Peñas Blancas

The White Cliffs, the highest point locally, rise to just over 2,000 feet. The rough track starts from the backroad to Cartagena and climbs steeply.

We quickly look back to the road where we parked the cars to see the unfolding panorama.

As we approach the top of the cliffs, we see the valley below as from an aeroplane.

Looking sideways along the cliffs the view is even more dramatic, enhanced by the haze, which is actually smoke rising from the tomato growers burning old plants on the coast way below.

The countryside looks barren from a distance but at this time of the year there are flowers and shrubs that bloom before the savage summer heat.

There are even some unusual butterflies like this swallowtail with a three inch wingspan.

There’s a refuge on the top. Don’t underestimate the chance of severe weather on such an exposed ridge for walkers and climbers even in this generally benign climate. There was a bottle of wine in the hut, so maybe it’s really a party venue.

We take in some disused iron ore mines on the way down. Jan our walk leader guides us to avoid the hazards or in case we get lost. That's quite a drop on the left.

Climbing out is even more of a scramble.

Outside, the spoil heaps were used to shore up the footpath we’ve been using, and which originally must have been a track used by the miners and also to take down the iron ore by mule. Hot work in the summer!

We continued down to the track to the road and the cars, avoiding the thorn bushes. Another great walk, thanks to Jan and Marjon. 

The Guns

Cartagena is the second city in the region of Murcia. Due to its superb natural harbour it is a major port, cruise ship destination, and naval base. It has been the Spanish fleet’s Mediterranean HQ for many centuries. 

By the start of the 20^th century it was clear that the harbour defences were inadequate; technology had moved on from cannon balls to modern shells. In 1912 the Spanish Government commissioned a study of the defences, but it was not until 1925 when the “Vickers Deployment” report resulted in positive action. 

Pursuant to this report, the British firm of Vickers supplied all the armaments for two batteries of guns, one on each side of Cartagena harbour, to provide an arc of protective crossfire. 

One of those two batteries was sited on a headland about 5 miles from our campsite. It was active until 1993 when it was abandoned. The Spanish seem to be in the habit of just walking away from facilities they no longer need, like the Mazarron mines, but that’s great for exploring because everything’s left as it was.  

The stars of the show are the Vickers 15 inch guns. The photo is courtesy of our friend Stan, with Jane and me in front of the barrel for scale.  

These guns now had plenty of range, over 20 miles, and clout from a shell weighing nearly a tonne. The guns in this battery were never fired in anger, but those on the other headland covering Cartagena were in action once, near the end of the Spanish Civil War. 

On the 7^th of March 1939 a fleet of ships containing Franco’s landing force of 20,000 men was approaching Cartagena, one of the last Republican strongholds. Franco believed that the city would fall easily, but when the invasion force arrived it was clear that they would encounter stiff opposition, so the fleet was instructed to withdraw. That is, except for one ship, the Castillo de Olite that had a broken radio so could not hear the withdrawal order. 

The Castillo de Olite was hit by three of the massive shells which sunk it, resulting in the death of 1,476 men out of the 2,112 on board: the greatest loss of life ever in a Spanish vessel. This is an archive photo of the ship.

The gun batteries were constructed between 1926 and 1933. They built a new jetty at the local fishing village of La Azohia to deliver the equipment by sea and a new road to transport the material to the remote headland designated for the installation. Here one of the gun barrels is being dragged up the road using tracks that are removed from the back and put to the front as the load progresses.

It’s the same access  road we use today that can be seen threading its way through the difficult terrain.

For reasons I’ve been unable to discover, the gun emplacements are hidden behind a Disney-like facade.Was the designer taking the Mickey?

One year we found an access door to the firing and control area within the gun turret itself. This has now been blocked off presumably for safety reasons. It was pitch black, but our team of explorers took torches and had a great rummage around.

There are many other military buildings in various states of decay: barracks, officers’ housing, canteens etc. More hardware, too, all supplied by Vickers as part of the defence package: anti-aircraft guns and 6 inch guns. The anti-aircraft guns have gone but some of the 6 inch guns remain. These would have looked hugely impressive if you hadn’t seen the 15 inch guns first.

It’s all located in a very picturesque but remote setting with lovely views of the sea and hills. Cartagena harbour is in the distance; this is what they were defending.

It’s an unusual tourist attraction generally deserted outside of public holidays that adds to the abandoned, ghost town atmosphere. 

Cartagena: The Roman Theatre

Cartagena is a pleasant city that’s been around for over 2000 years, so there’s plenty of history and archaeology to see. This is the central square, with the elegant Town Hall on the left.

After a few hours on the main shopping street, we head for the Roman Theatre. The site was rediscovered in 1988 and slowly excavated, resulting in the current museum and theatre restoration. It’s an impressive size, the second largest in Spain, right in the city centre- so how do you manage to “lose” something that big for so many centuries?

It was a top theatre in its day with high grade workmanship, as shown by this headless statue. The folds in the marble look so realistic. 

A real oddity is the cathedral that was constructed on the top level of the theatre in the 13^th century. It was modified several times over the years but was destroyed by aerial bombing during the Spanish Civil War (1936 to 1939). The ruins are visible under the crane in the photo.

