will take us, without missing out on
los Molinos [gully of the mills], so named because in it
there were (the occasional one still remains, although
not functioning) flour and paper mills. It is a narrow
anything, to the Maigmó pass itself, between pleasant
fields of olive and almond trees. Before reaching the
Maigmó pass, a sign indicates the access to the
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Maigmó sierra, for those wishing to get to its most
Planises the Pozo de Carrascales snow pit and, in other
intimate environmental and cultural secrets. It has a
maximum altitude of 1,296 metres at the peak of the
same name. Few summits cast their shade in the area
parts of the sierra, the Pozo de Briga and Pozo del
Maigmó. One of the most spectacular places in the
sierra is, without a doubt, the Balcón de Alicante,
where this colossus stands. In all the sierra the only
centre of habitation is the one formed by the
installations of the Xorret del Catí mountain hotel,
situated on a level area or valley, at over nine hundred
metres above sea level, which is the nerve centre of
tourism in the area. From the Xorret del Catí various
different paths set out enabling us to get to know the
sierra in depth. Wandering around the Maigmó sierra is
to wander among the leafy vegetation encouraged by
innumerable Aleppo pines and the occasional patch of
Holm oaks. In the more humid spots on the shady side
of the sierra, we can come across strawberry trees. The
steepest, most inaccessible peaks of this sierra are an
invaluable refuge for birds of prey, like falcons, both
peregrine and Eleanor’s, kestrel, golden eagle, goshawk,
little owl and eagle-owl. Regarding the mammals, the
surprising presence of the hedgehog, weasel, fox, hare,
rabbit, wild boar, field mouse, genet [cat-like, on the
endangered list in Spain] and wild cat.
At the foot of the Maigmó humans used the land, in
bygone days, for crops, but nowadays nature has
reclaimed the land and there is hardly any arable space
left. We might indeed come across roads and drovers’
tracks from those days and the remains of the
occasional farmstead or animal pen. We highlight
among the remains of these humanised areas the Casa
Planises, owned by the writer Enric Valor’s family and
today practically in ruins, where he undoubtedly
situated not far from the Miagmó peak.
From here, where there is a well-appointed recreational
area, we can observe the entire Alicante ‘huerta’, the
market gardens and orchards of the plains, and on a
clear day we will have no problem recognising the city
of Benidorm, Alicante and the Mediterranean meeting
the sky along the line of the horizon. Amongst all this
vegetation and fauna that will accompany us on any of
the trips around this sierra, the culminating peaks
emerge with great force, displaying spectacular cliffs
and sheer rock faces like those of the Maigmó peak
itself, where the most inaccessible screes and rocky
places dominate.
From the summit it is possible to see, as well as
spectacular panoramic views, the true magnitude of the
topographic wall that is this pre-coastal sierra, standing
in opposition to a nearby marine area. Returning to our
route, some four kilometres further on lies the village of
Tibi, a way surrounded by unirrigated lands where
nevertheless olive groves and almond trees are grown,
the almonds being used for making the turrón [nougat]
of the neighbouring Xixona. Tibi shows itself to us today
as a town of white houses nestled on the slopes of
Penya Roja sierra. Among the cultural and historic
heritage is the 10th century Arabic castle, declared a
Place of Cultural Interest. At present it is found in a state
sketched more than one of his famous “rondallas” [a
traditional folktale form in Valencia, in poetic form like a
troubadour’s ballad]. It might also be interesting to visit
another farmstead, the Caserio Sarganella. In the
Maigmó sierra the same geographic-climatic
phenomenon occurs as in the Carrascal de la Font Roja
nature park, which is why these mountains were also
used for gathering snow. Nowadays we also find at
Tibi reservoir
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that era is surprising, as the ingenious arrangement of
the steps means that vertigo is practically non-existent.
We return now to the Maigmó pass, where the green
way reappears, where the train never ran.
Maigmó green way
of ruins, although it still retains various outstanding
remains, noteworthy among them being various
stretches of wall with masonry work. The castle is
situated on a mound a kilometre from the village itself.
From Tibi we can make a nice excursion to the reservoir.
Following the course of the river Verde, we will reach
the tail end of the reservoir on a trip that will allow us
to discover different curious geological formations and
former agricultural constructions.
