My Travel Blog

Things to do in Vera / Garrucha / Mojacar, Almeria

2012-06-17T11:14:00.008-07:00

Mountain Biking

PADI Advanced Diving Cource with Manu @ Molasub in Villaricos

History of Mining in Vera, Almeria - ever wanted to know more about the tunnels?

2012-06-17T11:14:00.002-07:00

My Dad has a house on the hill just up from Vera Playa and we have always been intrigued by 'the tunnels' when we have visited. No one we have spoken to has ever had much information so I have done some research online. Here is some information I have had translated relating back to Vera's history and mining in the area. If you have any other information please could you share in the comments box below.

THE HISTORY OF VERA, ALMERIA AND MINING
translated from http://www.foro-ciudad.com/almeria/vera/mensaje-505965.html
Populations that have existed in Vera have had a changing situation through the centuries. Human communities that have settled here have sought their location depending on their material needs (near a river), their strategic needs (on a hill) or commercial (next to a path of paths). The current state of Vera meets these three objectives.

Vera, Almeria has been populated since ancient times. As early as the Bronze Age about 4,000 years ago, the Culture Argar, known throughout the basin intense settlement of the deposits of Fuente Alamo (Cuevas de Almanzora). And then began the exploitation of silver ores of Sierra Almagrera. The first foundation of the city would be associated with this mining activity. The Carthaginians continued mining and founded Baria to the sixth century. C., about Villaricos.

The Romans replaced the Carthaginians in the exploitation of minerals, and the Barea toponym designating a town in the Almanzora river mouth, where it is now Villaricos and ultimately become a republic within the fabric of cities of the Roman Empire. Besides these cities there were some "villas" Roman species of estates, where ownership was concentrated in the hands of landowners who were served by large numbers of slaves. Remains of a villa in the hamlet are Rocipón (in the current term of Vera), near the shrine of the Virgen de las Huertas.

HIGH MIDDLE AGES

The Decline High Middle Ages (VIII-XI), insecurity by sea and land in a city increasingly border, made, according to the Father Tapia, in the thirteenth century the inhabitants of Vera is convinced of the interest of retreat to an elevation where lay inside and a small village (Hill of the Holy Spirit). By then the population was composed veratense Muslim converts to Islam after the invasion of the eighth century or descendants of the Arab conquerors.

The Muslim city of Vera's head would be outskirts since most easterly of the Nazari kingdom of Granada and from the second half of the thirteenth century Christian land border with Lorca.
In the fields and Overa Huércal in the sea off the coast, there were frequent "raids" border. Some of these skirmishes reached the category of real battles, like the Alporchones (1452), which resulted in a victory for the Christians of Lorca

YEAR 1488
Shortly afterwards there will be a momentous event for relief representing social, economic and cultural conquest of Vera by the Catholic Monarchs in the year 1488, in the process of conquest of the Kingdom of Granada, culminating with the fall of last Muslim stronghold. Vera was the most strategic place to ensure the submission of the eastern lands of the Nazari kingdom. To that end, in the spring of 1488, Ferdinand, leading people of Murcia, Lorca and Mula past the border and into the region of Vera. No serious attempts at resistance, and June 10, 1488 Mayor Vera, Malique Alabez, delivers the city to King Ferdinand. The Christian army their actual plant near Vera (in Real) and there will come to swear allegiance main Moors Antas, Lubrin, Sorbas, Teresa Cabrera, Mojacar, Cuevas, Huércal, Overa, Zurgena, Purchena, Velez Blanco, Velez Rubio, Albox, Arboleas, Tíjola, Armua, Bayarque, Huéscar, Oria and elsewhere in the Almanzora river and the mountains north of the province of Almeria. The strategic location of Vera (off Algerian) persuaded the Crown of the need to be done soon with a safe bastion. Therefore, the Muslim population expelled outside the walls of the city and quickly tries to repopulate with people in arms. Vera became linked to the Crown and royal city, and in 1494, the Catholic Monarchs granted it rights and privileges. However, this will be the definitive site of Vera, but in a plain, where they rebuilt after an earthquake, as will be explained

1518 EARTHQUAKE

Rebuilding a war-torn region was difficult. The arid land and the uncertainties of the land border, joined a series of catastrophes that made restocking unattractve to Christian settlers. On November 9, 1518, an violent earthquake completedevastated altogether population center located on the hill of the Holy Spirit. This is one of the most important milestones in the history veratense and promotes the last and final repositioning of the city. For the testimony that left some survivors with the Mayor Inigo de Guevara, to request emergency aid to the king, we know that sunk the entire city, composed at the time by some 200 houses. The fort and the walls were also destroyed and disappeared the water source that supplied the population. The earthquake was between 11 and 12 at night, and all the neighbors, but six or seven-buried under the rubble. The most reliable estimates, driven by Cesar Olivera, put the death toll at 150 people. Ruled out the possibility of reconstruction in the same place, the mayor Francisco de Castilla issued a report recommending the establishment of a new city on a plain near the Cerro ("a bow-shot"). It was not the first time Vera was affected by a major earthquake. From the minutes of the City of Murcia chapter we know that in November of 1406 there was a strong earthquake that destroyed much of the Muslim city, and which killed 72 men and 6 horses. The new city was built from 1520 was a square, enclosed by mud walls manned by eight towers with battlements and embrasures for the artillery, he communicated with the outside by two doors. This compound was calculated for each 600 inhabitants, ovens and other services. In the center stood the parish church, which served as a fortress for the defense of their neighbors.

VERA, "CHRISTIAN CITY
The new town of Vera and Mojacar were a Christian population oasis in the midst of a most predominantly Moorish (New Christians) that occupied the entire rural area for most of the sixteenth century. Living conditions agreed with the majority Mudejar capitulations during the days of the conquest that would be gradually forgotten by the Christian Body. Tax increase, violent expropriations and, above all, the imposition since 1501 of compulsory baptism and leave Islamic practices, created discontent among the Moors, many in the region of Antas, Cuevas, Teresa Cabrera, Turre, Bedar and Serena . The cultural and religious assimilation tried without success. The dress, language, dances and customs of Moorish general prohibitions became continuously irritating to a predominantly rural community. In parallel, the Berber pirates from North Africa created insecurity in the few pockets Christians to find shelter and support in the Moorish discontent.

