Coastal Splendour – Dénia, Cartagena and Cabo de Gata

The South Coast of Spain has been inspiring writers, painters, sculptors, musicians and many others who have been travelling to these shores for generations. Not too difficult to see why, since this splendid Mediterranean coast has the most perfect glowing sunlight, blue skies, warm weather and a fabulous coastline stretching along miles of white sandy beaches, and rugged rocky outcrops.. Often a victim to its own splendour, it gets thousands of tourists coming here to enjoy its treasures. But we are glad to be here in the shoulder season to experience it all with very little competition, and as luck would have it, we also got perfect sunshine and warm temperatures at the tail end of Winter.

Continuing our road trip following along the Mediterranean Coast, we left Valencia bound South towards Dénia situated just over an hour down the road, and it did not take us long to find Camping Los Pinos, our home for 4 nights.

Dénia

Have you ever heard of this place? Neither had we, until now…

Nestled between the Mediterranean Sea along the Costa Blanca and the impressive  Montgó Massif and Mount Pego, Dénia has escaped the massive development of some other Spanish coastal towns. No shoulder to shouder high rise apartment blocks here, just a gorgeous 4 km promenade that takes you along the craggy coast line.

There is a stylish Marina with some impressive yachts moored in it, dotted with relaxing restaurants the Marina is also a ferry hub for the Balearic Islands. Behind the ferry terminal it is possible to walk along the breakwater wall and admire the views looking out to sea, or of towards Dénia Castle perched atop a hillside.

Dénia’s craggy coast line, perfect for walking, cycling and running along..

We spent our days cycling its great, flat, easy, cycling lanes, walking along the promenade, and eating at charming places that served delicious local Spanish food. A restaurant perched at the side of the rocky shoreline offered us a meal with a view of little fishing boats chugging along or the more elegant sailing boats passing by being propelled forward by the salty Mediterranean breeze.

Loving this sea view…and the freshly squeezed orange juice here is the sweetest I have ever had

During our four day stay we managed to do a couple of runs along the sea front. Although regrettably being too lazy we did not try to walk any of many treks that are on offer on this area, including climbing the Montgó Massif or try any of the very scenic, but more challenging, uphill cycling routes.

Feeling a bit more energetic one day we cycled into town and then climbed up to Dénia Castle to get a birds eye view of the town and Marina. Located in the heart of the city, its crumbling walls  depicting 2,000 years of history.

Views of the Marina from the Dénia Castle

Travelling here by motorhome we stayed 4 nights at Camping Los Pinos (GPS N38.82936 E0.14689) at 15 Euros per night, it was perfectly located at the southern end of town, amongst pine trees and a stone’s throw from the craggy sea front. A very friendly, family run place, our motorhome neighbours were French, Dutch, Germans and British. It is a very popular site, so I would recommend booking ahead to guarantee a place. (We got the very last plot the day we arrived; vans arriving just minutes later had to turn around and try elsewhere… Eeek!)

Cartagena

Inhabited for over two millennia, Cartagena is situated in the South- East of Spain by the shores of the warm Mediterranean sea. Its Naval Port has been one of the most important in the Western Mediterranean. It is now a major cruise ship destination, with thankfully none visiting during our day of exploring.

A blend of civilizations such as Phoenician, Roman, Byzantine and Moorish have left their mark in this city with a number of sights such as the Roman Amphitheatre and other recently discovered Archaeological sights.  Many of its oldest monuments date from the Roman Empire.

The strategic harbour coupled with a large mining industry had this city flourishing during past empires, bringing wealth and a unique artistic heritage.

Cartagena is quite a large city, very spread out, but most of the main historic sites are easy to find and within walking distance from each other. A must visit for history buffs or just anyone who enjoys beautiful architecture, good food and a lively city environment.

We stayed at a very friendly  Aire (GPS position N37.65361 W1.00333) costing 12 Euro per night, in the outskirts of the city (we did not fancy driving through the busy city streets), from where it was a 20 minutes bus ride into the Historic centre. Staying for just two nights we did most of our exploring in one full day.

The Roman Theatre

One of the main landmarks of the city is the Roman Theatre of Carthago Nova which has recently been restored. It is the second largest of the Iberian Peninsula (after the one in Mérida) and it was the main reason for our visit; it did not disappoint. The Theatre Museum was very interesting, over different floors you are taken via escalators to explore the different levels and displays found during the excavations. It culminates with the entrance into the Roman Amphitheatre, built to entertain 7,000 spectators.

Roman Theatre of Carthago Nova

At the entrance we got a combined ticket to see the Roman Theatre, the Roman Forum District and the Concepcion Castle + Panoramic Lift.

The District of the Roman Forum – Molinete

Situated not far from the Roman Theatre, it took us a while to find,since its entrance was not obvious to us, in fact we walked right past it without realising.

Opened to the public in 2012, the fascinating thermal baths and temple complex, from first century AD, contains the ruins of a succession of chambers such as cold and warm rooms where it is possible to see how their advanced heating system worked. Brian loved this place, especially the walls which still had the Roman painting on them, trying to imagine the person putting on the brush strokes thousands of years ago.

The Castillo de la Conception

We boarded the Panoramic lift that took us 45 meters up into the hill where the Castle has been standing for centuries as a strategic and defensive fortification watching over the city.

Panoramic lift is the perfect way to reach the castle

The Interpretation Centre at the top does a good job at taking its visitors on a journey back to the Middle ages. The views from the castle are fabulous, it is possible to see the many historic sites from above and get a good feel and perspective over Cartagena.

We really enjoyed our stay, though we did not fall in love with Cartagena as much as some of our previous destinations; but I would certainly recommend it for any road trip itinerary to the South of Spain.

Cabo de Gata

The road from Cartagena to Cabo de Gata was rather interesting –  or shall I say, bizarre?  Miles upon miles of white plastic tunnels cover a huge area of this dry but now fertile land. Looking on Google maps you can clearly see the roofs of tens of thousands of closely packed plastic greenhouses. These polytunnels are used to grow crops in an otherwise arid and dry land, and they have turned this corner of Spain into a Mecca for growing food. Love or hate them, they are feeding Europe’s ever increasing need for year-round fruit and vegetables.

When looking on Google maps we could very clearly spot the boundary between the sea of white polytunnels and the protected National Park of Cabo de Gata area.

Situated on the Southeast coast of Spain, this wild and isolated landscape has some of Europe’s oldest geological features with a true hot desert climate.

We stayed off grid for the first time on this trip, managing to park our home on wheels right by the waterfront. Staying for just one night it was a very peaceful location by a tiny fishing village that looked abandoned. Enjoying a beautiful sunset we just relaxed into our front row seat to one of natures greatest spectacles.

Next morning before leaving Cabo de Gata we drove the winding cliff top road to the light house and the Arrecife de las Sirenas. The road was very narrow in places and I had my eyes closed for most of the way, hoping  there were no cars or buses coming from the opposite direction since there would be no room for two vehicles on that cliff-top road.

It is a very pretty area with its offshore tiny volcanic rocky islands sticking out and the light house on the top of the cliff. Whilst exploring around here we met a Dutch couple who were walking along the coast, staying in little guest houses for a two week break. We felt very lucky to be enjoying this lifestyle without the constraints of a short holiday break.

Arrecife de las Sirenas,

Cabo de Gata National Park is characterized by lava flows, volcanic rock formations, domes and calderas. There are many hidden coves and white sandy beaches. The National Park is protected by UNESCO.

So the Spanish Costas are not just about the concrete jungles of some of its better known resorts, there are still many unspoiled places, charming little fishing villages, small towns, historic cities to discover along its shore line.