Los Escullos

Camping Los Escullos in the Cabo de Gata Natural Park in Almeria is a favourite overwintering place for Northern Europeans – especially the English, German, Dutch – who come here year after year to enjoy the mild climate and the peaceful countryside.

The campsite is hardly visible from the road – here is a view from the rambla which runs down past the campsite to the sea.



The campsite is surrounded by green woolly volcanic hills (which are normally much less green and woolly and more scrubby)

On the coast at the end of the rambla is the quiet unspoilt tiny hamlet of Los Escullos and a well restored 18th century gun battery



The rocks on the coast are unusual – the colour and texture of frothy capuccino





with the occasional crater like hole



Some interesting natural rock sculpture on the beach:

Walking south towards San Jose there are fossil dunes
Here are some shell fossils


The nearest (very small) general store is about 3k north east along the coast at La Isleta, a small unspoilt fishing village with some good bars and restaurants.


The first time we walked into the village there was a drunk sitting outside the shop with a dustbin on his head!

There is a very pretty coast path to La Isleta which we walked often and where we saw new flowers each time






and a wonderful big palm tree



The Cabo de Gata area is a joy for walkers. There are paths everywhere and most routes are well signed. We walked up the rambla and followed some very large animal tracks part of the way


to find the volcanic crater,

a beautiful peaceful place full of history with abandoned farms and prickly pears.

On the route we passed this old wreck of a car which passing walkers had filled with stones from the rambla


and this rock which looks like a face


A different rambla took us past hills of terraced walls and prickly pears



to El Pozo where there was a beautifully restored aljibe (cistern) with a water wheel which had been in use until about 30 years ago.




One day we went to Rodalquilar to walk the Cerro del Cinto path which took us to the old gold mines



There were danger notices but nothing to stop you exploring



The rocks were amazing colours:


intense fiery reds, bright yellow, marbled meat colour and olive greeny grey

On this walk we had a great view over a huge fertile plain intensively farmed with both polytunnels and conventional fields and a massive reservoir



After two weeks of walking (whenever the weather permitted) we needed to move on, stock up with food and explore further north.