El Cortijo Grande: Golf, History and Sierra Cabrera

Activities

Cortijo Grande Club de Golf is a nine-hole golf course.

Club Hípico “Cortijo Grande” is an equestrian centre with a riding arena.

One route reaches the small golf-course facilities of Cortijo Grande and then continues uphill.

In the vicinity of Cortijo Grande stands the square Torreón de Sierra Cabrera, built of rubble masonry with dressed stones at the corners.

In the vicinity of Cortijo Grande, the Torreón de Sierra Cabrera has one storey, an elevated doorway and rectangular openings.

A route in the vicinity of Cortijo Grande crosses the Sierra Cabrera after leaving Cortijo Cabrera, following an asphalt track.

The two routes described pass through different sections of the area surrounding the locality: one first reaches the small golf-course facilities and then climbs, while the other crosses the Sierra Cabrera on an asphalt track after leaving Cortijo Cabrera. The road sign from Turre to Almería indicates the Cortijo Grande–Cortijo Cabrera connection.

Other places include Armuña De Almanzora, Las Hortichuelas, Felix, Huércal-Overa, Tabernas, Velefique, Bedar and Terque.

History

Aeródromo de Turre–Cortijo Grande has been abandoned.

In Turre, Aeródromo de Turre–Cortijo Grande is a cultural site of historical interest.

El Cortijo Grande was once an estate belonging to wealthy landowners, one of the largest in the comarca, and had mills as well as an olive mill.

Aeródromo de Cortijo Grande served as a filming location for “The Empire of the Sun” and “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”.

A control tower and a hangar area are still present at Aeródromo de Cortijo Grande; both, however, are in a ruinous condition.

The historic appearance of the locality therefore includes both the abandoned Aeródromo de Turre–Cortijo Grande and the former El Cortijo Grande estate. At the aerodrome, its former use as a filming location and the surviving, now ruinous sections of the control tower and hangar are also part of the locality’s history.

Local context

La Almazara is a Mediterranean restaurant in Cortijo Grande.

On the road from Turre to Almería, the signage indicates Cortijo Grande–Cortijo Cabrera.

Nature

In the vicinity of Cortijo Grande, the Sierra Cabrera has peaks over 900 metres high, including Arraez at 919 metres and Mezquita at 960 metres.

In the vicinity of Cortijo Grande, the Sierra Cabrera has a species-rich flora with numerous endemic plants, including palmetto, wild olive, broom, esparto grass and thyme.

In the vicinity of Cortijo Grande, the protected spur-thighed tortoise is native to the Sierra Cabrera.

The Sierra Cabrera thus combines high peaks with a species-rich plant world and the presence of the protected spur-thighed tortoise. The elevations mentioned include the 919-metre-high Arraez and the 960-metre-high Mezquita. The flora includes palmetto, wild olive, broom, esparto grass and thyme; numerous of these plants are endemic.

For the higher-level travel overview: Almeria.