Ring of Kerry Cycle Ride, Iveragh Peninsula, County Kerry, Ireland.

This cycle trip was part of a two-week holiday to the Republic of Ireland from 1st. September until the 15 th. September 2023. The trip included two nights in Dublin and two in Cork at the beginning before travelling on to Killarney to start the cycle trip. At the end of the holiday, we travelled back to Dublin before flying home via Exeter. We travelled between cities by rail (www.irishrail.ie) getting our tickets using their mobile app. The cycling was organised by "The Natural Adventure" and their local operators "Ireland Walk Hike Bike". They organised the cycles, accommodation, bag transfer and the GPS for the route. We also took with us Discovery Series Ordnance Survey Maps of Ireland numbers 78, 83 and 84 and marked the GPS route on these maps. These maps where useful in seeing the landscape along the route and as backup when our mobile batteries depleted. We found that when using the GPS the batteries did not last for the whole route. 

The trip was something we'd been thinking of for several years as we had hitch-hiked and walked around Ireland as students from 25 th August to September 5 th.,1969, staying at youth Hostels, However, we ran out of time on the part around the "Ring of Kerry" from Killarney, so didn't get to stay at the Youth Hostel on the island of Valentia. In fact this hostel, "Valentia Island Youth Hostel" was open from 1966 to 2003. We did hire cycles (uncomfortable for me I recall!) to visit Ross Castle and the upper lake and from my diary: "sat in the sun and went in the water". On this trip we also passed through Kenmare which is also on our cycle route.

We arrived early in Dublin city on Friday morning and found the Dublin Express between the airport and the centre, bus number 782. They run from each terminal to the main quays along side the River Liffey, i.e. Aston Quay and Wellington Quay.  Our hotel was a short walk from here and north of the river. After lunch we had a reservation at the Guinness Store House. This was very busy but well organised and we did manage to get our pint of Guinness and view of the city from the top floor.

Pint of Guinness in Dublin with the Wicklow mountains, the source of the water for the factory, in the background.

 

View of the St Patrick's windmill tower (1805) with a copper roof, the tallest in Europe at one time and built to grind corn for distillation.

I also found the exhibition and videos of the coopering (making the oak casks or barrels) and the various specialised tools that they used in the trade was very interesting and related to my own interest in wood working.

The next day we did the Hop-on/off bus tour stopping firstly at the EPIC centre (The Irish Immigration Museum) and collecting the passport stamps for the various parts of the exhibition. This is a modern museum with lots to see and tells the story of immigration and also the success of some of the most famous immigrants in different parts of the world. There wasn't time to see much more but on our return visit we will be staying more centrally on the south side of the river so will be able to explore the college area and parks there.

The next day we caught the train to Cork (direct) and walked to Lancaster Lodge stopping at "Lab 82" for lunch on route. This is about a 30-40 minute walk and so on our return journey we took a taxi as the station is a little out of the centre of Cork. Ireland was having a heat wave with temperatures up to 24 C and predicted to get higher during the week.  There is quite a lot to do in Cork and we started with the Cork Butter Museum which proved interesting with lots of artefacts to do with the history of butter making and a film on the virtues of "Kerry Gold" butter now famous through out the world. After lunch we found the Elizabethan Fort with the history of it's development alongside information about some of the women who were jailed there before being deported to Australia and their fate after they survived a particular ship wrecking. I learned that it didn't take much to get sent to the colonies in those times, a petty theft seemed to do the trick although surviving the harsh conditions on board was something else.

The next stage was by train to Killarney changing at Mallow and then lunch on the way into town, about ten minutes from the station, We stayed at Abbey Lodge where our cycles were delivered. I had an hybrid cycle (Ridgeback Elements Hybrid) with 27 gears and Helen had a newish Haibike Trekking 7 that could do over 100 km on a full battery. I needed the 27 gears with 1/1-3 essential for me on the steeper hills and Helen only used 23 % of the battery charge on the most demanding day. The route involved 6 days cycling and 277 km (173 miles) with 2965 m total elevation. This amounts to about 46 km/day (29 miles) and we recorded an average speed of 16.8 km/h (10.5 mph).

