Before the birth of the current refrigeration industry, the use of natural cold favoured the development of the snow trade, which had its greatest splendour between the 17th and 19th centuries. Collecting snow during the winter, conserving it during the spring and transporting it for sale and consumption in the summer formed the cycle of an activity led by day labourers, muleteers and businessmen that technology made disappear at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries.
In spite of this, the legacy of this fundamental economic activity for many mountain villages during the period still survives in the form of place names (such as Alto de La Cava), paths and, above all, the remains of large deposits set up to store the snow called snow wells, fridges or caves. These constructions form the main civil architectonic vestige in all the mountain range of Mariola and particularize landscapes by their monumentality and the high number of specimens that still remain.
You can start the route from the sanctuary of Agres. There you will find a recreational area with tables, fresh mountain water and a parking area where you can park your vehicle before starting your descent.
Along this route, more than fifteen natural and monumental elements related to the ancient snow trade are linked to some of the most emblematic caves, such as the Cava Gran.
If you are interested, along the way you will find different aromatic and medicinal plants, very typical of the area, such as sage and lavender.