Wednesday 28th May

5 meter high cactus of the day

We took the train from Los Nietos to Cartagena through the scarred landscape of shanty towns and mining spoils left over from the boom years.

Cute little train

Old mine workings

Cartagena is a city in the process of regeneration, discovering its ancient past and rebuilding the massive destruction left by the civil war.

Cartagena renovations

Lady Grey in port

Roman amphitheatre

More Roman bits and pieces

Wall paintings

Solving a Roman jigsaw puzzle

Thursday 29th May

We returned to the postcard perfect Bolnuevo to find an event offering free sardines and sangria to all campers was scheduled for that very evening, arranged by the campsite staff.

The sardine cooks

Feeding the multitudes

Monday 26th May

Now for something completely different, still in cactus country and heading back to the coast.

Today's cactus

Extraordinary erosion

Picture postcard perfect Bolnuevo

La Manga (the sleeve) viewed from the Mar Menor, a 22 km strip of high rise Miami South beach style concrete that separates the Mar Menor from the Mediterranean sea.  

Saturday 24th May

We drove to the top of the highest mountain in the park, Mount Espuna, and at 1583 meters it is the one that the Sierra Espuna Parque is named after, only to arrive at the top to find our way barred at ‘no el paso’ by a military parador.

The awesome Mount Espuna

No el paso due to military spoiling view

Some unusual features near the top of the mountain were the ‘Los Pozos de la Nieve’.  These strange structures were used to make ice by compressing snow prior to man’s invention of refrigeration.  The ice was subsequently packed onto mule trains and overnighted to Murcia and Cartagena.

Los Pozos, small on the outside

but big on the inside

Sunday 25th May

Another day, another walk this one took us up the Leiva Valley to the pass at the head of the valley, the main features of the walk from 700 meters up to 1200 meters were the sheer cliff walls on both sides of the valley.  For those rock climbers out there, you can climb straight up the wall to 1300 meters.

Those cliff walls

View from the pass at the head of the valley

We had another surprise mouflon sighting as a herd unexpectedly crossed the track in front of us.

Mouflon, front view this time

This area is also extremely popular with cyclist at all levels of fitness as we witnessed yesterday as they made their way up Mount Espuna lycra clad, with muffin tops, about to have a heart attack any minute.

A muffin top lycra clad heart attack

A more sedate way of getting up the mountain

Friday 23rd May

Took a walk in the park with its cliffs, ravines, pine forests and badly marked precipitous trails, four hours later we emerged, not helped by our poor quality map which looked more like a treasure map than something that might indicate the topography, so the occasional backtracking was called for but hey it was fun and just a little bit scary.

The map said beware of falling rocks when walking under the cliffs

The highlight of the walk was stumbling on a couple of Mouflon, by the time the camera was ready to get a shot away it became a picture of a Mouflon's bottom.  

Wednesday 21st May

Our last night in Mojacar Pueblo was spent in party mood with the help of Herman the German and the campsite skiffle band, complete with washboard and a giant plastic washing up bowl variation of the tea chest double bass. The highlight of the evening’s repertoire was a German version of Lonnie Donegan’s  ‘My Ole Man’s a Dustman’, something got lost in translation but we did have a laugh.

Thursday 22nd May

Onwards and upwards, we followed the mediterranean condo strip coast north to Aguila, then headed inland to the mountains via Velez Rubio and Velez Blanco where we found our ideal villa in a perfect location including a much sort after mountain view aspect and parking for a picnic lunch.

Villa with parking

and Juliet balcony

and mountain views

Our final destination was the village of El Berro, deep in the heart of the Parque Natural de Sierra Espuna in search of the illusive mouflon.

Lake view from the road into Parque Natural de Sierra Espuna

Tuesday 20th May

We took a day trip to the wild west villages of the Sierra Los Filabres stopping along the way at the hilltop village of Bedar then on to the strange town of Sorbas and its cliff top hanging houses, ending the day at our campsite in Mojacar Pueblo for a San Miguel sunset under the marzipan (almond) trees.

Cowboy Canyon

Cliffhanger town of Sorbas

Indalo Man, protecting houses from evil spirits

Just another San Miguel sunset

Sunday 18th May

The Levant wind finally got the better of us and drove us northwards via the spectacular coast road beaches and mountains of Cabo de Gata to our first sightings of fish and chips and full English breakfast at Mojacar.

Linda cliff top flying lesson

Down below big beach, little people

Escher inspired houses in Mojacar Playa

Terrace view from Mojacar Pueblo

Indalo man

Saturday 17th May

The Levant wind is still keeping the beach off the agenda so it’s back into the hills for another rural day out.

Cactus eating goats

Goatsville

They say that goats will eat anything but prickly pear cactus thorns must be a bit hard to swallow.

Hang on to your hat windmill

Water wheel

Thursday 15th May

Relax day with walk to the local beach.

Los Escullos Beach

Campsite twin peaks with cactus flowers

Friday 16th May

We hiked from the campsite via a dried up river bed to the crater of an extinct volcano called Caldera de Majada Redonda.

River bed walk with dwarf cabbage tree palms

Lunch stop in a crater

And then back to the oasis for draught beer and chill