Our first day was a leisurely local ride to get used to the cycles starting from Killarney and going around Muckross Lake and visiting the park and gardens. We had intended to stop at Dinis Cottage near Brickeen Bridge for coffee but this was closed so we continued to the house for lunch. The whole route was a cycleway and off-road with only walkers to share the wide paths.

Lough Leane from Brickeen Bridge.

Temperate rainforest climate in the Brickeen Bridge area.

Cycle path through the park.

After lunch we went to the "Traditional Farms" to see the different farmhouses and workshops from the past. These were run to show the activities as they would have been in the old days, e.g butter and bread making, and it was informative listening to the demonstrations.

One of the open cottages in pleasant sunshine. There was a small 20 acre farm, a labourer's cottage with 1 acre and a larger 40-60 acre farm together with Carpenters workshop, Saddler's and Blacksmith's shop.

 In the evening we cycled to Ross Castle (to remind us of a visit in 1969).

Ross Castle, Killarney, 2023.

The next day we set-off for Glenbeigh near the west coast. To start with the route followed cycle paths out of Killarney and then went onto minor roads just north of the Macgillycuddy's Reeks, a mountain range running roughly east to west. The official route is by the town of Killorglin but we avoided the town by keeping south to Lough Acoose and skirting north along Lough Caragh stopping at the "Climbers Inn", a welcome break before some steeper climbs. The route was picturesque along the small roads wending up and down through farmland and woodland.

Gaddagh river draining from Hags Glen in the Macgillycuddy's Reeks (the mountains seen in the background).

Lough Acoose from the road looking east to the mountains.

View of the River Caragh from Blackstones Bridge.

We stopped for a break as we crossed the River Caragh before turning north along the west side of Lough Caragh. This did involve a steep climb in temperatures of about 28 C so we did have to stop to enjoy the view a few times. We didn't get any good views of the loch itself and all the land between the road and the loch was privately owned so we couldn't find any public access to cool in the loch waters; seems a real pity but something we often found on the route I'm afraid. Our stay at the Towers Hotel in Glanbeigh was very pleasant if not hot with the temperatures falling slowly in the evening.

Viewpoint of Caragh river on joining the N70 to Glenbeigh

On the third day we left Glenbeigh in the cool of the morning on the Curra road slowly climbing towards the coast.

The Curra road climbing out of Glenbeigh following the "The Kelly Way", a popular walker's route.

View towards the west coast near Coolnaharragill Upper with the long red Fuschi hedges. 

Along the route we passed a couple of walkers following "The Kerry Way" and also saw the European sign for Velo1 that also follows this part of the cycle route. We had followed Velo 1 along the west coast of France from Spain to Roscoff and also part of the Devon Coast to Coast cycle route, so it was nice to see the signs again. Also along this section we became more aware of the abundance of the Fuschia hedges in full bloom, something in common with parts of Cornwall. Then we joined the busier N70 main road for a short time and saw three of the dreaded tourist buses but it wasn't bad and gave us places to stop to see the great view from the cliffs overlooking Dingle bay.

The morning view from the N70 looking over Dingle Bay.

Our little stone pile to say we'd passed by!!

We soon left the main road to go off-route to "Kells Bay and Gardens". In fact the cycle route goes close to the gardens and only involves a short diversion to drop down to the garden entrance. This was very worthwhile as the gardens are spectacular and worth the extra effort and a coffee. The garden is a wild area of temporal rainforest with lots of wooden sculptures cut from dead tree trunks.

One of the many sculptures in Kells Bay Gardens

Lots of tree palms and abundant mosses.

View from the cafe down to the waters edge in Kells Bay Gardens.

After leaving the gardens we continued to join the route and climb uphill to cross the main road and take minor roads into Cahersiveen. On route, near Mountluke, we stopped at a the rocky beach overlooking Beginish Island with Valencia island in the backdrop and a view of Reenadrolaun Point on Valencia. Here we saw some Pied Wagtails and Oyster Catchers on the shoreline, and we waded in the warm water as well as collecting some beautiful peddles; nice to relax and take in the scenery. We finished the ride backtracking a little and crossing the bridge over the Valencia River. Our Bed and Breakfast accommodation was situated close to the centre of the town and convenient to gain the road and ferry to Valentia Island.

