We decided to place a cache in one of the 18th century coastal watchtowers that are dotted up and down the coastline.
Set on a hilltop just back from the beach (and the road) it commanded excellent views, looked well-maintained, didn't even involve a huge long hike or a scramble over rocks, unlike most of our other caches.
Commanding the coastliine
In fact, you could probably drive right up to it. We didn't. We parked off the road at the beach, crossed over and wandered leisurely up the hill.
Approaching the tower
There seemed to be a few cars parked at the top. Perhaps there was work going on? Or maybe it was a popular local viewpoint? Not such a good place for a cache if it was popular as they have a habit of going missing from such locations.
We rounded the corner. Stunned. There was a house built right at the bottom and half way around the side of the watchtower.
A house?!!!!
Hiding a cache here seemed even less of a good idea. We walked around the one side which the house hadn't yet annexed. No. There was no way we could hide one here. Even if we put it under a couple of rocks it would almost certainly be discovered by the householders and trashed.
Shame. A good location, nice views, and an impressive watchtower. Amazing place for a house though.
I thought I would see what I could find out about it. The official Andalucían sign at the tower (in the pic) came out with the usual stuff about how there was a series of watchtowers up and down the coast to warn the local population of attacks from pirates in the 18th century blah blah.
The Junta de Andalucia sign - just next to the chairs and table set out in the garden of the tower
It was semi-circular (fairly obvious), with two towers jutting out at the back, and had two floors and a roof terrace. For picking people off, not for sunbathing, or hanging out the laundry which is what most people use them for these days. Apparently the tower could hold almost 25 soldiers. It's the biggest on the Málaga coastline and unique in its shape - most of the others tend to be circular or square.
But the most interesting info I discovered, was at a site called Panoramio, where someone asked about the house. The reply (I couldn't find any corroboration for this, and there was no reference cited), was that after the Spanish Civil War, the tower was ceded as a home to the family of a pensioned Guardia Civil officer, whose descendants continue to live there.
So as well as being a unique shape, and the largest on the provincial coastline, it's also the site of a family home while being an official Andalucían monument.
The view down the coast from the top
7 comments:
Magnificent view... but, why would you want to hide anything there??t
You want to hide a stash or a cache? ARe you hiding something from Pippa?
That is funny there is a little house built at the base of that watchtower.
I find the idea of a funny little house (with, I notice in the Paronimo (sorry poss wrong sp) site, with washing hanging out, bizarre in the extreme!)
Have to say the Scots are guilty of doing this kind of thing to old buildings, with lots of history behind them. An example being Stirling Council, which now looks down upon a 1950s housing estate below of ugly proportions!
It does seem a very odd place to hide a cache too.
Jx
had to go back and re-read, and look at your photos too. How different from one side it looks, to the other side with the funny house, washing line, what looks like an old bike and plastic chairs!
Geo Caching is obviously a mystery .....but it sounds so interesting, it is catching on over here too.
What a lovely looking building with great views. I have to say I think it spoils it having a house there though. Great for the home owners of course, but then not so nice to view it for anyone else.
At Green Jeannie. I shall now need to avoid posting pictures of my terrace and patio with plastic chairs, old (push) bikes, and occasionally washing hanging out ;)
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