Walk Across Europe

Andalucia (Almeria), Murcia

Mojacar to Los Nietos 166.8 km. December 2007

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2007-12-Mojacar-to-Los-Nietos.gdb - Download this GDB file. If installed, this loads into Garmin MapSource.
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This section presented few problems. We had one cold wet day and a couple of chilly evening waits for buses or trains. We were warned by the locals of dire dangers. One route had a couple of tricky bits a few metres long. Another was a bit steep and the third had some loose pebbles. We assume health and safety neuroticism has at last reached Spain.

Date / Distance

Transport and Route Summary

Thu 20^thDec 2007

London Stansted to Almería to Águilas and Calabardina
Ian gave us a lift. Nice. We flew to Almeria. We hired a car. The journey was uneventful. Rob met us on-time and showed us round the house. All very nice. We walked to the sea front and found the shops which were all closed.

Fri 21^stDec 2007
6.1 km.

Mójacar to Garrucha
Hire car and bus. After shopping in Aguilas in the morning, we drove to Garrucha. After a long wait, we caught the bus to Mojacar and walked back to the car. The walk was uninteresting. We went along the beach to the port at Garrucha. Most of the facilities were closed for the winter so at least it was quiet.

Sat 22^nd Dec 2007
22.1 km.

Garrucha to Pozo del Esparto
Hire car and taxi. The first seven kilometres were along the beach and sea front paths. Then we had to walk along the road. This was quite pleasant because the December traffic was minimal. The views and countryside were wonderful and there were interesting industrial relics.

Sun 23^rd Dec 2007
24.5 km.

Pozo del Esparto to Calabardina
Car. Rob gave us a lift to the start of the walk. Nice! This route followed cliff-top paths, beaches and small bays all the way to Águilas. There were two slightly dangerous sections a few metres long where the path had fallen away and clambering was needed. Águilas is pleasant and there were some pre-Christmas festivities going on. From the town to Calabardina was another matter. Developers had blocked the traditional paths and we had to walk on a busy road. This is why people get fat and lazy. All the nice walking or cycling routes have gone.

Mon 24^th Dec 2007
17.8 km.

Calabardina to Cloque
Car. We walked from the village of Calabardina to Cloque following rough sea side trails and mountain paths for almost all of the route. Some of the mountain tracks could be reached by four wheel drive vehicles but we saw only one all day. Mountain bikers also use the route but we saw none. There were no people in the mountains. Rob gave us a lift home.

Tue 25^th Dec 2007

Car trip to Puerto de Mazarron
Hire car. We had a Christmas picnic lunch by the port at Mazarron providing an unusual spectacle for the local people. We also researched some bus times for the route to Cartagena.

Wed 26^th Dec 2007
22.7 km.

Cloque to Isla Plana
Hire car and taxi. Up to Bolnuevo, we followed mountain and coastal trails accessible to four wheel drive vehicles. We saw none. This was very pleasant. Then traffic free sea front paths and a short golden mile took us near to our destination. The last section was on a fairly busy road. The weather was deteriorating with chill fretful winds and building clouds.

Thu 27^th Dec 2007
26.5

Isla Plana to Cartagena
Bus and Hire-Car. If you have to have a horrible walk, concentrate all the nasties in one day. It was cold. It was raining. The route was longer than usual and on a busy road because there was no other apparent way across the mountains. We ended up in the "big city" (it had a McDonalds). To catch the bus, we rushed and became over-tired, only to find that the one we really wanted ran two hours later. At least we had time to sort out our transportation for the next day.

Fri 28^th Dec 2007
22.9 km.

Cartagena to Los Nietos Viejos
Hire Car and train. We drove to Llano del Beal and caught the train back into Cartagena. This walk was as nice as the previous one was horrible. We walked through industrial wastelands and avoided all the busy roads. There were many routes parallel with the main road. These were dotted with industrial relics. We walked past our car and onto Los Nietos Viejos where we caught a train back to the car. We had a long cold wait for the train in the dark because all the station lights were vandalised.

Sat 29^th Dec 2007
24.2 km.

Los Nietos Viejos to Cabo Palos and back to Los Nietos
Hire Car and train. We drove to Los Nietos and walked to Cabo Palos. This is a significant landmark being the most south easterly point in Spain. The route was along the tranquil Mar Menor coast, past bird filled salinas, and onto the point where there is an impressive lighthouse. We returned by a similar route.

Sun 30^thDec 2007

Car Trip in the Local Area
We had a picnic near the troglodyte caves north of Cabo Cope.

Mon 31^stDec 2007

Cabo Cope Peaks
A short but strenuous walk up to the top of the Cabo Cope peninsular.

Tue 1^stJan 2008

New Year's Day Picnic
After a short car tour to Pulpí, we had a new year picnic on the beach at Águilas.

Wed 2^ndJan 2007

Calabardina to London Stansted via Águilas and Almería
Ian got in a muddle and didn't fetch us. He thought we were away for a full two weeks and were due back on Thursday. The journey was uneventful otherwise.

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