Some Velo 1 signs on the minor roads north of Cahersiveen. These roads avoid the main N70.

Our view from our break on the rocky shoreline across Valencia Harbour to see the peaks of Valencia, our destination for the next day.

Our B&B was spacious and within easy walk to several bars/restaurants on the N70 passing through the centre of town. 

The next morning, with lots of advice from our host, we set-off for the ferry to Valencia. This runs about every 10 minutes to Knight's Town on the east side of the island. We immediately turn left to find the museum about the transatlantic signal station. The history of the laying of the cable to Newfoundland is a story of sheer determination with many failures but it did eventually work properly in 1866 and brought great wealth to the island. 

View across the Portmagee Channel to Knocknadobar hills in the distance. This is the channel that the ferry crosses to the main land.

After a coffee in Knight's Town, we cycled to the north end of the island (mostly uphill) to get a sight of the lighthouse and slate quarries. The high quality slate was used in the Houses of Parliament in London and the Paris Opera House.

Scene from the north end of the island back towards the lighthouse, Knocknadobar hill (690 m), Beginish Island and the rocky shoreline on the mainland where we rested yesterday.

Scene from the summit of the Geokaum (266 m) of Valencia Island  looking north-east across Doulos Bay, Valancia Harbour, and on the right-side, Portmagee Channel. The old met station can be spotted in the lower right of the photo.

Our next stop on the tour of the island was the "Geokaum, Mountain and Fogher cliffs". This involved cycling on a narrow road in a south-westerly direction across the island (mostly uphill!) to reach a car park on the hillside below the peak and viewpoint. The road to the cliffs and peak is OK for cars but too steep for a comfortable cycle ride so we left our cycles and walked to the cliffs and peak. Gaining altitude did mean the temperatures dropped with the wind exposure, and it was a pleasant walk with views along the north side of the island and in every direction on the peak.

View west from Fogher Cliffs showing the remote north side of the island.

The Portmagee Channel from the peak with Portmagee town and bridge in the far distance.

Returning to our cycles, we continued to the western side of the island along narrow country roads to find the "Skellig Experience", an exhibition about the Skellig Islands situated to the west of Valencia. There is an Early Christian Monastery on one of the islands (Great Skellig) that can be visited but looks a challenging climb. The centre has some interesting photos and films about the history of the island and how it was inhabited.  We couldn't figure why anyone would want to live on a steep rock miles from anywhere! By now it was hot again but a pleasant cycle to Chapeltown and back to the ferry with a brief stop at the seashore. We had been recommended O'Neill's "The Point" bar for seafood at the quay on the mainland but neither of us enjoyed the meal, maybe the heat was getting to us!

The next day we left to a chilly start with fog but little traffic on the main road. Most of the day's cycling was on the N70 but it was Sunday and relatively quiet. We passed a church outside Waterville that seemed busy but the town itself was pretty deserted. We drank a coffee from a mobile unit near the green and watched as the morning walkers and joggers passed by.

Waterville in the morning fog, This shows the N70 and the shoreline on the left.

The town was a favourite holiday spot for Charlie Chaplin and his family in 1959-1969. 

After a leisurely break and deciding that the fog wasn't lifting quickly, we pressed on knowing we had a climb ahead of us skirting Farraniaragh Mountain (468 m). This gave great views of Bellinskelligs Bay; the incline wasn't too steep as to my surprise I stayed in 2 nd. gear.

Scene to the north-west looking towards Ballinskelligs Bay.

 

View to the south from the summit at Binn Ui Ruairc showing Abbey Island.

From the summit, the road took a steep curvy down hill tract to the coast and a welcome break in front of a private camping site but with views of the coast and toilet stop.

Our break near An Gleann Beag after a glide down from the hills.

The beach at Glenberg.

A little further we came across a public beach where we stayed for a while taking a dip to cool and enjoy the tranquil setting; the weather by now was hot and the fog had lifted giving a perfect day for riding and sunbathing. We then meandered along the coast on the N70 with ups and downs through Castle Cove and a final uphill drag into Sneem, and our next B&B. We walked into town on "The Kerry Way" and enjoyed a meal and stroll around the wild-life gardens, allotments and paths by the River Sneem (a tributary to the larger Kenmare River). The town has one main street but plenty of restaurants and pubs. 

