Although I’m less than an hour’s drive from the Costa Cálida in south-eastern Spain, the scenery couldn’t be more different from the golden coves and lively seaside towns. Pine trees cloak the hills as far as I can see. The Sierra Espuña reserve is known as the green lung of the region of Murcia – but if it hadn’t been for one extraordinary man, forestry engineer Ricardo Codorníu, this probably would not be here. When the railways arrived here in the early 1860s to support burgeoning logging and mining industries, the once densely forested landscape was denuded in just 30 years – the mountain range, devoid of life, resembled little more than a desert. When Codorníu – an ecologist born in nearby Cartagena – visited in 1888, he was dismayed to see “neither a single pine tree nor a single oak tree”. He set about restoring the forest, not an easy task given the mountainous terrain. (Photo: Murcia Region Tourism)

Homes 38 mammals, 120 birds and 1,000 plants

Some say he and his team resorted to using a blunderbuss firearm to scatter seeds, as well as planting hundreds of thousands of saplings by hand and constructing tracks, paths, dykes and bridges over a period of around 30 years. He later became known as the “Apostol del Arbol”, or Apostle of the Trees. More than 100 years later, the area is once again carpeted with trees including native Aleppo pine, holm oak, ash, maple and elm. It is now home to more than 120 species of birds including the golden eagle, goshawk, booted eagle and crossbill, 38 varieties of mammals and 1,000 species of plants. (Photo: Jose Antonio Aldeguer/Getty)

Changing perceptions

“He was a visionary,” says Fina Mora, the tourism development agent for the handsome gateway town of Alhama de Murcia. “Without the forests, this town, and many others, [would be] regularly flooded.” Protected for almost 50 years, the 65 sq miles of reserve is scored with a network of walking and cycling trails. “Most visitors don’t realise it’s possible to go mountain biking and hiking in this part of Spain,” adds Mora. “They associate Murcia with beaches.” But that could be changing – Murcia’s recent tourism statistics show that growth is outpacing the national average. British holidaymakers clearly still favour the Costa Cálida, making up the highest percentage of international visitors in the year to October 2024. Inland, international visitors were led by the French, with Britons following close behind (the numbers are more modest – 5,000 compared with 42,000 beachgoers). Yet Spanish visitors came in their droves – more than 30,000 exploring the interior from neighbouring Andalucia alone. (Photo: Maremagnum/Getty)

Accessible walks or mountain biking

Displays at the Ricardo Codorníu visitor centre illustrate the reserve’s history and wildlife. Several walking routes fan out from the centre, including an accessible walk of around 45 minutes, with a refreshment stop at Restaurant Fuente del Hilo, and longer routes taking a couple of hours. A handful of Spanish, French and English-speaking couples and families are enjoying the shady tracks on foot or on bikes, but otherwise the forest is ours. Any of the paths will take you deep into the forest, with far-reaching views, and silence save for the wind in the trees. Meanwhile, mountain bikers can tackle the challenging 89-mile (144km) Espubike of Sierra Espuña circuit (pictured), for which a passport is stamped on completion of each of its four stages. (Photo: Getty)

Route of the Dinosaurs

I walk the Route of the Dinosaurs, so called because it passes a rock formation said to resemble a prehistoric reptile’s footprint, breathing deeply the scent of pine resin. Starting from La Perdiz recreation area, the path takes me through trees, across a rope bridge where I squint at a rock bearing the “footprint” and summon my imagination to picture the foot that might have left its imprint here. Easier to identify is the chestnut rump of a retreating endemic Espuña squirrel and a vulture soaring overhead. I hop in the car for a coffee stop at Hotel La Mariposa, around half an hour’s drive from the visitor centre. Just outside the boundary of the reserve, in the village of Gebas, its pretty gardens are a haven for butterflies, with far-reaching views of the Sierra Espuña range. (Photo: Jose Hernandez)

Los Barrancos de Gebas

The manager, Gavin Nielsen, hopes to attract longer-staying visitors to the park by encouraging them to explore the walking and cycling trails that can be accessed directly from the hotel, as well as rock-climbing and wildlife-watching tours. “We’d rather people didn’t just drop in for lunch and then leave again.” From the hotel it’s a mile or so down a dirt track to a lookout, offering spectacular views of Los Barrancos de Gebas, otherwise known as the Badlands. This lunar-like landscape was part of the seabed 10 million years ago, a stark contrast to Codorníu’s verdant project, but its harsh environment still supports a surprising diversity of resilient wildlife. I continue my drive along a stomach-lurching series of hairpin bends. The air is noticeably cooler as I step out of the car, not surprising since I’ve reached an altitude of 1,400 metres, higher than Ben Nevis. (Photo: Murcia Region Tourism)

Pozos de la Nieve

Before me are the remains of the Pozos de la Nieve, or “snow houses”. Dating from the 16th century, these sci-fi-looking pits were dug to store snow. In summer, the ice was transported by horse and cart, melting as it went to the wealthy households of Murcia and Cartagena. A couple of the Pozos have been restored. I take the dimly lit stairs to the bottom of the cavernous interior of one, the cold air pricking my skin. It is like being at the bottom of a giant well. Nowadays, more balmy winters means it rarely snows in the park. Climate change and wildfires are some of the primary threats to this pioneering rewilding project but could also tempt visitors here out of season and away from the coast for to seek shade and tranquillity in the forest. The Sierra Espuña is a blueprint for bringing nature back to life. (Photo: Antonio Lopez Velasco/Getty)

Travel

Getting There: EasyJet and Ryanair fly to Murcia airport, around 50 minutes away. / Where to Stay: Hotel La Mariposa offers doubles from €79 (£66), as well as activities in the park. / More information can be found at the Espubike – Sierra Espuña, Visitor Centre – Territorio Sierra Espuña and Turismo Alhama De Murcia websites. (Prices accurate at the time of first publication, February 2025) (Photo: Joan Valls/Urbanandsport /NurPhoto via Getty)