The gun battery of Castillitos, one of the most popular family days out in the Costa Calida!

A medieval-looking fortification housing massive Vickers guns in the mountains between Cartagena and Mazarrón.

Hidden away at the far end of the headland of Cabo Tiñoso, invisible to those in the hearby villages of La Azohía and Campillo de Adentro, is a remarkable fortress, built in the 20^th century but with all the arrow slits and crenelations associated with medieval castles, which hardly anyone in the Region of Murcia was aware of until the 1990s – except the young men doing their (compulsory) military service there!

The gun batteries of Castillitos and El Jorel were built between 1926 and 1933 to protect the Mediterranean coastline between Cartagena and Mazarrón from attack, and due to the isolated location of Castillitos the members of the armed forces manning it were housed in living quarters built alongside. These were two of the 44 elements which covered every angle of attack in a ring which encircled Cartagena and out along the coast as part of the Plan de Defensa of 1926.

The location at Cabo Tiñoso was chosen because of its strategic location, 218 metres above the sea on a rocky cliff top with easily defendable access and Vickers guns, made in the UK: these were the best in the world for anti-shipping defence at this time, giving a 35km firing range. Part of the excitement in visiting the batteries is that most these enormous guns are still in situ, offering a spectacular photo opportunity high above the Mediterranean!

The guns of Castillitos were only ever fired once in anger against Nationalist forces in April 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, and were used for the last time in the 1980s. The military finally abandoned the site in 1994 (although some intrepid adventurers had already begun to visit the area), and in recent years work has been carried out to improve access roads and enable visitors to explore the tunnels and turrets of the building.

Nowadays Castillitos is a great trip out for all the family, for many one of the must-see sights in the Costa Cálida. A healthy ramble in the mountains and a fantasy castle in a superb location, one of the few remaining unspoilt stretches of the Mediterranean coastline in Spain.

And don’t forget your camera!