The next morning we woke to drizzle, our first taste of rain since arriving in Ireland. Our landlady assured us we would get wet today so we donned our wet gear and set-off on the R568 following the sign for Killarney on a gradual incline. The road was not busy and it wasn't long before we were over the first pass to whizz down to Gearha Bridge over the River Blackwater. The GPS sent us right from the main road to a green lane that wasn't inviting for our cycles, so we consulted the paper map to find a better route on the official cycle route but joining the GPS route a little further near a Post-Office and "Blackwater Tavern". The tavern was closed but the post-office and shop proved a good choice for a stop in the drizzle as they made us welcome with a coffee and said to shelter on a veranda at the rear and use their toilets. The rain then lessened as we followed a single track road easterly along a ridge towards the village of Rossacoosane. This was a great track through green countryside and followed a slight incline to a "T" junction and then a steep southerly descent to the main N70 road and a quay with views of the Kenmare River. On the route down we passed two male cyclists heavily loaded struggling on the steep ascent; it did pass through my mind that this ascent was also at the beginning of our ride tomorrow.  The final 5 km into Kenmare was easy although we were once again in the traffic.

We walked into Kenmare which was busy with tourists and their coaches and had a range of places to eat and shop. We didn't recognise the town from our visit 54 years ago! We did find a great store selling bespoke wooden (mainly acacia wood) furniture.

Henry Street in Kenmare,

The next day was our final day on our bikes and perhaps the most challenging of about 50 km with 702 m uphill with two main stages, the first to near Moll's Gap (262 m) and the second to the head of the "Gap of Dunloe" (241 m). Fortunately the weather had improved greatly with a clear day but a cool wind on higher ground. We left Kenmare and retraced our ride west on the N70 and then on an uphill single track road that we sailed down yesterday passing Rossacoosane and heading north to meet the R568 for a few kilometres reaching the side of Barfinnihy Lough. This was a pleasant ride, mainly in first gear for me, and only meeting one car which stopped to enquire if we had come across a golf course. 

Barfinnihy Lough near Moll's Gap.

R568 approaching Moll's Gap.

Shortly after the lough, we made an abrupt left turn onto a track road that descended to "The Black Valley" and leading to the famous "Gap of Dunloe".

Scene looking down to our route along "The Black Valley" running to the east with a few houses dotted along the Owenreagh river.

The descent was fun with a few twists and turns but on a good road without cars.  

A stone welcoming us to the start of "The Black Valley"

The track through the valley near Derryard typical of the scenery in the area,

From a bridge over the Gearhameen River nearing the end of the valley before the climb to the head of the gap.

View from the head of the "Gap of Dunloe"

Soon we were to leave the tranquillity of the valley to meet the day walkers and pony-traps descending from the pass. This is a popular destination from Kate Kearney's Cottage on the lowland on the north side of the pass with numerous jaunting tours. We did feel sorry for the poor horses trudging their way up to the pass in the hot sunshine on tarmac. For us it meant frequent stops to see the view and allow them passage on the narrow track. We noticed later a sign saying that the track was for residents, walkers and jaunting tours but no mention of cyclists. As walkers and jaunting are so linked, i.e. walk one way and get a lift the other, I wondered how long before commercial pressures would restrict access to the pass by this route in the summer. 

 The climb to the pass was easy as the track zig-zagged up the incline and gave great views as shown.

Rest stop on our descent

An easy ride from the pass alongside standing valleys and lakes.

The ride down was great with four main lakes to pass before reaching Kate Kearney's Cottage and a welcome hot chocolate drink. From here it was a easy ride on small roads to join the cycle tracks we used when leaving Killarney and find our way back to where we started the tour.

We then left Killarney by train for a two nights in Dublin visiting the area and gardens near Trinity College and then home.  In all, a great time and well organised by the local reps. Indeed we were lucky to get such good weather during our stay and find such good hospitality and friendliness along the way. It was really something to have such a good time on Valentia and enjoy the relaxed cycling on mainly country roads. Overall, the cycling compares with the Devon "Coast to Coast" but with less of the abrupt change in gradient but longer inclines/descents on the mountain passes.

