High above the City of Alicante, the Serra Grossa rises to the north just a kilometer or so beyond Santa Barbara Castle. The mountain frames the backdrop to the first concentration camp at Los Almendros which we have visited a couple of times before. What I hadn't realised, until I stumbled across a local Spanish website, was that the Serra Grossa is also the location of a key Civil War anti-aircraft battery which remains in superb condition. You reach it by accessing a track which winds its way up the back of the mountain from just behind the tram stop at its base. It's a steep path but easily doable and once you reach the vantage point, with its sweeping views across the Bay of Alicante, you can imagine the hard graft that the gunners would have had to put in trying to bring down the Italian and Condor Legion planes on their bombing raids over the City. The trenches and storage blocks around the gun emplacement are incredibly well preserved 80 years on. If you are in Alicante, take a couple of hours out to visit the Serra Grossa battery and the neighbouring site of the Los Almendros camp. You won't regret it.
If you've ever flown into Alicante Airport the conurbation right on the flight path adjacent to the runways is Torrellano. You can hop down to the town either on the bus or the train from Alicante. Back out towards the airport road, and sitting plum on the side of the road, is a bunker that would have guarded the road inland and off towards Madrid. Clearly it has had extensive renovation works and has been recently re-rendered. Possibly leaving it a little bit over-preserved for my liking. Head up the semi-disused road alongside it and you will find the roof of a another bunker that has collapsed in on itself. This is the real deal and gives you a real feel for the solid construction of these defences. A bit further on, following the cycle path, you can see the location of a trench network that was taken out during recent road development works. I could only guess at the location from an earlier map. Head back into Torrellano and you will find some fantastic bars and restaurants. The rail station is a fair walk but has its only little museum with some Civil War era trains and memorabilia on display. Well worth taking in.
