The Great Outdoors

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The Great Outdoors

Some facts about the Costa Cálida region:

• The province of Murcia is located in the south east corner of the Iberian Peninsular
• It is bordered by the provinces of Granada, Albacete and Almería to the west and Alicante to the east
• Three rivers including the Segura, Murdo and Sangonera intersect the province
• The region is made up of a variety of terrain including plains, mountainous areas, rocky cliffs, coves, caves, sandy beaches and the lagoon of Mar Menor
• The Costa Cálida spans approximately 170 kilometres of Spanish Mediterranean coastline
• Murcia has a Mediterranean climate with hot summers and mild winters; temperatures generally decrease further inland, particularly in wintertime
• The average annual temperature is 18ºC

The favourable weather conditions and variety of terrain makes the Costa Cálida a good location for a variety of outdoor sports including walking and hiking, rock and mountain climbing, cycling, horseriding and water sports.

Regional Parks & Nature Reserves

There are 7 regional parks, 1 nature reserve, 8 protected areas and 3 other natural spaces located on the Costa Cálida.

• For more information on protected natural areas see the Murcia regional tourist office website: Click here (in English)

The protected regional parks have limited sports facilities. For example the Parque Regional Calblanque has four beaches, but no facilities for watersports. However it is a good location for bird watching and beach walking.

Parque Regional Sierra Espuña

The Sierra Espuña regional park covers 25,000 hectares of land across the Sierra Espuña mountain range. There is a wide variety of flora and fauna including pine trees, wild boars and the Espuña squirrel.

It is an ideal location for walking and hiking, climbing and mountain biking.

• For more information on the Sierra Espuña see the Espuña Tourística website: Click here  (in Spanish)

The Centro de Interpretación Ambiental del Parque Regional de Sierra Espuña also provides information on sporting activities in the area.

• For the Centro de Interpretación Ambiental del Parque Regional de Sierra Espuña website: Click here

Walking & Hiking

The Costa Cálida is a great area for walking and hiking with national marked routes and the vía verdes (see below) crossing the region. The Spanish Federation of Mountain and Climbing Sports (Federación Española de Deportes de Montaña y Escalada) promotes walking and hiking in Spain and provide information on routes and safety as well as clubs and associations.

• Federación Española de Deportes de Montaña y Escalada
  At: C/ Floirdablanca 75, 08015 Barcelona
  Website 
• For hiking and rambling information in the Murcia Region: Click here  (in Spanish)
• For the Walking Costa Cálida guide: Click here

The Regional Committee of Walking in Murcia (Comité Regional de Senderos de Murcia) has information on walking routes in the Costa Cálida region.

• Comité Regional de Senderos de Murcia
  At: C/ Francisco Martínez García 4, 30003 Murcia
  Tel: 968 340 270
  Fax: 968 255 372
  e-mail   
  Website

The official Spanish tourism website provides an interactive map with official walking routes. 

• Select the region for local itineraries: Click here

Vías Verdes

The Spanish Railways Foundation (Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles) is turning disused railway lines into cycling, walking and bridle paths. The project began in 1993 and has been so hugely successful in redistributing tourism to poorer rural areas the program won a United Nations Best Practices Habitat International Award in 2000.

Information is available in English on the website, although most of the route plans on the site remain in Spanish. Local tourist offices may have the routes in English on request.

• Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles
  At: Dirección del Programa Vías Verdes, Santa Isabel 44, 28012 Madrid
  e-mail:
  Website (in Spanish)

Rock & Mountain Climbing

There are numerous opportunities to climb around the Costa Cálida. The Sierra Espuña offers climbs for all levels including crag and multi-pitch. The Paredes de Leyva is considered one of the best climbs in Spain. Climbing is generally possible until November, depending on the weather.

• To search for crags in Spain, with quality ratings: Click here (in English and Spanish)

Climbing in Spain is regulated by the Spanish Federation of Mountain and Climbing Sports (Federación Española de Deportes de Montaña y Escalada).