Spain in Winter 2023

 We came to Spain on 5 th. February to a spell of cold weather so although it is warmer than the Devon we left, it is not what we were expecting to last. Today has been overcast with sunny spells that we made the best of by a long walk along the beach here to the Marina for lunch. The area seems the same  as last year but we noticed much remedial work along the dunes and sea front to try and protect the dunes and let it regenerate. Further towards the Marina, the dunes have been impacted by high tides and there are many signs of erosion of the sand/dune cliffs with a shortening of the beach itself.

Restoration of the dunes at Guardamar del Segura. This is work that has been done over the last year.

I thought it would be interesting to picture these dunes to see how the restoration work progresses. 

The cottages along the beach front have also been impacted by the winter storms.

The cottages on the sea front in Guardamar where a lot of storm damage has destroyed the patios and steps. 

Also we've noticed in several places efforts to clean-up the river and canals by placing booms across the flow to catch the plastic bottles. This is obviously working but they do need to be emptied as all the ones we came across were full of plastic, mainly bottles.

One of the canals connecting to the river with plastic capture booms.

Today was our first really sunny day reaching 17 C after our the first 10 days here, so we did a cycle ride to the Museo de la Huerta near Rojales (just off the CV920 between Guardamar and Rojales). It did look closed as we approached but it was open (between 9am  and 3pm on weekdays but closed at the weekend unless you book in a group).

The Museo de la Huerta, the green Hacienda de los Llanos.

There are several rooms inside incorporating some original furniture and house hold items. The main interest for me was the other buildings with equipment from the farming days and a new building containing a large oil mill that was the last working in the municipality. The original stables have been used to hold traditional items from hemp work, transport, woodwork, beekeeping, hunting and fishing and ice cream making. I noticed an old traditional rip saw similar in design to the one I have made. This is the only one I've seen in a museum and it certainly looked like it had a lot of use.

Rip saw in the museum. These were used to saw planks along the length of a tree trunk. 

The museum has lots to see but not a lot is documented or explained very well. There are a few general information boards in Spanish.

On returning via Rojales we came across some interesting murals that are part of a "Rojales en Pintura".

Mural we discovered together with a poem about the freedom of women.

Carpenters workshop mural covering the whole building.

Some great sculptors on way into Rojales 

Hoeing the crops

Woman busy with chores

We have also found another place to visit in the Rojales area that we cycled to but it does involve a climb above the village centre through a large housing development to "El Recorral an Area of Recreativa". This was referred to in the museum we visited earlier as the "Talking Trees Park" as there is a route through the forest area with multiply choice question about the environment with answers on other boards as you walk around. The park also gave great views over the surrounding landscape including over Rojales and also toward Callosa del Segura mountains.

The view from the park back over the golf course and to Rojales village. The route up to the park follows the road adjacent to the golf course and there is a steeper road down that follows the edge of the park both ending up on the road between Rojales and the Eden development.

Helen at the summit as the day warms up and the wind dies-down.

Also near the summit where I think they release pigeons for racing

One the many sculptures in the park.

Rojales also has the caves made into the hillside where there are many artisans working and exhibiting their products. We had visited the caves before on a cycle ride last year but they were all closed. However, this year we found that the caves are open on the first Sunday of the month so on 5 th March we cycled over to Rojales and left our cycles at the rack opposite the council offices and did the ten minute walk to the caves following the signs in the centre of town," Cuevas del Rodeo". There were free painting and ceramic workshops from 11 am, the pottery making we saw were children outside working in the morning sunshine. Higher up the hillside, near the large car park, we found a small artisan market and band area with some folks picnicking in larger groups. The ceramics were mostly of a particular style with vibrant colours and styles of all shapes. The paintings were not to our taste but I can imagine in some settings they would be stunning and could fit-in with a particular design or style of room.

The lower area of the caves in Rojales with some caves open for exhibiting.

 

A mural opposite some caves on the side of a  small restaurant.

