2 min read Spain Winter/Spring 2026

Day 46: San Juan de los Terreros (Geoda de Pulpi Visit)

Today's adventure was a visit into an abandoned mine that is now a tourist attraction. I was informed of its existence by a couple who were also parked-up in Almendricos, and went to visit it yesterday. It sounded very interesting so I thought I'd also visit.

SO, I managed to book a ticket for 6.30pm today: the only available slot! It is mandatory to book in advance. The price of a ticket is €25. The price of English audio is €3. You are not allowed to take photos, nor are are to take a mobile phone (some did, some did both!). The price for photographs taken by the guide is €1 per person. So all-in-all it cost me €29.

The tour took approximately 1.5 hours; consisted of 2 kilometres of walking and the descent and subsequent ascent of 139 steps (not that I counted them).

The highlight was the geode (Spanish/Portuguese: geoda).

Definition: spherical, hollow, or vug-filled rocks featuring an outer layer of chalcedony (dense silica) and an internal lining of inward-pointing crystals, most commonly quartz, amethyst, or calcite.

The Geoda de Pulpi is one of the largest known geodas in the world. When discovered in 1999 it was the largest). The Geoda de Pulpi's crystals are made of gypsum (selenite).

Here's a couple of photos ... I'm only included in one of the photos for the sole purpose of enabling you to fully appreciate just how large these crystals are:

  Image 1  Image 2 
 

I found the visit interesting. Was it worth €29. I suppose it was, given that I would like to find out more about geodes and the underlying geology of this area of Andalusia. [Side note: Last year I stayed about 3 miles from the geoda site and didn't know it existed!]

Other things I did today:

  • Polished three pairs of shoes (two cycling (one pair of which is on its last legs) and one pair of Camper shoes.

  • Mended a hole in my woollen waist coat thingy.

  • Planned tomorrow's ride.

  • Changed energy provider.

  • Sewed a replacement button on to a pair of cycling shorts.

  • Cleaned my bike (especially the chain).

  • Went for a walk to the Panaderia: it was closed.

  • Fed myself.

  • Drove to visitor attraction and then on to tonight's park-up (Plan B was invoked: it was way too windy where I had planned to park ... so now I'm parked-up on a quiet side street sheltering from the wind! Along with two other happy campers.)

  • Shortly I'll be going to sleep!

  • Distance driven: 17 miles

  • Distance cycled: 0 kilometres

  • Weather: Mostly overcast with occasional glimpses of the sun. Again windy. Mid afternoon T's about 24°C.

  • Location: Google Maps