El Bacarot between Cultural Heritage, Hiking Trails and Agricultural Landscapes

El Bacarot can be explored from various perspectives: religious architectural history, rural landscapes, archaeological traces and hiking experiences shape the range of options. If you would like to weigh nature, history and a quieter setting for your trip, the local themes provide clear points of reference for doing so.

Chapel and Traces of the Past

The Ermita Parroquia Santos Juanes de Bacarot, a partially protected heritage site, stands on Plaza Mare Selva. The chapel was rebuilt in the early 1940s after its complete destruction between 1936 and 1939. It was also known by the name Ermita de San Pedro. This gives it a specific historical connection that can be located directly within the townscape.

You can encounter older history at the excavations of Colmenares. They concern a rural settlement from the Middle Iberian period, dating from the 4th to the 3rd century BC. Archaeological finds and pottery point to significant agricultural production there; however, the specific activity associated with it remains unclear. This open interpretation helps protect the historical evidence from an overly far-reaching interpretation.

Coastal Mountains and Rural Surroundings

The Sierra de los Colmenares is a coastal mountain range. It stretches from the El Porquet area near the San Gabriel district to the El Fondet dels Pinyols area near Elche. For orientation, this extent is just as important as the view of the surroundings: from the Mirador El Bacarot, you can see the “El Plantío” golf course and the agricultural landscape.

Within a protected agricultural zone of Alicante, Bacarot is one of the significant agricultural landscapes. Along the Sendero Sierra de los Colmenares, you can also spot traces of foxes (Vulpes vulpes). Thus, a stay focuses not only on paths and viewpoints, but also on the agriculturally shaped surroundings and their animal traces.

Hiking with Different Options

The Sendero Sierra de los Colmenares is 4,900 metres long. It follows a circular route independently of three signposted footpaths and can be combined with them. The different trail lengths help you adapt your plans to the desired scope of your hiking day without mixing up the individual routes.

The trail can be reached by bus 27. Alternative stops in Agua Amarga are 1,200 metres from the start of the trail, depending on the timetable. For planning your mobility, the specific starting point is therefore just as relevant as the connection you choose.

The trail can be used year-round. However, the summer season is less recommended because of the high temperatures. If you would like to get around on foot, the season is therefore one of the key points when planning your stay.

Festivals and Historic Routes

Bacarot is associated with patron saint festivals, social gatherings, a children’s day, the preparation of a nativity scene and a Three Kings procession. These occasions complement the archaeological and landscape-related themes with community traditions, without allowing a current events calendar to be inferred from them.

The historic livestock route between El Portichol and the watering place at the Barranco de Aguas Amargas is also part of the area’s history. In 1955, it was referred to as “Cañada Real del Portichol”. The historic name preserves the connection to an earlier use and should not be equated with a statement about current availability or accessibility.

Further Places for Your Planning

La Xara, Catral, Calpe, Sax, Altea, Beniarrés, Trencall and Bigastro

For the higher-level travel overview: Alicante.