Finally, on Christmas Eve of 1568 began an uprising in the Alpujarras, where he is proclaimed king Aben Humeya (Hernando de Valor), which soon spread to the rest of the Kingdom of Granada. Quickly notice the impact of this bloody civil war in the region of Vera. In March 1569, all the Moors of Teresa and Cabrera, then part of the jurisdiction of the city, flee to Berbera (Maghreb) in four ships that had washed up on shore. Since then these places will be deserted. During the Moorish uprising, on September 25, there was the siege of the city by the army of Aben Humeya. The Moorish king hopes to achieve with a long coastline Vera where receiving reinforcements from North Africa will be frustrated by the Christian defense and the intervention of troops from Lorca.

To know the reality of the events of this rebellion, we are fortunate to be able to attend the written testimonies that have been both in the Municipal Archives of Vera as in Lorca, where we see reflected the facts as the lived eyewitnesses, elected officials and people from weapons that were active in this time of the uprising. Throughout the whole year of 1569 veratenses neighbors lived in a state of real terror, and who knew the uprising of the nearby villages-Sorbas, Antas, Bedar, Purchena Zurgena, Teresa Cabrera, with the corresponding threat to Vera. Requests for military assistance to neighbors Lorca are constant throughout 1569, including King Philip II ordered to Lorca to help in case of siege. Finally, at dawn on September 25, Aben Humeya leading his army laid siege to Vera and was besieged until seven o'clock, they would withdraw their troops to the aid of news lorquinas forces. The testimonies that have survived tell us that Juan Soler witnesses said Oliver, a neighbor and governor of Vera and Luis Cardenas, neighbor and attorney of Lorca, the impending siege, the city of Vera sent Francisco Soler and Martin Gomez both on horseback, to ask help of Lorca. This essential aid received in Vera de Lorca never forgot, and over the centuries has continued to maintain a partnership of which also mentioned in 1595. Days later, on October 16, 1569, the City Council proclaims the city's patron St. Cleopas, whose feast day coincided with the withdrawal of the Islamic army. The failure of the uprising culminated with the expulsion of the Moorish population of the Kingdom of Granada, first, and the territories of the Crown in 1610. Many of the exiles will work with Berber incursions that happen throughout the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, increasing the turn inhospitable lands of Almería. After the expulsion of the Moors entered a period little known, and that historical research are scarce for the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In the seventeenth century, in 1606 specifically granted the installation of minima in Vera Parent, for which the building stood the convent, which now only remains the church. These parents were in Vera Minimum to Liberal Triennium (1820-1823), which suffered the ravages of desamortizador process

XVII CENTURY: THE VERA "ILLUSTRATED."
The eighteenth century is that of the Enlightenment. Bourbon reformism, however, was powerless to put the country on the path of modernization and progress. Society of Friends of the Country were from Carlos III, the promoters of these attempts renovators. Vera is proud to be the cradle of the second company seeking approval of its statutes in Andalusia and the fourth in Spain. Its statutes were approved on June 10, 1776. As we have Paula and George Demerson, this Society was founded with the idea of working to be useful to others and contribute to the enhancement of the nation. From the beginning, the Company had a large number of members, clergy and laymen, representing not only to Vera, but also to Velez Rubio, Mojacar, Almeria, Lorca, Velez Blanco, Antas, Sorbas, Turre, Cuevas, Lubrin and Bedar. Was organized in various committees that worked to promote popular industry, focusing on the potential for the manufacture of esparto, agriculture, commerce, education, charity, fishing ... Also had royal support essential, which would usher in the Royal Order of Carlos III, sending to Own a loan of 30,000 reais in 1776, to refund without interest within six years. A few years after installation, the Company's business began to decline, especially burdened by the obligation of having to repay the loan on their own. However, with a great effort by veratenses illustrated, the Company managed to live until 1808, getting over the years a positive balance in the wake of the economic and cultural life of the town.

In 1816 will be an attempt to revive it on a new basis, but the Society had come to an end. In the second half of the eighteenth century reflect economic and population growth is noticeable in the urban development of the city, both the North and the South. In the late 60's plot a farm between the paths of Antas and Cuevas, the focal point of the Trench Street. At the end of the 80 will be the area of Barrio de Jesus, near the Camino del Mar, which will be developed for the aggrandizement of urban design. In the rural hinterland are also appreciated demographic developments, this time is the great human occupation of Sierra Cabrera, in the jurisdiction of Vera

NINETEENTH CENTURY: THE GREAT TRANSFORMATION.
A difficult start. With no economic development goals, the area entered into the nineteenth century with the devastation of several epidemics, of which we'll talk-without forgetting the effects of the great drought that occurred to the 20's.

