We were invited by Dick and Joan to join them on a day out to visit the guns of Mazarron, further along the coast. It was a beautiful day and we were rewarded with excellent views out across the Mediterranean. Meg, the dog came with us too. She is lovely but forgets that she is now 13 years old (91 years in doggie age) and cannot run about like she used to!
The journey out to Mazarron took us via the port of Cartagena, where we spotted plenty of places to park the motorbike for when we visit sometime next week. There is also a bus stop immediately outside the camp site that takes passengers into the town nearly every hour, but we want to explore the retail outlet on the outskirts so the motorbike will be ideal.
Dick drove us up a very basic road, climbing higher and higher, the road getting narrower and narrower until we came to the parking area at Cabo Tinoso. The actual car park was inaccessible due to the damage caused by the recent heavy rains, however we were able to park just outside. Leading up to the guns there are the remains of the old gun battery and probably barracks. They look very attractive but according to the ‘Discovering Cartagena’ website, (Guns of Mazarron) they bear no relation to what was originally here.
The guns themselves are massive and you can stand right by them (being careful not to fall as the surface underfoot is extremely slippery) and look out across the sea, that was as calm as a millpond that day.
Nobody else was there and the peace and quiet was beautiful. You could hear the birds singing and you were able to see for miles out to sea, with the mist slowly clearing away to revel even more views.
However, all good things come to an end so we set off back down to Mazarron and found a lovely restaurant called La Gloria right on the harbour. We all had pizza (about 8 euros each) and spent a lovely hour or so eating and chatting away about life. Meg was having a well earned rest.
Our next part of the tour was to Cartagena as there was supposed to be the largest cruise ship in the world in dock but it was not to be (the cruise ship I mean!) We ended up on a bit of a mystery tour as the rural roads in Spain (unless you stick to the main routes, which are excellent) leave a lot of be desired! Dick sort of knew where we were but was unfamiliar with that particular road so Joan got the map out and deciphered where we were headed for and we got back on track, thanks to them both. Meg kept trying to instruct us from the boot, after all she is a Collie!
As we headed into the port we discovered how to get round to the other side, so next time Dick and Joan come they will be able to watch the boats and ships going in and out from a better vantage point. They also showed us a ‘hidden village’ as it were, round the other side of the harbour that looks a little bit like a shanty town with corrugated roofs covering the dwellings and big water tanks on top of them. Again though, the road we went up just sort of disappeared so Dick had to turn around in a very awkward space although he did his best to reassure us it was the ‘recognised turning point’ . Glad he was driving, not me…
We made our way back to the site at the end of the day, just as the sun was going down. It was a wonderful day, with Dick and Joan as excellent hosts showing us things and places we’d never have come across on our own. Thank you both and hope Meg didn’t suffer too much?!