Having reached the Tibi reservoir, we will be amazed to
find out that it was built 400 years ago and is the oldest
reservoir in Europe. It was ordered to be built by Felipe
II in the 16th century to guarantee the water supply to
Alicante’s fertile plain or ‘huerta’. It continues to give
service nowadays, included in the "Confederación
Hidrográphica de Júcar" as part of the river Júcar water
management system. It suffered serious structural
From the Maigmó pass, beside the service area of the A7, we will find a clear dirt track and a rest area. We start
our itinerary to the RENFE station at Agost on a gentle
downward slope. The route, after flanking a terrain of
gentle profiles on a plateau half way up the slopes of
the Maigmó sierra, is faced with passing over the Ventós
sierra, a mountainous ridge placed at right angles to the
Maigmó sierra. The way traces its first tunnel under the
Horna pass, on the watershed of the Ventós sierra. This
first tunnel is the longest of the of six that we will pass
through on this stretch, at 525 metres. After passing
through the bowels of the Horna pass, to the left of the
way we find, in a large pinewood, a rest area. The line
runs through a very broken terrain on the southern
slopes of the Maigmó. Great embankments and deep
cuttings accompany us through one of the prettiest
parts of the route. We pass through three more tunnels
and the vegetation becomes more dispersed. Next, we
come to two impressive viaducts, that of the Fontanar
ravine, which is 190 metres long and has a maximum
height of 30 metres, and the viaduct over the Forn del
Vidre ravine, which is 167 metres long and a maximum
height of 40 metres.
Having crossed the Forn del Vidre viaduct the line
begins to run across terrain of a gentler orography, the
damage in 1667 although it came back into service in
Tarraig hills. In this section, the way now describes a
1738. Given its relevance, it has been declared a Place of
Cultural Interest. As well as the contributions from the
river Verde, the reservoir also receives water from the
large bend to gradually lose height and position itself on
the flat lands of the Agost fertile plain or “huerta”. On
both sides of the way large ponds are positioned where
springs of the Onil marsh. We can, on the visit to the
reservoir, climb a spiral flight of steps leading to the top
of the dam. Cavanillas climbed these same steps,
water is accumulated to supply the important irrigated
crops of this market gardening and orchard region. After
the great double curve of the Tarraig, the line
sketchbook in hand, making notes on our lands as he
journeyed through Valencia. The skill of the architects of
approaches the urban centre of this town, skirting round
different ceramics factories and market garden plots,
Crops in Alcoy
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Sant Vicent del Raspeig. Alicante has its best claim in its
Maigmó green way 38º 28' 69'' N 0º 38' 64'' W
coastal location, its beaches and a privileged climate for
beach tourism, with a great number of hours of sun.
However, if the travellers wish to get closer to its cultural,
until it reaches the building of the Agost halt, belonging
to the RENFE Madrid-Alicante railway line, although
before reaching this point it would be convenient to
make a visit to the town of Agost. As we have
mentioned, on the final stretch of the Maigmó green
way we come across various ceramics factories. In Agost,
the white-ish clay soils of the Ventós and Castellar sierras
have been the traditional source of its wealth, centred
on the handcrafted production of its ceramics, amongst
which bricks, household ceramic ware and, above all,
“botijos” [earthenware pitchers for keeping water cool]
of a typical marble white colour. This town’s tradition in
this industry means that in the town, we can find the
Ceramic Museum where a former pottery used to be. In
it the process of creating handmade pottery can be
watched, with a spectacular Arab kiln, and we can find
pieces of great interest, especially the ceramics
collection. It would also be very interesting in Agost to
visit the ruins of what was once a powerful castle,
declared a Place of Cultural Interest. And before leaving
the town, we pass through the Ermita de las Santas
Justa y Rufina, the patron saints of pottery, built in 1821.
