Castillo de Guardamar

Guardamar castle crowns the hill above the town, overlooking the final stretch of the Segura River before it reaches the sea. Its origins lie in an Islamic-era fortification that predates the Christian conquest; Jaime I took it in 1264, and almost a century later Pedro I "the Cruel" occupied it again in 1359 during the War of the Two Pedros between the crowns of Castile and Aragon. Listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural since 1985, it can now be visited as part of the same dune-park route that includes La Fonteta and the Rábita Califal.

History

After the Christian conquest, the site was laid out in two parts: the fortress itself on the highest ground, and a small walled settlement below it with a square, a church and houses. That layout held until 23 March 1829, when a major earthquake shook the whole Vega Baja del Segura, killing hundreds of people and ruining much of the region's buildings. The castle was badly damaged, and the town chose to rebuild on safer ground away from the hillside, leaving the fortress as it stands today: a consolidated ruin.

What to see

Surviving remains include stretches of the double polygonal wall, several tower bases and a later bastion added when the fortress was adapted for firearms. Ongoing archaeological digs have recovered part of the layout of the old citadel. Besides the castle itself, the main draw of the climb is the view over the mouth of the Segura, the dune pine forest and the coastline to the south.

The path up has a slope but no technical difficulty, and it is worth avoiding the middle of the day in summer, since much of the route has little shade. For anyone visiting the town, it makes a good first stop for getting your bearings before heading down to the dunes and the rest of the archaeological park.