He also had to do with this war against the French, who left the municipal coffers and exhausted the meager flow of many veratenses, subject to violent exactions imposed by both the French army as by the Spanish army and patriotic items. In the Liberal Triennium (1820-1823), record the 1812 Constitution, establishing the Urban Militia, charged with defending the values that the Constitution embodied. The militia responds to a tradition started in the French Revolution, in line with the "sovereign people in arms." With the absolutist reaction that begins in 1823, former militants suffer the consequences of repression. In return for the Urban Militia during the absolutist Decade (1823-1833) work called Third of Royalist Volunteers, ready to defend the sacred rights of the Throne. The Urban Militia or National strike force of liberalism, reappears in 1834, when you start the transition to constitutional rule after the death of Fernando VII, and examines the succession of his daughter Isabel (First Carlist War). In 1838 the approximation of the Carlist faction Carved produce mobilization of the militia and its head the veratense Ramon Orozco. Orozco: politician and businessman. We believe interesting to dwell on the life of this son of Vera, because, for unknown reasons, has been largely forgotten in the collective memory of his hometown, despite being possibly the most important political, economic and social advancement of all times. Ramon Orozco (1806-1881) was the son of a family of liberal tradition. His father, Juan Antonio Orozco Lopez, had been enriched by trade and directed the Urban Militia during the Triennium liberal Vera (1820-1823), taking over City Hall during the months of constitutional rule. His son Ramon followed the political ideas of the family and from an early age manifested a strong inclination toward the more progressive positions of liberalism. It will be the main driver of the reorganization of the National Militia, 1834, and its commander in Vera. Part of the Governing Board in 1835 and when José de Salamanca (the future and very famous Marqués de Salamanca)-Trial Judge Vera Party mayor of the city-up to Madrid, took charge of the Mayor Vera. On June 24, 1844, the same Ramon Orozco, by then leader of the Progressive Party in the province of Almeria, Vera attempts a coup against the moderate government, willing to settle the constitution of 1837, culminating in the declaration of state of emergency in towns of Vera and his party, decided by the commanding general of the province. Be Member of Parliament for the first time in 1839, repeating for the district of Vera in 1846, 1850, 1851, 1854 and 1869. In Almeria moved his residence around 1850, after having enriched in a dizzying with the profits generated by its majority interest in the mine "Observation" of Sierra Almagrera and casting "San Ramon" of Garrucha. He presided over the Revolutionary of 1868 in Almeria, which our province is added to the Glorious. Later he was acting governor. Economically, its heritage is striking: the modernization initiatives in the provincial economic outlook comes from his hand, a company for drainage in Sierra Almagrera, a project for the construction of blast furnaces in Garrucha, and the attempt to create a bank of issue Almeria (1864). Retired from politics and business, will die on his farm in The Alparatas (Mojácar) in 1881. Economic growth. The discovery of silver lead lode of the ravine in the Sierra Almagrera Jaroso and metallurgical activity developed around therefore, lead to significant economic growth throughout the region, accompanied by a high population growth, the result of phenomenon of immigration from other areas of the province. By 1859, Vera and their term (then with Pulpí and Garrucha) reached the figure of 11,358 inhabitants, with a level that would never be surpassed. In the second half of the nineteenth century, and the result of the economic resurgence, is the urban layout of the streets of the Sea, for homes of the local bourgeoisie and the birth of the Silver Street and San Sebastian. Also these dates is the new cemetery of San Jose (1873), the Arbor (1882-1887), the current route from the Plaza del Hospital (1880), Plaza de Toros (1879), the Nursing Home (1895) , the City Hall (1881) ... It is now also the birth of the feast of St. Cleophas, as have been preserved. Although, as we have seen, from 1569 St. Cleopas was master of Vera, the splendor with which they celebrate today can be traced to 1861 when the council of August 14 aims to create a fair to promote the country's industry from day 23 to 30 this September, extending holding pattern on only one week. See similar case with the celebrations of the patron saint, Our Lady of Sorrows. We know that in 1888, to celebrate the fourth centenary of the conquest of Vera by the Catholic Kings, it was decided to request that this Virgin was Patron of Vera at St Cleopas, the traditional devotion which he was held, and his feast is celebrated on June 10 (date took Vera). In 1894, city council, which approves 1 to June 14 conclusion of a cattle market in the Fountain Girl, having here the history of the party's current employer. But in this period of economic growth the population still suffering the devastating blows of the epidemics in the late eighteenth century, in 1786, it was terrible the impact of the ague. But in the nineteenth century we know of yellow fever in 1804 and in 1812, cholera in 1834, 1855, 1856, 1860, typhus in 1862 and 1863. Little by little, progress in the field of health and medicine will tempering these evils. In the administrative order, the nineteenth century led to the formation of the municipality as we know it. If before the conquest of the Catholic Monarchs Vera had an extension of 1,648 km2, after the conquest was torn off Caves and Portilla, Sorbas and Lubrin, Huércal and Overa, Sierra Cabrera, Antas, Zurgena, Bedar, Serena, and finally, in 1860, Garrucha and Pulpí forming separate independent municipalities. This process has been completed in 1992, when municipality awarded to Garrucha, Vera and remaining in its current configuration. A buoyant mining accompanies a major agricultural development, with the area and neighboring Antas which first introduced the orange groves, especially in the area of the Real, as the basis for an important export trade.

TWENTIETH CENTURY: THE DECLINE OF THE REVIVAL ..
.In the early twentieth century, the mining crisis and the decline of traditional agriculture produced an increase in emigration, as a widespread phenomenon that it extended until 1970. In the late nineteenth century the fate of the emigrants was Algeria in the early twentieth century, Argentina and other Latin American countries, in the years 50-60 Barcelona, France, Germany and Switzerland are receiving most of the population veratense. The population is reduced to just over 4,000 inhabitants and is entering a period of social and economic slowdown, which is like living throughout the region and the province of Almeria in the first half of this century. Recently, in different parts of the province, and Vera including perceived hopeful signs of development, with the growth of tourism, in some cases, and the progress of modern intensive agriculture, in others. In recent years we have seen growing major population centers such as coastal Puerto Rey, Laguna Pueblo, Las Marinas or Playazo incipient and hopeful. Agriculture is also looking to modernize their facilities in an attempt to improve the use of a vital resource, and so far limited, as is water. Development options seem to favor and to the enhancement of tourism and the growth of advanced agriculture. Progress in the field of infrastructure, construction of the dam Almanzora and the Levante motorway, Vera and placed the region in an interesting anticipation of economic development. Politically, the recovery of local democracy from 1979 should serve to advance the participation and transparency in decision making affecting the community, away from sectarianism and clientelism. The objective of modernization and progress should be extended to the areas of economic, political and social.

MINING IN ANDALUCIA TODAY
Despite this low profitable benefits and widespread crisis in the sector, mining in Andalucia still has some importance. If you compare the value of the extraction with the rest of Spain, it is clear that in terms of metal extraction, Andalusia provides 59% of the national total, with emphasis on pyrite and iron. For precious metals (gold and silver) the percentage increases to 98%, while the extraction of strontium account for 100%, 84% attapulgite and bentonite volcanic 77%. The value of the marble, gypsum, sea salt, the dolomite and barite, also have a relative importance to the national total, which participates in more than 20%. Moreover, the intensiveness of the work in the mines has caused various environmental problems in recent times, since the protests by the weavers in the late nineteenth century to the Aznalcóllar disaster in 1998 when a flood of toxic sludge from a mine Boliden-Apirsa in the province of Seville affected the Guadiamar River and part of the waters of the Park Doñana.