From Agost station and passing along rural roads and
the CV-834, we reach Sant Vicent del Raspeig. What is
seen today in Sant Vicente del Raspeig is an emerging
city very close to becoming a conurbation with Alicante,
historic and artistic heritage, Alicante will not let them
down either. In this sense, we must have a wander
round the old quarter, with its steep narrow streets
where our attention will be attracted by the traditional
white buildings. Passing through these streets we will
discover the cathedral church of San Nicolás de Bari,
raised up over the remains of a mosque in the Herreran
Renaissance style [after its most notable practitioner,
Juan de Herrera (1530-1593)]. Sober in its exterior
appearance, its construction was carried out between
1616 and 1662. The old quarter is scattered around
Mount Benacantil, which intrudes into the city and onto
the beach. A rocky formation, it has pines and shrubs on
its north face while the south side facing the
Mediterranean sea is bare. In the transition areas there
are thickets, scrub and grasses typical vegetation of the
dry Mediterranean climate.
On top of the mountain sits Alicante’s mediaeval fortress,
Santa Bárbara castle. Until 1963, when it was opened to
the public, it had been in an abandoned state. It was in
that year that two lifts were opened running up 142,70
metres It is precisely this spot, the Postiguet beach,
which is another of the charismatic places we should
visit in Alicante, an icon of the city and named in a
popular Valencian song called ‘La Manta al Coll’. Close to
it, on the maritime façade, we find the Canalejas Park
and the Lonja del Pescado [Fish Exchange or market], a
building of an industrial nature in a historicist style
a prosperous city for its new residential areas, its
integrating neo-Arabic ornamental details and which,
industries, services and leisure and shopping centres.
Known as a university town since Alicante University was
opened there in 1979, the 19th century church of Sant
since 1992, has been an exhibition hall. Also an
obligatory visit is the former Provincial Hospital, which
currently houses the Provincial Archaeological museum
Vicent Ferrer attracts our attention, built over a former
15th century hermitage. The hermitage had been built
for the visit of San Vicente Ferrer to the hamlet Raspeig
(MARQ), with over 3,000 exhibits from the sites in the
area. And, before finishing our route that has taken us to
Alicante from Alcoy along a railway line that never
in the 15th century. In fact, this visit was the origin of the
town’s name. A wide avenue now joins Alicante with
existed, we must visit the Tossal de Manises-Lucentum
archaeological site, from the Iberian and Roman era,
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Santa Bárbara castle, Alicante 38º 20' 91'' N 0º 28' 78'' E
The cuisine of these inland l’Alcoyà regions offers dishes
like: pericana [cod and dried peppers], olleta [stew],
bajoques farcidas [stuffed peppers], pastel de carne [meat
loaf ], arròs caldós amb conill [rice in rabbit stock], giraboix
[cod, white bean and potato stew]. It is traditional
cooking in which other dishes stand out: gazpachos
manchegos with pieces of game [varieties of the
manchego gazpacho, rabbit and chicken pieces cooked
with tomatoes], les fraseures [meatballs made with flour,
bacon and other ingredients], rice with rabbit, gazpacho
tibero [gazpacho from Tibi, like the manchego, with rabbit
and partridge stewed with tomatoes and mushrooms],
far as the fiestas is concerned, the splendour of the Moros
y Cristianos (Moors and Christians) makes it a reference
point not to be missed on the festival calendar of the
l’Alcoyà area. The fiestas of the Moors and Christians in
Alcoy in honour of Sant Jordi have been declared of
International Tourist Interest. But watch out also for the
festivities of San Antón in January; the countless romerías
[local pilgrimages and religious processions] to
sanctuaries and hermitages in the area, of which the
Romería a Santa Faz stands out in Alicante, celebrated on
the second Thursday after Easter; carnivals in February
[marking the beginning of Lent]; the feast days of the
patron saints of every town and city; Semana Santa [Holy
Week]; Fogueres [bonfires] for Sant Joan [St John] in June,
which are the best known fiestas in Alicante and have
been declared of International Tourist Interest. With
regard to craftwork, bags and shopping baskets are made
of dried palm leaves, as well as the typical rope soled
shoes and shopping bags and various others made from
esparto or needle-grass. At Agost Pottery Museum, we
find a permanent exhibition and a good display of
llegum amb penques [pulses and vegetables], caragols
[snails], minchos [unleavened bread with wheat and corn
pottery making, which still retains the pottery wheels and
kiln of Arab origin. We can also find other craft activities
flour], coca de sardina and coca de cebolla [sardine and
onion tarts]. Without forgetting the putxero amb
tarongetes [stew and dumplings], and potaje [vegetable
like the barrels from Monòver and the toys from Ibi and
Castalla.
with its Zeus Roman colony, located in the Albufereta
district and declared a Place of Cultural Interest.
