El Cau, the Elche dam and Castellar

The starting point for the walk is the Mariano Ros car park. See the ‘Practical Information’ section for details on how to get there by car.

(S/E) From the car park, cross the road (note the stone marked ‘El Cau’) and take the path opposite, following it straight ahead.

(1) Look out for a stone on the ground marked ‘El Cau’, indicating the direction to follow. Leave the main path and head right to explore the entire exhibition. See further details below in the ‘During the hike’ section. Then retrace your steps slightly but head down into the mountains to reach the final artwork, which stands apart from the others in the heart of the countryside.

(2) Location of the final artwork in the heart of the countryside: Puente Arquet, which is where you need to go.

(3) You’ll then reach a very wide dirt track; follow it downwards. This leads onto a tarmac road, which you’ll follow for a while.

(4) Leave the road and take the dirt track on the right.

(5) This is where the circular section of the walk begins. Pass under the arches of the aqueduct that was used to carry water and continue straight on. You’ll then find yourself in a small quarry. Follow the well-marked path and walk along the banks of the lake formed by the dam’s reservoir. You’ll also notice the various structures used for water transport and the irrigation system with its canals. Just before reaching the dam, cross a footbridge to find yourself in the middle of the water. You’ll then reach the dam and descend a little further to see the entire dam and the waterfall. See explanations below in the ‘During the walk’ section. If you wish, you can descend much further to reach the foot of the dam, but you’ll of course have to climb all the way back up.

(6) Then climb back up to the building and go round to the left of this house, taking the stone steps. The rest of the climb (which is quite steep) involves following the large boulders, and you’ll need to use your hands at times.

(7) Summit of Castellar and a look at the archaeological remains. See explanations further down in the ‘During the walk’ section. Then look out for the start of the gravelly descent path. It’s quite difficult to spot, although it’s marked by a very small cairn. The descent is steep and very steep-sloped: you must therefore proceed with great caution. You’ll then reach the starting point of the circular route.

(5) Retrace your steps in the opposite direction until you reach a junction you have already passed on the way out.

(3) Turn right and head back to the original fork.

(1) Continue straight ahead, following the path in the opposite direction to the outward journey, to return to the car park (S/E).

Access by car:
From Alicante city centre, take the A31 motorway (from Calle México) towards Madrid. Shortly afterwards, take exit 235B onto the A70 towards Aeropuerto/Elche.
Continue on the A70.
Take exit 30 for Montforte del Cid/Elche/A31 Madrid/Universitad, follow signs for Elche and turn at the sign for Elche.
Then take exit 1 CV86 Torrelano/Ronda NORTH / Elche
At the roundabout, take the^4th exit (E15/A7 Murcia/A70 Alacant) and move into the right-hand lane to join the CV850 towards Elche/A7 Murcia
At the roundabout, take the^3rd exit towards Universitat/Elche, 1 km (north)
After about 600 m, turn sharply right onto Cami de Castillo / Monforte del Cid.
After about 2.5 km, you’ll see a white house on the right and a 60 km/h speed limit sign; turn onto the road on the left before this, called Camino de la Cantera (in fact, it’s the only road on the left you’ll come across).
After about one kilometre, you’ll find the Mariano Ros car park on the left (it’s a dirt track).
For your information, if travelling by car from Alicante: the journey is approximately 27 km.
Please note: some sat-navs do not guide you to this location but instead direct you along impassable dirt tracks to get there. It is therefore best to follow the directions above.

Difficulty:
The walk itself is easy up to the dam. However, the climb up to Castellar and, in particular, the descent from the summit are only suitable for experienced walkers.

About El Cau: there are a great many quarries in the region. Among them is this site, known as El Cau, where you’ll find numerous sculptures carved from stone and painted. It is, in fact, an open-air museum created by Mariano Ros (who died in 2017) and his friends Candido and Tio Pere.
These sculptures are mainly inspired by the neighbouring town of Elche.
In my opinion, it’s a very intriguing place that’s well worth a visit if you’re passing through Alicante. From the car park, the route is very easy, and it makes for a great day trip for the whole family.

Background on the dam: The Elche reservoir is a pioneering structure, as it was the first arch dam to be built in Europe. It is 23 metres high and 62 metres wide.
Historically, the first dam was built on this site in 1589 and was used for human consumption as well as for irrigating crops in Elche.
Along the walk, you can see the water diversion channel and a number of aqueducts.

Information on Castellar de la Morera: this is a site dating back to the Islamic period in the 10th century. Along the ascent, you will come across various remains of walls, and at the summit lies the acropolis. This site is still being studied by various archaeologists from the Alicante Museum (the MARCQ).