Area of human settlement since ancient culture Argar occupy all this region from the fourth millennium BC. C. The first foundation of the city would be related to mining, the Carthaginians founded near Villaricos Baria in the sixth century. C.During the Roman period was followed by mining and Barea was called, in the same place where he is currently Villaricos. Some are formed around the term a number of villas in the form of exploding land estates.In times of Al-Andalus, the insecurity of the coast and the decline of mining advised the transfer in the thirteenth century to a safer area of the interior, in the Holy Spirit Hill where there was already a village. Since then becomes the easternmost city of the Kingdom of Granada and border with Lorca.The Christian conquest took place in 1488. It established the camp of the Christian armies. Since this is a strategic area, the Catholic Monarchs and made sure all Muslims moved inside and was resettled with people from weapons. Furthermore, it is a city of royal, depending on the Crown, granting their rights and privileges in 1494. The first Christian mayor was Captain Garcilaso de la Vega.In the year 1518 ± or completely devastated by an earthquake year and two years later ± was rebuilt on the site now occupied by order of Charles V, as a rectangular walled square, whose core strength was the parish church.The Moorish uprising of 1568 occurred in the whole region. Vera did not Moors was not affected in principle. In September 1569 there is a siege by the Moors in command of Aben Humeya to achieve a comprehensive master coastal territory and to establish and direct communication with North Africa. End to the siege received the news of the proximity of an army from Lorca.The Society of Friends of Vera will be the second of Andalusia in seeking approval of the statutes, in June 1776. The demographic and economic progress of this period is reflected in the urban development of the city.The nineteenth century was characterized by a series of important events such as the support of the Constitution of 1812 during the Liberal Triennium, 1820 to 1823 and the creation of an Urban Militia in charge of defending the values of the constitution. The discovery of silver lode of the ravine The Sierra Jaroso Almagrera to relaunch the economy of the city of Vera. At the end of the century will shape the final municipality we know today.The mining crisis and the decline of traditional agriculture will result in a crisis since the early twentieth century, this will increase with the emigration of the year ± 50 and 60 that you will be a real drain on the city. At present new perspectives to the development of tourism and the improvements achieved in intensive agriculture.

MINING IN THE 1800's
The second major milestone in contemporary Almeria mining exploitation is massive argentiferous leads in the Sierra de Almagrera in Cuevas del Almanzora. When the mining of lead from Sierra de Gador began to decline, the chance discovery of a rich vein of argentiferous galena in the Barranco Jaroso the late thirties of the nineteenth century led to the "silver rush". The splendor of Almagrera lasted until the late nineteenth century, when the fall in lead prices in international markets was definitely viable drain the titanic efforts of the saw.

At first Almagrera minerals were taken to Adra smelters, which had all the technical advances of the time. But soon after new facilities were installed (factories) near the mines, lowering transport costs considerably. The whole coast between Aguilas and Garrucha filled chimneys, while the great competition between companies caused the closing of many of them a few years.

Regardless of size or type of furnace used, all had in common the construction of long tunnels condensation by circulating the smoke before reaching the chimney. The purpose was twofold: to remove hazardous gases from installations and population centers, and allow the use of the remains that were condensed on the walls. In most cases, stacks and galleries are all that is left of these metallurgical establishments.

In general, the conservation status of the few existing remnants is quite deplorable. For cases that do not have protection as BIC, only regret is waiting for the time when real estate speculation to bury them for good. For those who do have such protection, the unwillingness of the Administration for its value predicts a slow and lingering death, leaving time runs covering their tracks.

The History of the Mining Chimneys
In the Sierra de Cartagena-La Union, especially on the mountains broken off of it, tens of chimneys were built for mining operations.

Some were shaped like a truncated square pyramid the others were mostly truncated cones. They were constructed for two purposes: either to remove the fumes released by the boilers of steam engines that were responsible for lowering and raising the cages hanging from the masts, also, to operate jackhammers, or, to expel the fumes of the ovens where they were melted minerals. All those chimneys of the Sierra Minera near a booth with extraction are the first type, when alone, corresponding to the second.

The construction of a chimney took three to four months and required the work of four workers at most. Cut bricks were used to varying degrees, from eighteen inches to fifteen, from five. The diameter of the base came to be something more than a meter and it was narrowing down to a close in less than half, about eighteen inches or so. In addition to the brick, the workers used as the mortar binding material, a mixture of sand, lime and water. The work was done by climbing up the inside through scaffolds with irons and woods, in the highest areas with iron ladders. There were frequent accidents resulting in workers that suffered, numerous contusions and fractures

The Remains of Dolores, San Francisco and Hope CastsThe only reference found to Casting Dolores comes from Antonio Molina Sánchez ("Cuevas, land of silver"), who claims to have been built since 1850, in the place of Piedrallana. In 1883 it was owned by Jose Soler Gomez, one of the leading exporters of lead.The Foundry San Francisco, named in the Catalogue of PH of the Board, may be the Casting Tres Amigos, that one change of ownership also changed its name. This is the theory of Antonio Molina Sánchez. Three Amigos was built in 1847 by a society of Madrid led by the Duke of Riansares, morganatic husband of Queen Maria Cristina. Had 3 kilns, ovens sleeve 4 and 3 cupel.The funny thing is that both Dolores abd San Fransisco are protected as property No 21 and 18 respectively in the General Catalogue of the Andalusian Historical Heritage of goods industrial heritage related to mining in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, by resolution of January 7, 2004 (BOJA No. 29 of 12 February 2004), assigning both the same location, just off Villaricos north. For Dolores cast its cadastral reference points (polygon 8, plot 97), and San Francisco Foundry UTM (609025.4123940).To add more confusion, in the vicinity of the smelter had found Hope. This was described in 1844 by mining engineer Ezquerro of Bayo as one of the three existing Almagrera metallurgical industries. It was built in 1842 by the owners of the rich mine Observation of Jaroso Barranco, to advance their own minerals. Popularly known as the Factory Cura, since the company was headed by the pastor of Cuevas del Almanzora. It had a large building occupying about 12,000 square meters, and worked with 8 smelters, 12 calcination, a reverberatory furnace and 4 cups. To wind the furnaces had a steam engine of 90 horses, and employed 90 workers. It was one of the factories production increased and more regular, reliable supply by having mine own, staying on until 1887, during the crisis of Almagrera mining.At present, given the scarcity of remains, it is very difficult to define which of them correspond.

San Francisco Javier Chimenea

The founder was St. Francis Xavier Also known as Huelin, by its builder, William Huelin. It was built in 1853, and was of large dimensions, by having 19 ovens.

