Monte Roldan: a military road to the summit

Monte Roldan is a mountain peak at an elevation of 468m (1,535ft) above the sea level, located in the Murcia region of southeast Spain. The road offers stunning views of the Mediterranean coastline of Murcia.

Monte Roldan

Located within the Sierra de la Muela, Cabo Tiñoso y Roldán, the road to the summit, nicknamed the Ziz zag road, is unpaved and narrow. It’s drivable by 4x4 but closed to motor vehicles. The peak offers stunning views of Cartagena countryside, Mar Menor, the Bay of Cartagena and Tiñoso Cape.The road to the summit is pretty steep. Starting from Carretera Algameca, the ascent is 5.8km (3.60 miles) long. Over this distance, the elevation gain is 415 meters. The average gradient is 7.15%.

The summit hosts the Bateria de Roldán, a military fortification. It is the highest battery of the area. It is an antiaircraft battery armed in 1933 within the Defense Plan of General Primo de Rivera. It was built in accordance with the Defense Plan of 1926 (the so-called Vickers Deployment) of the Primo de Rivera government, destined to fortify the naval bases of El Ferrol, Mahón and Cartagena. The battery was abandoned in 1965. The works began by making a road linking the city with the top of the hill, built between 1931 and 1932.
Road suggested by: jorge manuel gómez sánchez
Pic: Mtb Merida Bike