• Federación Española de Deportes de Montaña y Escalada
  At: C/ Floridablanca 75, 08015 Barcelona
  Tel: 934 264 267
  Fax: 934 262 575
  e-mail
  Website (in Spanish)

The Region of Murcia Mountaineering Federation (Federación de Montañismo de la Región de Murcia) provides information on mountaineering and climbing in the province of Murcia.

• Federación de Montañismo de la Región de Murcia
  At: C/ Francisco Martínes García 4 bajo, 30003 Murcia
  Tel: 968 340 270
  Fax: 968 255 372
  e-mail   
  Website (in Spanish)

Cycling

Cycling is a popular sport in Spain and the Costa Blanca is an ideal region to discover on a bike. Away from the busy coastal areas there are trails and routes throughout the countryside for road bikes as well as mountain bikes (bici todo terreno/BTT).

Recommended routes include the Sierra Espuña and Mazarrón. The most gentle routes are along the Vías Verdes and disused railway lines.

The Friends of Cycling in Murcia (Amigos de la Bicicleta de Murcia) provides advice and information on mountain biking routes in the province of Murcia as well as the rest of Spain.

• For further information: Click here (in Spanish)

The Spanish Cycling Federation (Federacion Espanola de Ciclismo) and the Murcia Regional Cycling Federation (Federación Ciclismo Región Murcia) has information about routes, cycling events and road safety.

• Federación Espanola de Ciclismo
  At: C/ de Ferraz, 16-5, 28008 Madrid
  Tel: 915 400 841
  Website  (in Spanish)
• Federación Ciclismo Región Murcia
  At: C/ de la Torre s/n, Pabellón la Torre, 30006 Puente Tocinos
  Tel: 968 302 846
  e-mail 
  Website (in Spanish)

Horse Riding

Riding clubs and associations organise hacks and treks into the Murcian countryside.

• For a list of local horse riding centres and schools see The AngloFILE: Equestrian: Horses & Riding 

The area around Mar Menor is a very popular trekking destination.

• For route information see the Mar Menor tourist website: Click here

The Regional Horse Riding Federation (Federación Hípica de la Región de Murcia) provides information on local clubs, horse riding licences and events in the Murcia region.

• Federación Hípica de la Región de Murcia
  At: C/ Gonzalez Adalid 11 Entlo.Dcha. Puerta 3, 30001 Murcia
  Tel: 968 211 881
  e-mail 
  Website (in Spanish)

Air Sports

The Royal Spanish Aeronautical Federation (Real Federación Aeronáutica Española) governs air sports in Spain. It is responsible for licences and accident procedure legislation to ensure the safety of participants.

The local clubs as well as licence information and availability of each discipline can be found at these links below:

• Real Federación Aeronáutica Española
  At: Carretera de la Fortuna, 28044 Madrid
  Tel: 915 082 950
  Fax: 915 110 310
  e-mail
  Website
• Federación Deportes Aéreos Región de Murcia
  At: C/ Avd de la Fama nº 32 Bajo nº 6, 30006 Murcia
  Tel: 868 910 796
  e-mail
  Website

Water Sports

Facilities for water sports are found throughout the Costa Cálida. The resorts of La Manga Mar Menor, Mazarrón and Águilas are particularly well equipped. White water rafting is available on the Segura river.

The Regional Federation for Underwater Activities (Federación de Actividades Subacuáticas de la Región de Murcia) provides advice on diving licences and clubs on the Costa Cálida.

• Federación de Actividades Subacuáticas de la Región de Murcia
  At: Calle Gran Vía 28, 30005 Murcia
  Tel: 968 215 141
  Website (in Spanish)

The Murcian Canoeing Federation (Federación Murciana de Piragüismo) has information on clubs, activities and training in the Murcian region.

• Federación Murciana de Piragüismo
  At: C/ Explanada Bar Nuevo s/n, 30720 Santiago de la Ribera
  Tel: 968 573 653
  e-mail
  Website

Further Information

• For further information on horse riding see The AngloFILE: Equestrian: Horses & Riding 
• For information on bike hire see The AngloFILE: Bike Hire, Scooter and Cycle Rental