August 6 Free guided hike to the gun batteries of Cabo Tiñoso behind La Azohía

Hike to one of the most popular attractions in the southern Costa Cálida

Many visitors to the Bay of Mazarrón will have made the trek up into the mountains of Cabo Tiñoso to see the spectacular gun batteries of Atalayón, Castillitos and El Jorel which stand guard over the Mediterranean and the western approach to the port of Cartagena, and this free guided hike on Tuesday August 6 takes in all three of them on a 7.3-kilometre route.

Although the guns are actually in the municipality of Cartagena the event is organized and promoted by the tourist office of Mazarrón, starting at 18.00 and lasting approximately 3 hours. Logically enough this is a hilly walk and although it is described as being only of medium difficulty proper walking boots, drinking water, sun cream and a cap are absolute musts.

Registration is available online here and participants will be informed of the starting point after completing their booking.

History

The gun batteries of Castillitos and El Jorel were built between 1926 and 1933 to protect the Mediterranean coastline between Cartagena and Mazarrón from attack, and due to the isolated location of Castillitos the members of the armed forces manning it were housed in living quarters built alongside. These were two of the 44 elements which covered every angle of attack in a ring which encircled Cartagena and out along the coast as part of the Plan de Defensa of 1926.

The location at Cabo Tiñoso was chosen because of its strategic location, 218 metres above the sea on a rocky cliff top with easily defendable access and Vickers guns, made in the UK: these were the best in the world for anti-shipping defence at this time, giving a 35km firing range. Part of the excitement in visiting the batteries is that most these enormous guns are still in situ, offering a spectacular photo opportunity high above the Mediterranean!

The guns of Castillitos were only ever fired once in anger against Nationalist forces in April 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, and were used for the last time in the 1980s. The military finally abandoned the site in 1994 (although some intrepid adventurers had already begun to visit the area), and in recent years work has been carried out to improve access roads and enable visitors to explore the tunnels and turrets of the building.

For more local news, events and visiting information go to the home page of Mazarrón Today.