There are many castles on the Costa Blanca. This is mostly thanks to the conquests and reconquests between the Moors and Christians many years ago. A new “castles route” has been developed but its information is English is far from complete. The Spanish version of the website has five different routes allowing you to discover all ONE HUNDRED castles in the region.
One of those routes covers the Castle of Tudmir. That’s the one this blog will focus on, simply because it is closer to the area where I live! Tudmir was the Arabic name for the Visigoth Count Theodemir who signed a treaty with the spreading Islamic caliphate to minimalise bloodshed. The treaty enabled people to continue their Christian faith as long as they paid their taxes and did not give assistance to enemies of the Muslim rulers. The centre of Tudmir’s world was Orihuela and his territories spread along what we now call the Costa Blanca.
Within easy reach of Guardamar’s bus station is its ancient castle. It’s an easy climb to the top and from there great views emerge over both the Vega Baja and the Costa Blanca. It’s amazing to see the fruit and vegetable plantations on one side and the vast expanse of the deep blue Mediterranean Sea on the other.
A few kilometres down the coast is the Torre de Moro at La Mata. It’s a short climb up from the beach to this spectacular tower. Nearby you can also see the monument to Nils Gäbel, the first foreign settler in the Torrevieja area.
High on a hill above the town of Callosa you can clearly see the remains of a castle. It is quite a trek to get up there though.
In Orihuela it is somewhat easier to find the track to the castle, but it is far from an easy climb!
