Majada Redonda reccy

OK – lie in – got up 8 am UK time and then headed off down the coast to check out various field locations. We drove down through Mojácar and over the Sierra Cabrera (getting more built up all the time on the north side) and stopped in Sopalmo to check out the track down into the rambla which looks fairly OK. Hopefully we’ll have a few sturdy males with us when we drive down there in case of sticky bits.

Then on through Carboneras and checked out the beach south of the Puerto where we found the way to drive into the southern end – very helpful – and checked out that the rocks hadn’t changed. On towards Agua Amarga where we stopped but the old mineral line from Lucaiñena out to the embarcadero and had a pleasant walk out to the headland looking at the industrial archaeology.

The road past the Los Trancos bentonite works is now asphalt all the way but the quarry doesn’t look as though it is working much. Then through past Los Escullos, a brief stop at the bentonite quarry at Morron de Mateo – now has a pond in the bottom and up the lane to Las Presillas where, after the second half of lunch we made our way down into the rambla and wandered along into the Majada Redonda caldera. I’m not totally convinced. The geology map shows it all as Cinto Ignimbrite and although there is some hydrothermal alteration I’d need more than that to come up with a caldera... a ring fracture perhaps?!
We plodded on and on – the path was fine gravel, a bit like walking on a beach! – and must have gone a couple of miles at least on this rather warm afternoon. Eventually decided to call it a day – still not totally convinced – and wandered back again, past the carobs, agaves, pretty wild flower etc to Las Presillas and back up the autopista and home.
More Masterchef – nice Druve won but we wanted them all to win!