I also got an idea for a band saw or fret saw operated by foot in the same way I use the pole lathe and so I may adapt this for use on the pole lathe, just an idea at the moment. Anyway, after the caves we returned to town to have a tapas and drink before cycling back along the riverside track.

On another cycle trip we went north to Santa Pola taking the last section across the reserve in the dunes south of the city passing the salt works and incidentally, an old Spanish Civil War bunker near the coast.  At the time they were worried about the Republicans invading or a threat from the Nazis.

A defence bunker dating back to after the Spanish Civil War. See the salt heaps in the distance. The salt is mainly used for roads, e.g., some is exported to Scotland, and a small amount purified for consumption.

Yesterday, we did a one-day coach trip with Dave's coaches from La Marina to the Jalon valley via Polop for coffee, through the mountains to a high view-point (over 600 m) overlooking Parcent and then downhill to a Bodegas in Parcent before heading further down to Pedreguer for lunch. After this we went over for a walk at Altea beach and home.

El Fuente de los chorros, 221 jets along the plaza. Nearby we found an old cafe for a pleasant stop.

The road through the mountains (Serra del Carrascal del Parcent) was narrow and winding and especially difficult as the road was being used for mountain training for cyclists. The day was warm but we were met with a cool wind at the look-out on the mountain. 

A view from the mountains down to Parcent.

Back in the warmth of a summer-like day (in UK), we had a pleasant stop at Bodegas Xalo and bought a

herbal liquor "Herbero de la Sierra de Mariola, Molina" and one of their wines "Castell d'Aixa" and then a walk aside the Gorgos river that flows through the valley and town centre. 

 

River Gorgos as it flowed through the town and near the Bodegas

After a very good lunch in Pedrequer at the "Black Flame", we went onto the beach at Altea (and adjoining Mariner) for a walk in the afternoon sunshine. We had never visited here, only the old town part of Altea on the cliffs to the north of the beach which we could see in the distance. The beach is mainly stony but the esplanade is very pleasant and brought back memories of  Majorca for Helen. Finally, we left the bus at La Marina and a cycle ride home, still in the warmth of the last of the days sun. As you may note, the weather is variable at the moment with some summer-like days and also cooler autumnal ones. Anyway, we are not short of fruit and vegetables because of the climate, as misreported in the BBC at home. 

On another similar trip (9 th March) we went with David's coaches on a day trip to Murcia city and then onto near Calasparra, Santuario de la Virgin de la Esperanza  (Virgin of Hope). It was an early start from La Marina village where we left our cycles, and then about 90 minutes to pick up others, mainly from urbanisations north of Torrevieja. We arrived in the city for coffee and a couple of hours free to have a quick look around near the central area with the Rio Segura nearby. We had been to Murcia before by train from Sant Isidro, but it was nice to see it again. We visited the cathedral and the Episcopal Palace and just relaxed as the temperature was near 20 C but a little overcast. We didn't have time to go up the Bell Tower with it's 25 named bells, maybe on another visit.

The cathedral dating back to 1266 with the Bell Tower (Torre-Campanario, on the left). The tower is 90 m in height and dates back to 1521.

It was interesting to see the Rio Segura both in the city and also at the sanctuary as it passes down to us in Guardamar del Segura. We were told by the guide that the river is one of the longest in Spain but the most polluted although the water quality was improving as seen by the recovery of the otter population. It has the driest river basin in Europe and great demands as the Murcia region is considered to be the "Garden of Europe" with crops of fruit and vegetables.

The south face of the Glorieta de Espana, Episcopla Palace of Murcia dating from the 18 th. century.

The Segura river in the centre of Murcia city. Notice the large fish floating in the river "The Sardina del Segura". The sculpture is a tribute to the city festival which translates to "Burial of the Sardine". 

We then continued on a pleasant 50-minute drive north to the Sanctuary, also on the Rio Segura, through areas of peach groves, now in blossom with their deep pink flowers and branches reaching for the sky. The route basically followed a broad valley with mountains in the distance and the Segura to the west through vast areas of fruit and vegetables, some under plastic. The Sanctuary itself is not in Calasparra but to the north in a preservation and rural area with lots of walking trials nearby. It dates back to the 16 th. century but little is known about it's origins apart from a knight finding a small image of the virgin in the cave.

