directions_bike by Chris Riches -

Aguilas to Aqura de Emedio

It was a nice temperature and there were hardly any clouds in the sky at sunrise when I visited the Cuatro Calas, a series of beaches just down the road from where I was staying. Aside from some caravans and campervans in the various carparks the beaches were almost completely empty. It was great to go for a swim first thing in the morning and see numerous fish.

The border between Murcia and Andalusia was only a couple of kilometres down the road from the campsite and first impressions of this region were good. The coast road was quite spectacular and it was nice to cycle right alongside the sea through the first area called Pulpí, which had several nice resorts including San Juan de los Terreros. The hills didn’t extend right to the coast in this area, but later when they did and there were cliffs to the left, the rocks next to the road still had a metallic appearance. There were some old mining ruins along the coast, and it was hard to tell but what looked and sounded like some active mining too.

After crossing the Rio Almanzora, or at least it’s riverbed, I went through the towns of Garrucha and Mojácar. Both had nice seafronts and a large choice of restaurants and bars, often with a tropical theme or name. Given the weather, nice coastal vistas and all the palm trees they didn’t look too out of place. At this point there was a strong headwind, which would later fade completely up in the hills.

I stopped for a swim at Playa Noche y Baño and saw the 18th century Castillo de Macenas, then headed up in to the hills to stay at a very peaceful and almost empty campsite near Aqura de Emedio.

Distance: 31 miles

Maximum temperature: 28 degrees

Cuatro Calas

Cuatro Calas

Cuatro Calas

Murcia / Andalucia border

Pulpí

Garrucha

Castillo de Macenas

directions_bike by Chris Riches -

Aqura de Emedio to Las Negras

Leaving Aqura de Emedio around 9am whilst the sun was still low in the sky, and there was some cloud cover, meant the temperature was relatively cool. There were some other cyclists on the roads.

The first stage of the ride consisted of a climb, then after entering the Cabo de Gata national park, a nice winding descent towards the coast near Carboneras with great views. The sand in the area was quite dark as a result of historic volcanic activity.

Heading inland, the tyres were sinking in to the sandy ground along the dry riverbed of the Rio Alias, and later there was a puncture from a thorn, which made for slow progress. There was a section on a gravel track then a gradual climb on sealed roads, and eventually a steep descent towards the coast and the campsite near Las Negras. This last section of the ride was also along a dry sandy riverbed.

Most of the buildings in Las Negras were painted white and weren’t very high, so the town fitted in to the landscape quite prettily. In the evening I walked along the coast path towards Playa el Playazo, there were some steep cliffs which dramatically dropped in to the sea, where there were people in kayaks enjoying this unspoilt part of the Andalucian coastline.

Distance: 25 miles

Maximum temperature: 28 degrees C

Coast near Carboneras

Path near El Llano de Don Antonio

Las Negras

Cabo de Gata National Park

Looking south towards Playa el Playazo