Pou del Rentonar in Torremanzana

The starting point for this walk is at Port de Benifallim, near the village of Torre de les Maçanes (or Torremanzanas). To reach this starting point by car, see the ‘Practical Information’ section below.

(S/E) From the car park, cross the road carefully(as it is very busy with motorbikes) and head along the path on the left.

(1) At the junction, carry on straight ahead. Ignore the side paths.

(2) Take the small path that goes uphill.

(3) At the signpost, carry on straight ahead.

(4) At the signpost, follow the sign for “els Plans”.

(5) Snow pit, known as “Pou del Rentonar”.
Then retrace your steps and follow the path back to the car park (S/E).

Driving directions to ELS PLANS

From Alicante city centre, take the A31 motorway (from Calle México) towards Madrid and, shortly afterwards, take exit 236A towards Benidorm and Valencia.

Continue on the A70.
Take exit 5 towards the CV800 / Mutxamel / Xixona
At the various roundabouts, always follow signs for the CV-800 (Xixona / Alcoï).
As you approach Xixona, there is an exit on the right towards Xixona; do not take this, but carry on straight ahead.

Further on, at the roundabout, take the^first exit towards the CV-780 La Torre de les Maçanes (you must therefore leave the CV-800 heading towards Alcoï, which continues straight ahead). There is then a 13-kilometre stretch of very winding road ahead. This means you won’t be travelling very fast.

You’ll enter La Torre de les Maçanes and carry on along the CV-780.
After kilometre 17, you’ll see a sign for Port / Puerto de Benifallim (1,015 m) and, about 200 metres after that, park on the right in a clear, open area.

El Pou del Rontonar: it dates from the 18th century, has a diameter of about 10 metres and a depth of about 13 metres. However, it is difficult to appreciate these dimensions due to the darkness.
Snow wells are circular holes dug into the ground and lined with stones all around the rim. They are built at high altitudes and generally date from the 17th century. Snow from the surrounding area was thrown down through the top opening and packed down to form ice. At night, the ice was cut into ‘blocks’, protected in jute sacks, removed through a hole at the bottom and loaded onto mules for delivery down to the valley before sunrise. It was a very important trade, and around 320 snow pits have been recorded in the Valencian Community.