The entrance from the car park to the caves which are on the left through the main gate. The river is down a bank on the right.

The terrace down to the river with paths along the river with information boards.

The Segura river passing the sanctuary.

Inside the Sanctuary.

There was some information on the Canaverosa Nature Reserve some 12 km in length protecting a river corridor of native woodland, the best preserved riverine ecosystem in Murcia. Apparently, it is here that the otters have made a come-back.

We have just returned (17 th March) from a 3-day visit to Cartegena city, travelling by BamBus from Guardamar. There are three buses a day and it takes about 2 hours, calling in a lots of places on route. We stayed in an AirB&B very close to the centre and the Plaza San Francisco and in easy reach of the bus station and the main sites of interest in the city.

Plaza San Francisco near our apartment with plenty of bars and cafes nearby. The Moreton Bay Fig trees planted in 1926 make an impressive sight. 

 We have visited the city before but needed a longer stay to see more of the places and the castle and other museums including the Civil War Museum and the National Museum of Underwater Archaeology. On the first full day, we went to the Castillo de la Conception (on Conception hill) and got a combined ticket for the castle and also the Spanish Civil War Shelter Museum next to the lift. The lift takes you to the castle entrance but you can walk as well. The view from the top is impressive and makes a good introduction to the layout of the city as you can see the harbour and ports, bullring, roman theatre, modern amphitheatre and the surrounding mountains.

The Bullring from the castle walls. They seem to be renovating and restoring the structure.

The Roman Amphitheatre taken from the castle. We visited this in 2022 on a day trip here.

Brilliant view over the city towards the port and sea with the mountains and chimney in the background.

We then walked down to the base of the castle and near the lift entrance and on the first floor is the entrance to the Civil War Caves. These are worth visiting as they give an insight into bombing by German and Italian aircrafts aiding Franco in the Civil War. Like Barcelona, Cartagena was a strong hold of the Republican forces and important because of it's harbour and navel presence. The information says there were up to 5,500 people using the shelter during raids and this was one of many in the city. The number of raids is now uncertain but it has been put at between 40  and 117, I guess we will never know. It was interesting to walk though the labyrinth of caves that are in the rock walls of the castle base, with information boards in Spanish and English, and see the cramped conditions and some videos of people describing the situation from their childhood. The videos had English subtitles. This is very valuable as there are so few people left from that generation who experience it and can remember.

We were perhaps lucky with the clear sky and hot weather so enjoyed eating out and seeing the nightlife of the city. This is made easy with most of the centre pedestrianised allowing only residents, local police, taxis and loading/unloading for the shops to use vehicles on the lanes, i.e., the road was paved across at one level without kerbs.

The following day we went to the "Museo Nacional de Arqueologia Subacuatica" on the harbour front. This is a modern building and covers many topics in some detail and is well laid-out with information in Spanish and English and cards for other languages. It is free for over 65's. Topics include excavation methodology, preservation techniques (e.g., for wood, ceramics and metals), ocean navigation, the Phoenician boat wrecks: Mazarron 1 and 2 (these are displayed together with information on the structure) and boat/ship cargoes that have been discovered and preserved. I was particularly interested in the Phoenician joinery as they were, I think, the first to use the tenon method of joining the strakes (the long longitudinal slats making the boats body). They discovered that the woods used in the Mazarron boats were Aleppo pine (abundant in Guardamar forest!) for the strakes, Fig for the ribs going across the boat and bent into shape, and the tenons and pegs to go through the tenons were olive wood, so quite a mixture. Some bindings were made from Esparto grass (Stripa Tenacissima) that we see in the reserves near us in La Marina. We didn't have enough time to see the entire museum but maybe try again next year.

We did our "usual" cycle ride to Dolores and Catral calling in at the campsite we used 10 years ago (Marjal), first in 2012 (see this blog). We stopped for coffee in Dolores and notice a new sculpture made from horse shoes!:

Impressive dynamic horse made from used horse shoes.

Marjal  camping with a spot of rain. Luckily, it cleared to a fine day without wind later for our cycle back to Guardamar.

