Two forgotten coastal batteries above the bay of Cartagena

Fifteen minutes west of the centre of Cartagena lies one of the heaviest industrial areas in Spain: the Valle de Escombreras, with a refinery, tank farms and a power station. Anyone driving past rarely looks up. That is a shame, because above that valley lies a protected coastal range with two abandoned forts and the finest panorama on this whole stretch of coast.

The walk is short, easily done and effectively free. And it tells a piece of history that most visitors to the Costa Cálida never come across.

The route: 6.8 kilometres, 180 metres up

Since 2019 this has been an official route: the Sendero Punta de Aguilones, laid out by the port authority of Cartagena. The track is wide and even, open to walkers and cyclists, and runs 6.8 kilometres there and back with around 180 metres of ascent. It is an approved branch of the GR-92, the long-distance route that follows the entire Spanish Mediterranean coast.

When it was built the slope was replanted with some 8,600 plants and trees, among them the ciprés de Cartagena — a cypress found only here — along with Aleppo pines, dwarf palm, thyme and rosemary. So you are not walking across a bare industrial site but through protected Natura 2000 land.

Batería de Aguilones: four guns with a range of 21 kilometres

The first battery sits on the hill known as El Aguilón, at just over one hundred and seventy metres above the sea. Officially it was designated C-7. It was built under the fortification plan of 1926 — the Plan Primo de Rivera — intended to protect the naval bases of Cartagena, El Ferrol and Mahón against attack from the sea.

The armament consisted of four Vickers guns of 15.24 centimetres dating from 1923, with a range of over 21 kilometres. This battery’s fire crossed with that of the Jorel and La Parajola batteries, covering the entire approach to the harbour.

The battery genuinely saw use. On 6 March 1939, in the closing days of the Civil War, Aguilones opened fire on La Parajola after that position had fired on shipping. What followed was an artillery duel so fierce that two of the three working guns were put out of action; by the end of the war the barrels were useless.

Two batteries of the same city, firing on each other. That is how close the Civil War came here.

The position remained in service for decades afterwards. The last shots were fired in 1992; a year later the battery went out of service and was dismantled. Since 7 August 1997 Aguilones has been a Bien de Interés Cultural in the Monumento category.

That status has not halted the decay. A restoration plan worth several million euros is included in the national management plan for coastal batteries, but at present the complex stands derelict and overgrown. Frankly that makes the experience on site stronger — and the visit more cautious.

The cut through the mountain

Between the two batteries lies the most photogenic stretch of the route. To build the connecting road the intervening hill was cut in two: you walk through a narrow, dead-straight cutting with walls tens of metres high. Locally that passage is known as the Túnel del Viento, and on a windy day you understand why immediately.

Batería de Conejos: the anti-aircraft guns

The second position sits higher, at around two hundred metres, and had a different job. Where Aguilones aimed at ships, Conejos was built against aircraft: four Vickers anti-aircraft guns of 105/45 dating from 1923, with their own fire control.

During the Civil War the battery came under the city’s air defence. Between 15 April 1937 and 21 July 1938 it fired 665 shells and went into action seventeen times against air raids. The last live firing exercise took place in July 1960; after that the guns were removed.

Here the buildings are largely intact: barracks, magazines and service rooms, with stone facades and surprisingly careful decorative brickwork above the windows. For 1930s military property that is more craftsmanlike than you would expect.

The view: two worlds at once

What makes this walk special is that from the same ridge you get two utterly different panoramas. To the south and west: open sea, the coast as far as Cabo Tiñoso, the Cabo Tiñoso-La Muela regional park, the island of Escombreras and the Isla de las Palomas.

Turn around and there lies the complete energy and petrochemical complex of Escombreras: hundreds of storage tanks, a power station, quay works. It is not a beautiful view in the classical sense, but it is striking, and in a single glance it explains where this region earns its money.

What this means if you want to buy here

Now the part we add as standard. This walk lies on the western side of Cartagena, and that is a very different world to live in from the Mar Menor or La Manga.

• Industry close by. Escombreras is one of the largest energy and chemical clusters in Spain. That means employment and good infrastructure, but also heavy goods traffic and installations in view. How much weight that carries varies sharply by address and by wind direction.
• Protected land means no building. The Sierra de la Fausilla falls under the Natura 2000 network. So you will not lose your view of that range to new development overnight — a rare certainty on this coast.
• Little tourist pressure. Anyone seeking quiet and wanting to live here year-round will find prices that no longer exist in the coastal towns. Anyone aiming at holiday letting is in the wrong place.
• Cartagena itself is the draw. The city has hospitals, a university, a theatre, Roman heritage and a full range of amenities. For permanent living that is a stronger argument than a beachfront position.

The area west of Cartagena, with the Valle de Escombreras and the Sierra de la Fausilla. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

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