When arriving on the Costa Blanca it is tempting simply to spend every day on one of its many fine, long and sandy beaches. Understandable. But a mistake. Take those bare feet out of the sand and go discover parts of Spain that are within a size 7 hop away from the beach.
In distance they are not far from the Costa Blanca. In all other regards, they are a million miles away from the tourist throng one expects in the most popular Spanish resorts.
Leave the beach behind
I’ve written on this site about the wonderful city of Alicante. It is a must experience location. But, away from the city, coastline and beaches you can sample some splendid inland towns and villages.
Between Alicante and the popular rental location of Santa Pola you will find enigmatic Elche. Under no circumstance should you drive past Elche. Especially if you like shoes and/or gardens. Or you are into archaeology and the history of Spain.
Elche has the oldest town hall of any on the Costa Blanca and the Arab baths are a reminder of the Moorish influence on the Elche of yesteryear.
Archaeologists visit Elche on a regular basis and it is home to the Lady of Elche – a stone bust believed to date from the 4th or 5th century BC. It depicts a priestess in all her regalia. It was discovered in 1897 and is one the most important archaeological discoveries in Spain.
However, the one on show in the Elche museum of history and archaeology is a copy. The original bust can be found in the National Archaeological Museum, one of many must see places in Madrid. The campaign to have the original returned to its place of origin, temporarily or permanently, goes on.
Happy feet
Shoe shopping
Elche lays claim to being the best place to buy shoes in this region. Shoe warehouses exist wherein you can design your own shoe, be measured up for it and wait for it to be made. Alternatively you can buy a variety of footwear ‘off the peg.’ The area is heaven for those who love shoes. Elche alone has over 1000 shoe factories so ensuring that its quarter of a million residents always have something to wear on their feet.
Elche has some of the finest green spaces anywhere in Spain. The huge Municipal Park is probably the nicest I have walked through. It boasts a former corn mill and an amphitheatre used most for summer theatre and music performances.
But there is one haven of peace and tranquility for which Elche is rightly famous inside and outside of Spain. I love the place. It can take a little finding as you don’t usually expect to find a tropical jungle in the middle of a warren of houses. But find it you must.
Palm reading
Garden Paradise
Those who favour palms and plants over sand in their shoes go to Elche for one reason. They want to visit the artistic garden called El Huerto del Cura. This is a palm park like no other. It is sub tropical in feel and is a haven of peace in an otherwise busy place. In recent years adverse weather conditions threatened the very survival of the thousand palms on display here. The star of the show is the imposing eight-armed candelabra shaped Imperial Palm Tree. It is around 170 years old and weighs more than 8 tons.
El Huerto del Cura
The Huerto del Cura is only one of many such orchards throughout Elche. In total there are over 10.000 palm trees in an area covering three and a half square kilometres; an area known as the Palmera de Elche. It is officially a UNESCO World Heritage site, one of several throughout Spain.
It is believed that some date palm trees in Elche existed up to 3000 years ago.
Those who care for this spectacular attraction have worked hard in recent years to cope with the dramatic damage done to the palms by both weather and deadly creatures. It is a credit to all those people who appreciate the importance of El Heurto del Cura that it remains as popular as ever with visitors who want to see more of Spain than sandy beaches.
Elche may be only ten miles from bustling Alicante, but it is remarkable how sedate the place is. You’ll be glad you bought some comfy shoes because Elche is a place you must discover on foot.
On the road again
Elda - old and new
Having sampled a little green gem of inland Spain, hop back in the car and travel inland from Alicante in the direction of Murcia, a Spanish province worth discovering in itself.
En route you will come across some of the more historic and prettiest locations in the region.
Just outside Alicante you will discover Elda and Sax. Castles and churches are plentiful. The castle tower at Elda, the Torre del Homenaje del Castillo, dates from the 12thcentury. It is visited far less than neighbouring, grander castles such as the one at Sax, but is nevertheless worth seeing.
Near neighbours
Elda
Elda is also renowned for its production of footwear. It even boasts a shoe museum.
It is joined at the hip with the town of Petrer. It can be confusing to be in, for example, Elda only to see road signs that tell you that you are in fact in Petrer. That is because Elda has so developed in the direction of the Vinalopó river bed that today it is separated from Petrer by a single street.
The houses on one side of the street belong to Elda and those on the other to Petrer. Bewildering to all but those who live here. I stood outside a shop in Elda and asked for directions to Petrer. The amused local resident simply pointed across the street!
Underground overground
Sax Castle
Sax is an historic town just to the west of Alicante. Until the mid 19th century it belonged to Murcia. Its castle dominates the skyline and can be seen for many miles around. Pretty coloured homes in the historic quarter of Sax are in always in demand.
Just outside Alicante I visited friends who live in a cave house they bought for buttons and then reformed themselves. Cave living takes some getting used to and I’m still not convinced I could stay sane without windows but, without doubt, they are cool places in which to live come the summer temperatures.
The largest collections of inhabited cave homes within Spain are in Andalucia, but I like it when they are dotted around towns and villages and turn up in the most unexpected places. Such as Petrer, Elda and Sax
Sax is the gateway to the Sierra de Salinas a picturesque nature reserve that is home to many protected mountain and marine plant and wildlife species. The highest point of the Sierra de Salinas’ is a mountain known as La Capilla del Fraile, or the friars chapel. It is 1,237 metres above sea-level.
Away day
Peaceful Petrer
You are spoilt for choice when deciding where to stay along the Costa Blanca.
Frankly, I’d go mad if I spent the day on a busy Spanish beach. I would happily welcome the men in white coats as they arrived to take me away.
But you don’t have to wait for them. Get away from it all yourself.
Whether using the excellent public transport system in Spain, or hopping in a car; go inland and see more of the country through its countryside, villages and small towns.
Buy some shoes in Elche and walk the walk. Admire the elderly parts of inland Spain in places such as Elda and Sax.
When your shoes are no longer made for walking, the beaches of the Costa Blanca will still be there. Just where you left them.
