Walking

 

The Costa Cálida is a great area for walking and hiking with national marked routes and the vía verdes (green ways) crossing the region. The Spanish Federation of Mountain and Climbing Sports (Federación Española de Deportes de Montaña y Escalada) promotes walking and hiking in Spain and provide information on routes and safety as well as clubs and associations.
The Murcia Region offers endless possibilities for hikers. You can walk for hours along the old miners' and fishermen's paths bordering the coast, between Cabo de Palos and Portmán, Cartagena and the Bay of Mazarrón or in the Natural park of Calnegre and Cabo Cope, never losing sight of the vast blue expanse of the Mediterranean.

Inland, Sierra Espuña and the Pila and Lavia mountain ranges provide interesting routes and sufficiently dense pine forests as to protect you from the summer heat. In Espuña we recommend the climb up the Morrón de Alhama and the Fuente del Hilo, the route from Aledo to the Collado de Bermejo, and the path across the Leyva valley. However, the largest and most interesting natural park area must surely be the Moratalla Mountains, with their abundant vegetation and the added extra of having one of the Region's few permanently flowing rivers: the River Alhárabe. To visit this, the "lung" of the Region, one of the routes to follow is up the valley from the Puerta to the district of La Risca. Another is the climb to the summit of Revolcadores (2,021 m), the highest point in the Region, from Cañada de la Cruz; or the Villafuerte (1,750 m), from Calar de la Santa; or the Buitre (1,428 m), from Moratalla. Another walking option is along the long-distance route G.R.7, which runs through the north of the Region. It enters the Murcia Region from Pinoso (Alicante Province) and crosses the vineyard-covered flatlands of Jumilla into the municipality of Calasparra, and from there to the mountains of Moratalla. After crossing the Calar de la Santa and rambla de la Rogativa the path enters the Province of Granada at Puebla de Don Fadrique.

Near Murcia capital the natural park of El Valle and Carrascoy offers walkers a whole host of footpaths.

The La Manga region has many areas of natural beauty, with mountains and countryside never far away. Here are a couple of walks. Each walk has been graded and the length provided. Recommendations for footwear are provided.

There are nature reserves in the region and many other areas where you can walk and explore

From Los Belones

Ascent of the La Fuente Hillock

Length - 3 kilometres
Difficulty Easy
Duration The climb takes 45 minutes

Recommendations
Appropriate climbing footwear should be used, either boots or sports shoes with a good grip. Avoid the midday heat.

Description of the route
From Los Belones, take the road next to Cajamurcia Bank, Avenida de la Fuente, which takes you over the motorway and after driving 1.3 kilometres you come to the village of Las Barracas. At this crossroads you will see a fountain with a tap, the water flowing directly from the La Fuente Hillock (the quality of this water is such that people even come from Cartagena to collect the water in plastic bottles to use in their homes as drinking water), at this crossroads take the left hand fork, which is initially tarmac and then turns into a dirt track. After some hundred metres the road peters out and this is where you have to leave the car. Right at this point, next to the ruins side of the hill surrounded by vegetation. Follow this path for approximately three quarters of an hour, passing a pinewood, so closed-in at times that one believes to be in a much more humid latitude. From the summit the view is difficult to forget.

 
Places of interest
From the summit you can take in the marvellous view of the Mar Menor showing all the different geomorphological factors that created this privileged natural salt water lake. To the east one can see the volcanic origin of Cabo de Palos, the islands in the lagoon, and the narrow stretch of sand that eventually formed the large bay through years of accumulating sediment in its shallow waters. The small Islas Hormigas, situated opposite the lighthouse, with their own luminous signal, have such exceptionally beautiful sea beds that they are now protected and have been declared a Marine Reserve. A little further up, La Manga magically surges out of these calm waters like Neptune's city. In the south, the golden sands of Calblanque enhance the blues and greens of the Mediterranean. To the north stretches the lowlands of Cartagena, converted into an oasis of perpetual crops thanks to the canaled water supply. The golf course, with its acres of greens gives this brown area a touch of colour. The woods at the bottom of the hillock were the main livelihood of the local inhabitants until only a few decades ago. In Cobaticas, the village situated on the east side of the hill, there used to live approximately 40 families whose livelihood was the cattle they looked after (there were more than a thousand head sheep), the crops of esparto grass (people cam from the village of Nerpio, in Albacete to harvest the crop) and above all the firewood they collected from these woods with horses and then took in carts to Cartagena, La Union and even Murcia.

 

From Calblanque to Cala Reona

Length - 14.8 kilometres
Difficulty - Medium. Before reaching Cala Reona part of the way winds around cliff tops and old mining wells, walkers should pay special attention in this area. If you decide to ride it will be necessary to dismount and push the bicycle for a stretch of approximately 500 metres.
Duration - One and a half hours

Recommendations - Walkers should not go neat the mining wells. Along the path just before you reach Cala Reona, riders should dismount and proceed with caution. The salf flats of Rasall are a breeding ground for various birds. Please take care not to disturb them.

Description of the route

0.0 Calblanque regional nature park car park. The route starts with an unclear pathway from the area farthest east of the esplanade (if you look to the left you will be looking at the sea).
0.2 This takes you to a dirt track along a watercourse. Follow this path to the right
2.5 To the right there is a path that goes down to the beach
4.2 From the top of the hill you will have a wonderful view of Calblanque
4.6 The dirt track peters out and leads to a pathway that takes you around the hillock of Atalayon. This path passes various old mines, where part of the old machinery is still visible as well as the yellow and red accumulation of slag. Be careful of the wells
5.2 The path narrows as you pass around the cliffs. Be especially careful in this area. If riding you should get off and walk
6.6 After a steep decline you will be able to see Cala Reona. In summer a bar on the beach serves meals and refreshments
7.7 Crossroads and motorway. Take the service road to the left
11.4 Crossroads and exit to Calblanque. Turn left along the dirt track
14.8 Now you are back at the car part, your initial starting point

Places of interest
La Jordana and Covaticas. Both of these villages present examples of the typical square contruction of the Mediterranean area, taking advantage to the maximum of the local materials. These houses painted white on the outside are blissfully cool inside for the hot summer months. Not more than 30 years ago, Covaticas was populated by 40 families who made their livelihood from the sheep, the esparto and wood collection. Calblanque - this is an amalgamation of various natural environments, lime massifs, to the north, slate cliffs, to the south, stretches of golden sand, fossil dunes. The vegetation, more African than European, is perfectly adapted to the arid conditions of this area, fig trees, carob trees, palm trees, cactus, pine trees, and many more.

Rasall salt flats - these salt flats house a variety of different bird species many of which use this area to spend the harsher winter months during their migration. Here you can find storks, egrets, plovers, and flamingos amongst others.