The chimenea remained very active until 1884, when it ceased. In 1887 it was acquired by an English company that made several modifications to melt minerals in The Blacksmith. Only the chimney has been in the highest part of the town of Palomares. The slag heaps found at the entrance of the village from the coast, may correspond to the nearby San Andres cast. Protection: Listed as Property # 23 in the registration collective in the General Catalogue of the Andalusian Historical Heritage of goods industrial heritage related to mining in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, by resolution of January 7, 2004 (BOJA No. 29 of 12 February 2004).

Palomeres Beach

This kilm was built in 1842 by the Society Heredros Rhodes and Company, Madrid, on the beach in Palomares.

The building would have been great, with 2 floors and 17 balconies. Furnaces had 5 beam, 3 reverbs, 2 ovens and 2 German English cupellation, which emptied into a large chimney of 80 meters, employing over 80 workers. He left to melt in the 70's of the nineteenth century, there is evidence that it had long stopped when it was established in 1881 in building a community of French Benedictine monks who founded a monastery that only lasted a year. Only kiln retains a circular shape, and a huge heap. It is located on the edge of the beach in Palomares, just behind the gas station. There is no kind of protection.

Val d'Isere, Espace Killy, France

2012-02-27T04:41:00.002-08:00

We were up at 2am, on my birthday, for a drive from Newcastle to Manchester airport.
We flew with Jet2, who have the noisiest air conditioning known to man, impossible to talk or relax on the flight.
We arrived at Chambery airport midday for a 2 hour coach ride up to the resort.

We booked our holiday with Le Ski a trusted chalet travel company that we have travelled with for a few years now.

As I was still learning to snowboard I booked a 4 day intermediate course with a company called Pro-Snowboarding. I took a group lesson which I think is the best way to learn as you meet other people who are at the same level as you and you can share stories if your bumps and bruises. Outside of lessons you find you are surrounded by 'experts and whizz kids' so it's lovely to be amongst others at the same level as you for a few hours. I would definitely recommend Steph, my instructor at Pro Snowboarding, being South African he spoke perfect English,spoke very clearly, explained techniques excellently and gave personalised instruction for improvement. I had received instruction from a rival company previously but never received such personalised advice.

I think if I do another ski holiday I'd def try to take day 3 or 4 off completely. People are often quite weary by day 3:4 and really do bees a day break to recover.

The bars and restaurants in the mountains are expensive but you really can't beat the view,so spending a few extra euros on your vin chaud is definitely worth it. The weather was so warm whilst we were in Val I took a fancy to the bars deck chairs and stripped off to my t- shirt- now i understand why I've seen photos of the girls out in their bikinis - the place may be full of snow but there are occasions where it's bloody hot out there - you are closer to the sun after all! The bars I. The mountain are also a great opportunity to have a chill out whilst other crazy energetic people in your party can break away and have their crazy hour what you stuff your face with Belgian waffles whilst their not looking.

Although Le Ski chalets are fully catered the chalet hosts do get 1 day off which gives you the opportunity to try some other French cuisines. Thursday was our chalets day off so we booked into a restaurant, opposite Victors, called La Casserole. We chose this restaurant as it offered cheese and steak fondues, which you don't see very often at home. The food was fantastic I had a huge smoked salmon and salad starter, with a very generous portion of salmon whilst my husband had a cred beef and Parma ham salad. The starters adds definitely. If enough for 2.

If you are keen to see how you've improved or fancy checking out where or how fast you've been, there are some great apps for smartphones. I downloaded an app called Phreez for my iPhone and my husband also had it on his Android. The app shows and plays back the route you cover throughout the day and shows you lots of interesting graphs illustrating speed. Difficulty and altitude. You can even upload the results to Facebook to share your day with friends. you don't require an Internet connection for this app, it simply uses GPS to track you, which is not chargeable. But you do have to wait until you regain Internet connection to check out your results.
Another app i found useful was itrailmap. The only problem with these apps is they seem to encourage the butters to go as fast as possible.

We got married at Almond Morgan Bay, St Lucia!

2012-02-15T04:57:00.000-08:00

Planning our wedding abroad was so easy, we actually found our return home party the most stressful thing to organise. As you will know if you have read any of my previous posts, I love to travel and planning where we were going to go was all part of the fun.

I looked at the Florida Keys, Spain, Bled Island in Slovakia and the Caribbean. And finally we settled on St Lucia. The main resaon being, we assumed we would be pretty much guaranteed good weather, the ceremony would be conducted in English and many of the resorts were all inclusive, so no one wouldn't have to worry about spending too much on top iof the cost of getting to the destination.

We chose Almond Morgan Bay in St Lucia as it was the only resort on the island that allowed children and we had a 6 month old nephew that was also attending. We chose a date, booked our flights and accomodation and immediately the wedding planner from the resort was intouch to confirm the date of marriage, In St Lucia, you must be in the country for a few days before the ceremony itself, always check this with the foreign office. As part of the holiday a free wedding was included, but there are extras available to personalise this further. Our wedding planner emailed all the details of the extra packages available, but we were advised there was no need to decide until we arrived in St Lucia. When you book your wedding from the UK, you forget that these resorts hold weddings everyday, often more than once a day (another thing you should check before booking a destination weedding), so they are unbelievably efficient in co-ordinating everything. There is absolutely no need to worry. At the Almond Morgan Bay resort, they had everything covered.

On arrival at the hotel we had a letter from the wedding co-ordinator to arrange an appointment the following day to provide our legal documents and meet with the minister. Here we discussed the extras we required, which for us were extra champagne, chair covers and pink sashes. We picked the flowers and location as there were a few avaiable; the beach, a pergoda and the pier. We also booked the end of the pier for our dinner party.

The Almond Morgan Bay resort was certainly a good choice as all our guests were happy. My Fiance and I (now husband!) had an excellent rooftop suite with a great view of the pool and sea, whilst our guests also enjoyed a beautiful sea view. The food was excellent at all on site restaurants and the bartenders were great at creating all sorts of cocktails. My father in law is now a big fan of B52's.

