Guardamar del Segura

The River Segura completes its weary course erupting into the sea at Guardamar del Segura, originally a fortress built to keep upriver towns safe from Berber pirates.

It suffered from the 1829 earthquake and people moved from the castle to the flat land next to the sea, only to be faced with engulfing sand dunes, combated by planting a large pine forest, thus making the town an attractive wooden area with a promenade and lovely beaches and protected dunes.

Fiestas begin with the arrival of the Three Kings in January, carnival in February with a mid-winter appearance of the local Moors & Christians.

This leads on to the fervent Holy Week processions of Holy Week.

In June the Grup Foguerer “Els Milotxes” set up a hoguera bonfire for the feast of San Juan in June.

Guardamar is a renowned fishing port so St. Peter the fisherman is honoured on the 29th of June when his image is put on a boat and taken around the Parque Alfonso 8 to the port area where the “Misa de Campaña” is celebrated followed by a good fish feast. The town (and Spain’s) patron saint, James the Apostle, is celebrated during the last fortnight of July, by parades of the Christians & Moors, including a file of Els Celtes with Scots and Pipers.