Sierra Espuña - Natural Park

The Sierra Espuña is a pine forested respite from the heat of Summer and a glorious place to enjoy a walk at any time of year. It has a vast range of activities and walking routes for those looking for an enjoyable day out in the region of Murcia. This national park covers 25,000 hectares and is a maze of walks and routes, with recreation, picnic and barbecue areas, cafes and restaurants catering for the visitors who flock to the park every weekend.

Information about the park is available in the tourist offices of the various municipalities that share management: Alhama de Murcia, Totana, Mula and Aledo and the visitor centre of Ricardo Codorniu. A little known fact is that much of the forested areas here were only planted from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th. It was an initiative led by a remarkable man, Ricardo Codorniu y Starico, an early conservationist. He was born in Cartagena and had a passion for the environment He studied forestry engineering in Madrid and visited the Sierra Espu?a in 1889, expressing his horror at the devastation that was evident there. The Sierra Espu?a Natural Park The Sierra Espu?a is a Sierra belonging to what is known as the Cordillera Bética. The control of the park is shared by the municipalities of Alhama de Murcia, Totana, Aledo and Mula. It covers 17,894 hectares, plus an additional 25,000 of mountainous terrain. In 1931 it was designated to be "of cultural interest" and in 1992 was granted protected as an official Regional Park. It is classified as a Zepa zone (zona de especial proteccion para las aves), a bird protection zone and also as a place of community importance (lugar de importancia comunitaria). It boasts around 1000 different species of flora, of which 36 are protected species and the predominant tree is the Carrasco pine. There are around 123 species of birds, 38 mammals and a myriad of insects, amphibians and reptiles. There are several large recreational areas and a huge selection of walks to suit all ages and capabilities, most of which are clearly signposted, amongst the forest slopes. Ricardo Codorniu Visitor Centre Tel 968228937 Open Tuesday to Sunday 10.00 to 14.00 and 15.00 to 18.00 It is no great exaggeration to say that the Sierra Espu?a was created in 1889, as the inspiration of one man, Ricardo Codorniu, who was born in Cartagena in 1846. He was a passionate environmentalist and conservationalist, who had studied forestry engineering in Madrid. He founded many of the organisations that now control the natural parks and areas in the region of Murcia today. During his lifetime, he achieved recognition for his work and became known as the "Apostol del Arbol" (apostle of the trees). In 1889, he visited the area of the Sierra Espu?a and was horrified by the devastation caused by industrial activity, following the arrival of the railways in 1862. During the latter half of the 19th century, the region was transformed, as minerals were exported across the world and the economy boomed. Unfortunately this caused the stripping of vast areas of forest for wood, which devastated the tree population. Codorniu began the task of rebuilding the Sierra Espu?a, replanting 20,000 hectares with pine trees, with his legacy becoming what is now the Sierra Espu?a regional park. It is extensively used as an educational facility, to encourage young Murcians to enjoy, protect and conserve the environment. The visitor centre has a permanent exhibition of the flora and fauna to be found in the park, it has teaching and meeting facilities and it also acts as the centre for the security patrols who care for the park. There are a number of routes which can be taken from the visitor centre. You can drive back down the road and follow the signs to one of the 2 recreational areas, both of which have restaurant facilities. There is La Perdiz and also (the more popular) Fuente del Hilo. The barbecue and picnic tables provided are for the use of the general public, although the barbecues can only be lit during the winter months, due to the high risk of fires in Summer. Pozos de Nieve (The Snowhouses), Sierra Espu?a One of the most popular walks is to Pozos de Nieve (literally translated as wells of ice), which used to supply ice to the cities of Murcia and Cartagena, before refrigeration was available. The snowhouses are contained in two distinct groups, known as the Pozos de Cartagena and the Pozos de Murcia. Whilst most of them are now in ruins, one has been fully restored and a couple of others still have an intact roof. They were originally built at the end of the 16th century and were packed with snow during the winter The snow was compacted to produce solid blocks of ice, which were taken to the cities, either as a luxury for the rich, or for medical use. It was a source of employment until the end of the 19th century, when the first ice making factory was built in Murcia capital, making the snowhouses redundant. In total there were 23 pozos, each of which could hold up to a million kilos of ice. The ice from them was transported by horse and carriage between May and September, when the greatest demand for iced drinks and sorbets existed. The heat during the journey resulted in a loss of approximately 35% of the ice, which melted en route to its destination. Surrounding the pozos were a number of dwellings and a small hermitage, dedicated to the Virgen de las Nieves. It is believed that much of the cutting and packing of the ice was done by the Gipsy population of Totana, although the research into this is ongoing. By the early 20th century the wells had fallen into disrepair and it was not until very recently that work began to try and stop the deterioration and restore one of the pozos. This snowhouse (known locally as pozo 6) has been completely restored, using traditional methods of construction. It is a short walk to the restored snowhouse, less than 100 metres from the carpark, and from here you can walk a well worn route around the other snow house ruins. The route climbs up to a fabulous viewpoint, and with luck, you may see herds of Arrui (Barbary Sheep) wandering the hillsides below, as they are quite common in this area. Family walks in the Sierra Espu?a, "the dinosaur route". This is a nice gentle walk of around 1.5km and so is ideal for families who want to enjoy the beauty of the Sierra Espu?a. There are picnic areas and the route is close to restaurants for those who prefer someone else to feed them! The walk is quite short and is mainly through the forest, so is ideal for hot summer days when the shade of the pines is a welcome relief from the sun. It starts at La Perdiz (Bar restaurante y casas rurales la perdiz, tel. 968431060 and 652870579), leaving via the back of the car park and it is clearly signposted. En route, there is an old shaft which was part of a water irrigation control system for the crops which were formerly planted on the terraces. There is a natural fountain which from which you can fill up water bottles for your trek. The walk leads to a rope bridge over a waterway, which is a favourite "Kodak moment" photo opportunity for visitors to the area. The route draws its name, not from the presence of dinosaur remains, but actually from a rock formation in the waterway which looks rather like a dinosaur footprint. Although prehistoric animal bones have been uncovered in the Yecla area, there have been no further remains uncovered in the rest of the region yet. Unfortunately therefore this rock shape is the only dinosaur related excitement on offer here. After the rope bridge, the route turns back on itself and heads back to the starting point in the car park. More serious walkers can instead continue left along the forest track which continues for 8km and ends in another car park. Two cars are necessary, (one left in each car park) unless you feel like completing 18km to walk there and back. It is hard to get lost on this very straightforward walk. The full route is called the Valle del Leiva, Collado Mangueta. The start point is the recreational area of La Perdiz and the finish is the parking area of Collado Mangueta, with a duration of approximately 3 hours.