The Weather. As we flew over to arrive in St Lucia, we noticed alot of rain and lots of flooded rivers with brown water running into the sea. Having visited other tropical climes where you get turrential rain for an hour or two, for it then to be dryed away by the beautiful sunshine, I persumed St Lucia would be the same. Oh, was I wrong! I researched the weather before choosing our wedding date to ensure we would fall into the 'dry season' but it was anything but dry. Global warming really is playing hovok with the worlds weather system. 5 out of 8 days were pretty much turrential rain :-(. As the rain went on, I started to get a little conserned as we had planned to get married at the pergoda on the hill, but the wedding advisor said not to worry, if it rained she said they would just move everything into the pier which offered full shelter.

Surprisingly, I was so happy it did rain on our wedding day. Not only because everyone kept telling me it meant we would have good luck, but the pier was the most amazing location. The long pier created a beautiful aisle for me to walk down and our choice of music blended with the panoramic sound of the sea made it a wonderful experience. I couldnt stop smiling through the whole ceremony.

The only thing I did find weird was the suggestion by our photographer to smash cake in each others faces, I had never heard of this before but it is a tradition in the US. My husband and I do love our cake but this was taking it a bit far.

After the ceremony we had photographs taken at various locations around the resort and then went back to the bar for more wedding cake and drinks.

We had a wonderful wedding day with none of the stresses you would get at home. The wedding co-ordinator was so relaxed, we felt there really was nothing to worry about. I had my hair and makeup done at the Spa prior to our wedding. Not really being a 'girlie girl' I had no idea what to have done with my hair but the haridresser created wonders with my hair. Even though i was running a little late for the wedding, the beauty therapist relaxed me saying 'you can afford to be late the wedding won't happen without you!'. Whilst I was getting ready my husband enjoyed a morning of wakeboarding on our wedding day as watersports were also included at the Almond Morgan Bay.

We didn't do much exploring in St Lucia, mainly due to the weather. We took a visit to pigeon island and although I can imagine it to be beautiful on a good day, we had turrential rain and it wasn't a fun day out! On a clearer day we took the Ziplining and Canopy Tram Tour in St Lucia's Rainforest, this was a great experience not to be missed, you can do either or both experiences and I would recommend both if you are able as they each offer very different views of the forest. The canopy tour is more educational whilst the ziplining is more active.

Thailand, Bangkok to Phuket, the crazy to the calm

2012-02-05T15:33:00.000-08:00

First Stop Bangkok, we checked in to The Royal Orchid Sheraton, a very refined contemporary style hotel right on the Chao Phraya River where we were to spend 2 nights.

Our first day in Bangkok was one hell of a culture shock, this was my husband and I's first trip to the East. We had heard many stories of Bangkok so were aware of some of the tricks, but we didn't realise quite how good the tricksters were!

First on our list was to pay a visit to The Grande Palace. We took a riverboat taxi from outside the hotel down the river, which was an experience in itself, to a market just a short walk down from the palace. On our walk up to the palace we were stopped by a man on the corner of the palace walls dressed a security guard, he was stood next to a wooden stand, spoke perfect english and looked very official. He questioned my trousers as they were slightly cropped and told me I would not be aloowed to go into the palace, I was aware there was a gown provided but the 'security officer' advised as there had been prayers in the morning, we would be better opff returning in the afternoon and it would also be quieter so probably a more enjoyable experience, So we decided to take his advise, then asked him if he had any suggestions for the morning. He recommended a tuk tuk, negotiated a price with the tuk tuk driver and off we went on our 4 hour mystery tour!

The security guard advised we would be taken to some very popular temples and other sites around the city. However, it was all a trick... we were taken to a couple of very quiet temples but the rest of the time we were taken to shops - jewellery, crafts, suits and tour shops.

I am releived to say we did survive the tuk tuk ride and made it to the The Grande Palace.in the afternoon. The temples really were magnificent!

After the shock of Bangkok's tuk tuk experience, I could see my husband really needed a bit of western 'chill out time' so I remembered the images of the trendy shopping malls I had seen on the internet. We jumped in a taxi and went in search of the MBK and Siam Paragon Shopping Malls. I'm pleased to say this did the trick and chilled us both out for the rest of the day. Both malls were fascinating - filled with lots of trendy items not seen in the UK and if your into Electronics MBK must not be missed!

Skybar

We had a fantastic meal in the restaurant and got struck by lightening in the Skybar! Yes Really! This is the tallest building in South East Asis and an interesting place to be in a lightening storm. If theres one plac I'd recommend in Bangkok this has to be the place.

Daytrips From Bangkok

The moral of the story with Daytrips from Bangkok - do not purchase from the tour shops the tuk tuk;s take you too.

Dumnden Saduan Floating Market

and the River Qwai

simply too far from Bangkok for a day trip

Rome

2011-12-13T06:42:00.000-08:00

Rome was one of the destinations I visited on a cruise of the Mediterranean on board P&O Arcadia. The ship docked at the Port of Civitavecchia, located around 80km from the city itself. If you intend to visit the city from Civitaveccia, make sure you plan how you are going to get there. I travelled on an excursion organised by P&O, however if you are on a budget you may want to try the train which is much cheaper.

I took P&O's Introduction to Rome tour and I'm so happy I did. Unless your a historian, Rome is a place best seen with a guide. There is so much history here and it's great to have everything explained to you, although groups the groups are very big, so make sure you listen up!

After the long coach trip into the Rome, the tour started at The Roman Forum. This was the religious and political focus of the city in Republican and Imperial times. Here you will see the ancient ruins which reflect 12 centuries of history, which created the Roman civilisation.

The Roman Forum

The Colosseum

Next up was the Colosseum, Rome’s finest amphitheatre, commissioned by Emperor Vespasian in 72 AD. You can imagine how amazing it would have been in it's heyday, full to the brim with 55,000 people. Colosseum Marketing, if your listening, I would love to see the inside of the structure brought to life on a visit with some lions and live actors! The Colosseum is a must see.

The Colosseum

We then got back on our coach and were whisked away to the centre of the Roman Catholic faith, St Peter's Basilica - one, if not the, most famous cathedral in the world. If you want to go inside make sure your dressed appropriately. The building is immense and the interior has to be seen to be believed, it is truly impressive. The crypts beneath the Cathedral interesting are too.
The afternoon gave us plenty of free time to explore Rome on our own. We split the group at St Peter’s Square and had lunch, did some shopping visited the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps

Exhausting Day!

