La Azohia holiday activities

Cabo Tinoso
The Gun Batteries of Castillito, Jorel and Altalayon at Cabo Tinoso were built between the 1st and 2nd World Wars and were part of the shore defences for Cartagena which is the headquarters of the Spanish Mediterranean Fleet. Planned by General Primo de Rivera, construction work started in 1929 with the guns being installed between 1932 and 1936. They comprise two pieces of 38.1 caliber manufactured by the British company, Vickers. When in action, they had a range of 35 Km and utilised armour piercing shells weighing 885Kg, but as far as anybody knows they were never fired in anger. To reach these guns take the mountain road to Cartagena, and take a right turn to Campillo de Adentro. This lies in a pretty valley almost completely surrounded by mountains. There are a few houses and farms but little else; pass through the village and eventually you will come to the start of the military road with intimidating warning signs forbidding passage. Ignore these as they have not been removed since the Military pulled out. The narrow road twists its way upwards for 7 km through the mountains giving breathtaking views of the coastline and countryside. A driver needs to concentrate as this has become a most popular place in recent years; the road is very narrow with hardly any passing places. Near the summit make a left turn - this takes you to the Guns at Castillitos. Here the battery has been built into the mountainside in the style of a Castle, using a lot of local stone. From this viewpoint you can see all along the coastline and all the other gun enplacements. This place is worth a visit as the views are quite amazing.

Tower of St Elena
No trip to La Azohia is complete without a trip to the tower of St Elena. This was built as a watch tower against pirates in the 16th century. There are some amazing views westwards across the bay of Mazarron from here.