A closer look shows it to have been a splendid building; it’s still used as a venue during the annual Cartagena Music Festival. 

Roman theatres in general presented a range of plays, comedies and tragedies, as well as variety acts like juggling. Here there was also an orchestra area, so lots more possibilities although there was no specific information on actual performances; it’s all been lost in the mists of time.

The orchestra occupied the semi-circle in front of the stage and I’ve greyed out the blocks of flats in the background to make the outline of the theatre ruins clearer.

The museum, housed in a separate building, also summarised the history of Cartagena up to current times, with exhibits bearing descriptions in English and Spanish. All very interesting and well displayed.

The Mines of Mazarron

There is evidence of mining here as far back as the 3^rd century BC, but the first identifiable mine is Roman. Here we are hovering above the entrance to the Roman mine, trying to imagine the awful working conditions of gruelling manual work in the baking summer heat.  

The mines worked until 1966, so most of the remains are of much more recent times. This is the dirt road leading into the mining complex with some picturesque spoil heaps. 

Peak production was during the period 1860 to 1940, so most of the dilapidated buildings and machinery date from that era. At this time around 2,000 people were employed. An idea of the scale can be gauged from the number and size of the decaying structures.

The main deposit was lead-zinc-silver ore, and it was the declining price of these metals and the deteriorating condition of the mine workings that caused mining to cease. The winding gear is still in place, be it falling apart and in no way usable.

Many parts are quite dangerous although some token safety barriers have been erected. These you could easily hop over or duck under, like this mine shaft where I could photograph right down to the water level several hundred metres below. I was expecting to see it full of mother-in-laws.

Our group photo is even poised on the edge of a steep open pit. You get used to these hazards after a while.

There are some strange structures like this tunnel running up a hill. We ask, why do you need a tunnel above ground when surely they’re all underground? Jan, our walk leader, had the answer: for ventilation.

There was a chimney at the top of the hill connected to the tunnel in which a fire was lit, drawing air up the tunnel. The tunnel was connected to the mine workings underground drawing stale air out of the mine and pulling fresh air in from a vent open elsewhere.

Elsewhere, there are some surreal colours in the pools where the minerals have mixed with water, like this one.

It’s quite sad to see it in a tumbledown, abandonned state but the advantage is that there is unrestricted access. The worst hazards are partially protected but it is up to the individual to watch out for their own safety. So take care, but it’s fun exploring in a potentially risky but authentic environment. We’ve maybe lost something in being too health and safety cautious in the UK. 

The Walks

The walking group is organised by Jan and Marjon who live on site all year. These are extremely well researched, and varied. The following scenes are from a selection of these walks that lay practically all within a 10 mile radius of the campsite.

The next photo is us on a typical donkey track in the hills. We’re the only asses using the paths these days. 

Some of the views are quite spectacular; this one for example, as we head towards the broken rocks.

Now we are at the broken rocks, so called because of their sharp, jagged edges. We note some new ones have split from the cliff. 

Where there are dangerous rocks there are climbers. It’s comforting to know rescue is at hand should any of us lean over too far!

We sometimes unexpectedly stumble across wildlife (we do a lot of stumbling), like this tiny tortoise. I took the photo with someone’s boot to show how small it was. It didn’t move, apart from a wiggling hind leg: Jan wondered if the solar panels in its shell were down as it was a dull day. 

We see flowers, too, especially at this time of the year, of the scrub land variety but pretty nonetheless.

We often look down on villages we recognise from the hilltops, and even spot a cantina or two that we’ve used for refreshments after a walk.

Our descent may take us through a small gorge, testing our legs and lungs, but not requiring any mountaineering skills other than the ability not to fall over loose rubble on the path or trip over another rambler.

And a drink at a local cantina after the walk really goes down well!

Los Madriles

We nearly didn’t bother coming here, and yet it’s certainly our best site in Spain and probably anywhere else. Here’s a quick rundown on why we think it’s so good.

We’ll start with “Main Street”. It’s on a slope with access roads to terraced pitches running off from each side, so most campers have a sea view.

Following Main Street in the other direction, upwards, the views are of the mountains. An empty pitch in the photo shows they’re of good size and gravelled: good for levelling and drainage. The only pitch you don’t want is next to the toilet emptying point!

The pitches are separated by conifer hedges and bougainvillea fences facing forward, with our pitch that looks seawards as an example.

At the bottom of the site are the swimming pools. One’s enclosed; the other is open-air and large. Both use thermal spring water and are always at 80+ degrees. This is the open air pool, with a spectacular mountain backdrop.

Climbing the mountain behind the pool, as we did a few days ago, gives a panorama of the whole site and its setting. A stiff hour’s ascent starting from the campsite brings you to the top, and this view. The white areas are plastic greenhouses producing plastic tomatoes for the supermarkets. These are nowhere near so dominating at ground level. 

Whilst we’re up here, 1,000 feet above the campsite, let’s look inland to the mountains that are full of old tracks and trails making it wonderful walking country. More about that in following blogs.

We’ve also got a shop on site, table tennis, boules, tennis, library, café and a social programme in peak season (wintertime). Reasonable rates, too. And still I feel that I’ve not done it justice!