Split, Omis and Brac, Croatia

2011-11-23T13:52:00.000-08:00

I had travelled to Croatia once before, to the city of Dubrovnik and absolutely loved it. So, I thought I'd see where in Croatia we could get a flight to, from Newcastle Airport. The destination of Split was the only place there were flights to and although the name didn't sound appealing, the photos and the reviews I read were excellent.

Podstrana

We stayed at The Residence right next to the prestigious Le Meridian Lav, just a 15 minutes bus ride out of Split. For a surcharge you can use the pool and spa facilities of the Meridian and watch the sun set in their infinity pool. We had a few great meals at their rooftop restaurant and visited nearly every night for their fantastic cocktails.

If your a millionaire with a sunseeker, there is a marina at the Meridien for you to dock and there are some nice bars and restaurants here too.

Split

Split is the second largest city in Croatia and was once the home to Roman Emporor Diocletian who built his palace here in 300AD. The palace has to be the no.1 sight to see in Split as it is now a UNESCO World Heritage sight. The area is beautifully lit at night so make sure you visit both night and day. There are some great restaurants and the street atmosphere is very friendly and relaxed.

There are many museums and art galleries to keep you entertained including that of Ivan Mestrovic, Croatia's most renowned modern sculptor. One of his creations, the statue of Grgur Ninski is located just outside the city walls - rubbing the toe of this 10th century towering bishop is said to bring good luck!

Omis

One of the days we decided to take the bus in the opposite direction to Split and ended up in the town of Omis, a town on the mouth of the Cetina River, surrounded by massive gorges.

One of the things you won't miss here are adverts for Rafting on the Cetina River. We booked ourselves on a trip for the following day and for those who love active holidays this really must not be missed, we had a fantastic time and it was certainly one of the highlights of our trip.

This really is a beautiful town with lots of history, including a Pirate one! I'd recommend a trek up the steps of the fortress for the impressive views you will find at the top.

Island of Brac, Croatia

We took the ferry from the port of Split over to Supertar on Brac in search of the herb fed lamb we were told about by the waiter the night before. Brac doesn't have much grass so the sheep there feed on sage and rosemary. We hired a little car from the port on arrival and off we went exploring. The island is very small so you can easily tour the whole area in a day.

Another interesting fact we learnt about Brac is that it's famous for its white stone. I was surprised to hear the stone that built The White House was sourced from here and so was the stone for Diocletian palace in Split and the Arc de Triomphe in France.

One of our stops was Zlatni Rat beach, which has to be one of the most beautiful beaches in Europe. For Kite and Windsurf fans this beach has a perfect landscape, we sat captivated by the kitesurfers for a few hours

Our search the the herb fed lamb took us to the village of Dol. The road to the village comes to a dead end and there we found a lovely, very rustic old family owned restaurant. The lamb was fantastic but unfortunately it wasn't just us who had an appetite for lamb... we were attacked by wasps who decided to create a flight path to our table. We tried everything to divert them from electric fans, giving them their own "scrap plate", to murder but still they came, flying off with chunks twice their size! So needless to say that kind of spoilt our experience but I suppose highlights how good the lamb was. To top off our evening a reasonably large snake passed our table and scared my fella to death.

We had a great time on Brac, when we return to Croatia i am definitely going to plan island hopping into the itinerary.

an interesting little boat in Supertar's port

Supertar by night

El Medano, Tenerife

2011-11-16T12:35:00.000-08:00

We loved El Medano, Tenerife. We went the second week of December 2010 and found it a refreshing break from the UK's Christmas rush - there were no Christmas tree's in sight and there was a lovely mild temperature.

I booked a last minute deal from Thomson holidays and stayed at the Arenas Del Mar on an All Inclusive basis. The hotel had a lovely modern design on the inside, although it did look a bit like a prison from the outside and was just 10 minutes walk from the centre of the town.

if your feeling active take a walk or run up the mountain you see in these photos - the top of Mount Roja has some excellent views.

if your interested in kite surfing this is a great place to be as it is a well known High Wind Area. If you have never watched kitesurfing before, grab yourself a mojito and watch it from one of the beach bars - you will be captivated. I wouldn't recommend learning in El Medano, we had a few lessons but they were very expensive compared to other places we visited.

If your into scuba diving get in touch with El Medano Dive Centre before you go. We did a reef dive and saw lots of marine life. It is also possible to see turtles and ray's in Tenerife

My Favourite Road

2011-11-04T07:39:00.000-07:00

I travel approximately 30,000 miles per year for work, mainly in the North of England. The favourite road on my travels has to be the one between Ponteland just to the West of Newcastle Upon Tyne and Jedburgh. I travel this road approximately 6 times a year and every time I do I am in awe of the beautiful countryside Northumberland and the Scottish Borders has to offer. In November, the spectrum of shades of the foliage is brilliant - yellows, oranges, reds, browns and greens. There is a beautiful reservoir and the mist over the lake and trees, adds to the atmosphere of the landscape. As you drive into Jedburgh you will be greeted with the view of the impressive Jedburgh Abbey, which was founded in 1138.

If you are travelling between Newcastle and Edinburgh, this route is a much better alternative to the A1 if you fancy a more relaxing drive.

Road Trip Spain

2011-11-03T06:52:00.000-07:00

After returning from a road trip down the West Coast of America, I wondered why I had never tried something like this closer to home. Then that little light bulb went off in my head – Road Trip Spain! I had been to many of Spain’s Holiday destinations in the past so thought on this occasion I’d plan destinations I had either not spent much time in or discovered before.

I flew with Jet2 from Newcastle Airport into Malaga and picked another destination to fly back home from, which on this occasion was Murcia. I considered ending in Portugal but when looking at the cost of hire car found that the prices became astronomical if you were returning the car to another country.

The route I planned was Malaga City – Tarifa – Cadiz - Seville – Cordoba – Granada – Almeria – Vera (as my Dad has a place there) and Cartagena to conclude. Other destinations I would recommend are Rhonda and Marbella if you have never been before.

Tips when planning a road trip in Spain

1. Check low cost airlines website to see where you can fly to from your local airport

2. Check the cost of the hire car, from your pick-up and drop-off locations.

3. Give yourself a budget per night, before you start picking hotels. I budgeted £50 per night, you will find some come in cheaper and some more expensive, but make sure they balance out. I managed to get some great 4 Star Hotels too

4. Check the major hotel search websites Hotels.com, Expedia and Bookings.com and book with them via a Cashback website such as Quidco. Booking via a Cashback website means extra savings, I found I saved a further 5% on my accommodation costs.

