Las Saladas is not a place with a compact town centre: its residents live spread out across the area, with most of them living in the Buenos Aires urbanisation. Other defining features include a hiking circuit, the Santa Bárbara celebration in December and traces of historic water management. When planning your trip, it is worth keeping these different attractions distinct: finding your way around the residential area, a possible festival date and a route with a named starting point. This will help you decide whether hiking, the festival or the cultural landscape is the main reason for your stay.
Location and orientation
The Buenos Aires urbanisation lies at the foot of the Serra Grossa; most of Las Saladas’ population lives there. The settlement is spread out and has no compact town centre. For finding your way around, the specific location of your destination is therefore more useful than picturing a compact centre. The Vía Parque runs through Las Saladas and connects it with Alicante. Las Saladas and Jubalcoi lie west of the city along the old road to Alicante. For orientation, it is useful to distinguish between these two points of reference: the Vía Parque is a road running through Las Saladas, while the old road places Las Saladas and Jubalcoi west of the city.
Hiking the PR-CV 450
The PR-CV 450 hiking circuit, “Barrancos de San Antón y del Grifo,” uses the Camí de Salades to return to the starting point at the Barranc de Sant Antó. The Camí de Salades is therefore part of the return route, while the Barranc de Sant Antó is named as the starting point. If you plan to hike this circuit, check the current signposting and maintenance conditions beforehand. The named paths and return point provide specific geographical reference points for the route.
Santa Bárbara in December
The patron saint celebrations in honour of Santa Bárbara take place in December. The celebration is still held on the weekend around 4 December, in the area around the hermitage. This offers a seasonal reason to plan a trip. If you would like to time your visit to coincide with the festival, check the specific event dates in advance. The celebration offers a different focus from hiking or learning about historic water management: it links December with a local tradition centred on the hermitage.
Historic water management and cultural heritage
The Barranc del Grifo canalisation was supplied at several points by runoff from the southeastern edge of the Serra Grossa. It began where the barranc crossed the Camí de Monfort a Salades. An aqueduct crossing the Camí de Monfort a Santa Pola formed part of the same canalisation. The water supply, the starting point of the installation and the aqueduct are distinct elements of this historic water system. The subject therefore cannot be reduced to a single structure: understanding it also involves the Serra Grossa, as well as the named camins and the barranc.
Casa de la Mina, also known as Torre de Ibarra, is listed in Elche’s register of protected rural heritage with a protection grade for its exterior appearance. The two names refer to the same site. The reference to its exterior appearance clarifies the scope of protection and identifies the building as rural cultural heritage. For a culture-focused trip, this site complements the historic canalisation with another named heritage asset, without suggesting that the two are part of the same installation.
Discover more destinations: Las Bayas, Torrellano.
Return to the main travel overview: Elche.
