Hiking up to the Osborne Bull, Torre del Mar

The Osborne Bull in Almayate is one of the most iconic landmarks on the Malaga coastline.

Weighing over 4000kgs, standing at 14 metres in height and with a total surface area of over 150m2 – the bull is visible from miles around.

It’s situated just off the old coastal road, the N340, outside of Torre del Mar.

How to hike up to the Osborne Bull Torre del Mar

Here’s how to get up there. Please note, access is restricted and you need to be careful – all of the route takes place through a disused quarry. Rock slides are common and there have been a couple of accidents over the years.

This is the main reason the area is now fenced off. Accidents and a vandalism case in late 2015.

People still go up there. The track below marks a hole in the fence you can go through. A big hole. But a hole all the same. I have no idea if it’s a fineable offence doing so. You’ve been warned.

Be careful in the quarry, stay away from the edges and the overhangs – the rock is a sand mixture that disintegrates easily. I wouldn’t go straight after or during rainfall.

This track is an approximation, use your common sense and make your way up as best you can. The bull is always visible.

Phoenician ruins

You park just next to one of the coast’s lesser known, but more interesting ruins. Ones that date back to Phoenician times. The 170-kilometre stretch of coastline between Malaga and Almeria contained a considerable density of Phoenician settlements that were thought to have been established during the 8th century B.C. One of the largest of these settlements was called Toscanos and is found on Cerro del Mar, on the Velez river.

Parts of the settlement are visible today and there’s even a small ‘museum,’ nearby – more of a house that seems permanently closed.

To download the complete track – click here.