5. If you are booking in advance, check to see if the hotels you book are refundable or not. If they are you can check prices again at a later date and if they are cheaper you can cancel your booking and re-book.

6. If possible try to pick hotels with Free Parking, where possible; otherwise budget 11-16 Euros per night in city centres. You can also try parking on the street but make sure you get the hotel receptionist to translate the parking signs for you if you don’t speak Spanish.

7. One other point about parking in Spain, the Spanish often bump their cars without concern. When you walk down the streets in Spain, you can play the game, spot the car without any damage. On this note, you may want to ensure your insurance covers all damage!

8. If you have a smartphone, install the app FourSquare. We noticed some of the hotels we stayed at gave Free Breakfast if you checked in on the FourSquare App.

Malaga

At our first stop, Malaga, we stayed at the Barcelo right next to the Malaga’s main train station. The hotel had a beautiful contemporary design and an interesting slide feature in reception that the occasional adult came flying down. The location of the hotel was ok but if you don’t like walking or catching taxi’s you may prefer to be a little closer to the city.

Most British tourists bypass this city and head straight off to Marbella, but if you have time it is definitely worth a visit, it is after all one of the world’s oldest cities. We started off walking through the beautiful botanical gardens which were full with an abundance of beautiful, unique plants and trees, we then walked up to The Alcazaba. The Alcazaba was the palace-fortress of past muslim rulers Spain in the 11^th century. If you look up the huge hill from the Alcazaba, you can see the impressive Castillo de Gilbralfaro, which overlooks Malaga city, the port and the Bullring, this castle dates back to the 10th century. At the bottom of the hill, as you leave the Alcazaba, on the right hand side we found the Roman Ampitheatre which dates back to the 1st century BC.

Opposite the Roman Amphitheatre we found a street of fantastic tapas bars, we ate at the first one on the corner and had a fantastic lunch. We then walked up this street and off to the left where we found the main shopping area, here, we found some unique shops. Further into the evening the streets in this area came alive with more great bars and restaurants with a great friendly atmosphere. We found Malaga to be a very popular destination for many of the American tourists that were there.

Tarifa

This has to be one of my favourite destinations on the south coast of Spain. Tarifa is very much a kite-surfer town, so it goes without saying – be prepared for the wind! If you want to learn to kitesuft it’s a great destination with many shops offering lessons and equipment at affordable prices.

Peurto Santa Maria
We stayed at the Bodega Real at Puerto Santa Maria. It’s a great location if you’re a Sherry Wine and Brandy lover, as this area is home to some of the largest Bodega’s including Terry and Osbourne’s.

Make sure you visit the Castle of San Marcos, which was constructed during the 10th Century and looks like the perfect sandcastle.

And if your an ice cream lover, make sure you check out the amazing Italian ice cream shop on calle Luna, called Da Massimo (that deliver’s too!). Flavours included Nutella, Cheesecake and Ferraro Rocher.... yummy

On our first evening we took a short dive over to Puerto Sherry

We also found 2 perfect pirate ships at Puerto Sherry

Cadiz

We took the catermaran (public transport) from Puerto Santa Maria where we were staying over to the city of Cadiz. Torre Taviras, Camera Obscura

You could take a bus tour of Cadiz, but to be honest I don’t really see the point as the busses would never be able to go down the most interesting narrow streets, plus Cadiz is quite a small island anyway.

Jerez

We drove through Jerez on the way to Seville as I had been here before. If you have time you may want to visit the Jerez School of Equestrian Art where you will find the beautiful white dancing horses

Seville

This is my favorite city in Spain. We stayed at the Marriott AC Hotel, a modern hotel about 15 minutes walk from the city wall. There were plenty of buses which stopped just at the back of the hotel, which take you straight into the city.

Most of the city centre is pedestrianised and the thing we noticed first was how active the city was, with people running, using the city hire bikes, women roller blading with push chairs and rowing down the river. It was great to see a city that coped so well without the car.

The buildings in Seville are simply breathtaking and the old buildings are very well preserved. The Cathedral and the Plaza de Espana in Maria Luisa Park, must not be missed!

Cordoba

By the time we arrived in Cordoba, we were a bit tired if old buildings. Again there is a strong Roman and Islamic history in this city

The Roman Bridge

At night you may want to try out the ultra contemporary SOJO Ribera Lounge Bar on

Flamenco

We stayed at the El Triunfo Hostal, this was a great location, right next to the Roman Bridge, however I wouldn’t recommend it as I wasn’t impressed with the rooms, my first words the following morning we're "get me out of here".

Granada

You can't visit Granada without a trip to The Alhambra, in October it wasn't too busy but I heard the queues were bad so booked our tickets online through the Alhambra website. I booked a half day tour which took us through the most important parts of the Alhambra and also gave us a tour of the city. It ended with entry into the Monastery of Saint Jerome in the city, I would definitely recommend you see the Altarpiece in the Church of St Jerome - stunning!

Cabo de Gata, Almeria

We stayed at the Barcelo Cabo de Gata a newly built, modern hotel ocated right on the beach.

Carboneras

The road between Carbonera and Mojácar is very scenic, it winds perilously through the hills some way inland, and offers only occasional access to some tempting beaches.

Mojacar - Vera Playa

We stayed at my Dad's house in Vera Playa which is close to Garrucha and Mojacar. Vera Playa boasts the world's best naturist beach, so that is an area to either embrace or avoid dependent upon your outlook. There are some great bikini beaches at Mojacar Playa and there are plenty of beach bars and restaurants there too.

Cartagena
Before I chose this destination on our road trip, I did some research on this city online. I read that the city have undergone some regeneration, but I think it still has a way to go before it can compare to some of the others we visited. However, on our day of exploring this city it was wet and drizzly.

We stayed at the Sercotel Hotel Carlos III which was a great affordable contemporary style hotel, just 15 minutes walk to the main shopping area. At the time of our visit if you check-in using the foursquare app for smartphones you could get free breakfast too :-)

Cartagena has a very strong naval history, along the modern harbour promenade, you will find ships of all sizes and some military ones too. If you are really interested in naval history and diving, there is a great Naval Museum on the harbour and further along the port you can also find the Peral Submarine, the first practical submarine ever built.