Cycled over to La Marina and beach and had a walk around the reserve and salinas to see if anything was new since our last visit. Didn't see many birds on the reserve but saw a couple of dragonflies and butterflies from a distance. It was a bright and hot day with views over mainly Esparto grass to Santa Pola.

Looking from the reserve over the salinas to Santa Pola. Most of the vegetation is Esparto grass.

 Also noted some "Shaggy Sparrow-Wort" (Thymelaeo hirsuta") bushes coming into flower as I crossed to the highest point on the reserve. This is a poisonous plant but had many medical uses.

The yellow flowers of "Shaggy Sparrow-Wort" opening. The name comes from a description of the shape of the fruit looking like a sparrows beak.

In the hide alongside the salinas I spotted flamingos, lots of avocets feeding in the shallows, a large group of Little Terns on an island and a few Red Shanks bottom feeding. Also on the way back and cycling along the riverside path, we spotted a group of distinctive Black-Winged Stilts wading well in the river at low tide. This stretch of the river is tidal and we often see Egrets, Cormorants, Coots and Grey Heron. Lately we've seen groups of Black Ibis on mudflats on an up-stream section near the river crossing, but not this time.

Since then we have had Bex and kids over for 10 days and they had brilliant weather so spent most of their time at the local beaches and enjoying getting in the water and lots of treats. They also had cycles to get around the forest and to the beaches, and Bex and Sam cycled to La Marina beach whilst Esmee and I walked and took the bus to La Marina village and walked the rest. They were able to see lots of flamingos at the Salinas and eat at the restaurant on the beach. Temperatures have been over 20 C during the day in sharp contrast to the rainy and colder weather in England.

We did another cycle ride to Rojales in the sunshine (22 C) and went to our "old" cafe in the centre. Also discovered the covered market in the centre and got some shorts for the warmer weather. Also I couldn't resist taking some photos of some more murals on buildings near the river.

Dedicated to the teacher Gratiniano Baches Romero, a native of San Miguel de Salinas and a renown teacher in the region in the early 1900's. The words roughly translate: "The child is the swollen bud where the germs (seeds?) of a flower that is to be the fruit, sleep." If you have a better translation, please let me know.

We noticed this from the cafe and when we got closer, we could see that this was also a painting of the terrace, curtains and also the geraniums, they looked so real.

A theme dedicated to the people of Rojales from the artists especially those from the artisan caves in the town.

We returned to England taking the train from Alicante (10.35 am) straight to Santander and then the ferry to Plymouth after spending a couple of nights in Santander. The train journey of about six hours was pleasant and comfortable. It stopped briefly in Madrid for cleaning. We left Alicante with temperatures over 20 C and arrived in Santander at about 16 C so some adjustments. The weather was better than we expected with little rain. We spent time looking around the city going to the funicular railway and views over the harbour and some time at the MUPAC museum (the Museum of Prehistory and Archaeology of Cantabria). This is an excellent museum and very well laid out with boards in Spanish and English. I was interested in the reconstructed  ancient caves with a lot of information about what was found there and with some of the artefacts, art and tools etc. In general, it is a good experience of our early history, not only of Cantabria, but in a more general sense. The tool displays of original items were really impressive especially the decorations on some of them. I am afraid we were pretty "saturated" when we got to the more modern times and Roman history, perhaps on another visit. 

View from the top of the railway,

We also visited the "Vertical Gardens" on our last morning and although this is signposted in the main centre, we did have some difficulty finding it, mainly because it is inside the Castilla-Hemida Civic Centre. Anyway, after asking for directions, we were fortunate enough to have a guided tour of the garden and view from the roof. The garden is on an old tobacco drying wall and is about 600 square metres with plants from different climatic zones, I think our guide said the wall was 30 m tall. It does boast to be the largest vertical garden in Europe!

View from the "Vertical Gardens"

Our hotel was 5 minutes walk from the railway station and also the ferry port so Monday afternoon at 5 pm we were on board and had a comfortable crossing to Plymouth arriving on Tuesday afternoon and on-time, ready for Bex to whisk is home to a cold 14 C.  A great journey to end our holiday and hopefully to some May sunshine.