Practical Information
Fiestas, food and crafts
stew with pulses]. On the coast we have all kinds of rice
dishes, especially with fish, like the caldero [rice stew] and
arròs a banda [rice cooked in a fish broth], along with the
excellent fish and seafood. Among the sweets to
highlight: torrat ensucrat [sugared pulses], brazo gitano
[like a very fat Swiss roll] and dulces sequillos [dry almond
biscuit]. In Alcoy they have a spirit drink with a specific
official denomination [like the D.O for wines]: the café-licor
[coffee liqueur], while in Alicante you can enjoy, amongst
others, the spirit drink Salvia de Mariola [sage liqueur]. As
Recommended time of year
Any time of year is good, although preferably in spring
and autumn. In summer the hours around midday must
be avoided. Watch out for the fields of vineyards with
the colours of autumn, as well as the almond blossom
between January and February.
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Public transport
Regional trains stop at Alcoy and Alicante stations for
the start of the route. On the return Alicante also has a
stop for the regional trains. Bicycles are transported free
of charge on the trains.
Recommendations
In case you want to travel the route just as it is
proposed, by bike or on foot, a word of warning: a
mountain bike is better, or as a minimum, the hybrid
type. We do not come across many water spouts to
quench thirst and refresh ourselves away from the
urban centres, so you must always replenish supplies
whenever you get the opportunity. The early hours of
the morning and at dusk are the best times of the day
to travel as the temperature is agreeable and the light is
especially good. If anyone wishes to go by car, it is not
possible to drive along the green way from Maigmó
between Alcoy and the start of the Foia de Castalla
before reaching Ibi. Neither is it allowed along the
green way on the stretch between Maigmó pass and
Agost railway station. On the country tracks where it is
possible to drive with motor vehicles, the main track
should never be left, since it is much better and more
respectful of the environment. In order to get to know
in more detail each area of nature that we propose,
leave the car parked somewhere safe and secure and
undertake trips on foot.
RECOMMENDED MAPS TO FOLLOW THE ROUTE CORRECTLY:
National Geographic Institute: Scale 1:25,000, sheet numbers: 821-III; 846-II and IV; 847-I; 871-II and IV; and 872-III.
Further information: www.comunitatvalenciana.com
Information on regional and local trains: Renfe 902 24 02 02. www.renfe.es
TOURIST INFO OFFICES ON THE ROUTE:
Tourist Info Alcoy
C/ Sant Llorenç, 2. 03801Alcoy
Tel. 965 53 71 55
Fax 965 53 71 53
alcoi@touristinfo.net
Tourist Info Alicante
Av. Rambla de Méndez
Núñez, 23. 03002 Alicante
Tel. 965 20 00 00
Fax 965 20 02 43
alicante@touristinfo.net
Tourist Info Alicante-Centro
C/ Portugal, 17. Coach station
03003 Alicante
Tel. 965 92 98 02
Fax 965 92 01 12
alicantecentro@touristinfo.net
Tourist Info
Alicante- Explanada
Av. Explanada de España, 1
03002 Alicante
Tel. 965 14 70 38
Fax 965 21 56 94
alicanteexplanada@touristinfo.net
Tourist Info
Alicante-Playa San Juan
Av. de Niza, s/n
(Next to Red cross)
03540 Alicante
Tel. 609 36 40 99
Tourist Info Alicante-RENFE
Av. Salamanca
(RENFE railway station)
03540 Alicante
Tel. 965 12 56 33
alicanter@touristinfo.net
Tourist Info Castalla
Pl. Mayor, 3
03420 Castalla
Tel. 966 56 10 18
Fax 966 56 10 18
castalla@touristinfo.net
Tourist Info
Alicante-Universidad
Soc. Relaciones Intern Campus San Vte. Raspeig
03080 Alicante
Tel. 965 90 34 00 -ext.2939
alicanteuniversidad
@touristinfo.net
Tourist Info Ibi
C/ Doctor Waksman, 5
03440 Ibi
Tel. 965 55 12 96
ibi@touristinfo.net