I’ve taken a long hard look at the locations I have enjoyed on my travels around Spain. It’s all part of my continuing mission to decide on the top three destinations to enjoy solitude. Without, that is, entering a monastery. Which, for the record, I have no intention of doing.
It’s just that some of the most peaceful places in Spain don’t get noticed. Maybe that’s why they are so peaceful!
Should the demands of the ever busy online working world be driving you to distraction, I suggest you hop in the car and head for this corner of Catalonia.
The Ebro Delta, where only the birds tweet.
Hooked on the Delta
Farming the Ebro
First I shall recount my experiences of the Ebro Delta. The greatest compliment I can pay it is that, were I ever to be persuaded to take up angling, I would take my bat and ball (sorry, rod and line) to the Ebro. Many people do. The area is a real catch.
You’ll find the Ebro Delta about midway between Valencia and Barcelona. On your map you will see a mass of land poking out into the Mediterranean sea. Extending over 30 square miles, it was formed when silt and rocks were carried down from the Pyrenees. They came to rest at the mouth of the river.
Here you are in the bottom corner of Catalonia and, in winter, it is home to more birds than humans. It is a mesmerising place that may be flat, but is never dull. Many miles of rice fields are dotted with tiny thatched houses. You can spend tranquil hours watching the thousands of flamingos who fly here to reproduce – one of only five places in Europe where they feel secure enough to do so.
Big Country
Poblenou del Delta
The Ebro Delta is the biggest of the twelve reserves in Spain. The River Ebro, meanwhile, is the longest river in the country. Only 25 kilometres of it is navigable, upstream as far as the medieval town of Tortosa. The Delta covers 1000 kilometres and includes wetlands, lagoons, dunes and rice fields.
Rice is all around you. Some of the finest rice in Spain is grown here. Two thirds of the land grows 70 million kilos of high quality rice. If you eat a rice based dish while in Catalonia, it is highly likely the rice will have come from the Ebro. At certain times of the year the area is flooded with fresh water from the River Ebro so as to irrigate the new crop of rice.
L’Ampolla is classed as the gateway to the Delta. Its name means “bottle” in Catalan and your glass is more than half full if you holiday here. There are blue flag beaches including the one at Cap Roig.
There are various ways of getting around the Ebro. Being flat, it lends itself to riding a bike. It’s akin to riding around Belgium or Holland. Beautiful scenery and rarely an incline. I also enjoyed using the basic short ferry ride that took me to the municipality of Sant Juame d’Enveja, all of which is within the Ebro Delta and has a population of a little over three thousand. This is a fascinating place, made up of Els Muntells, Balada and Sant Jaume d’Enveja itself.
Flying High
La Rapita
There are more birds than people in the Ebro Delta and they, along with the fish, are what attract the majority of visitors. Around 100 species of bird live here all year long. At certain times of the year that number trebles. At the height of the season there can be 100.000 birds to be seen through a pair of binoculars or overhead with the naked eye.
Predictably, a stretch of river as long as the Ebro attracts anglers from all over the world. Some arrive on a mission to land a big catfish in the lower Ebro. But others simply come to catch regular fish that they can cook that night. You’ll find them in both the Delta and in the Ebro Valley. Fishing tourism is big business in both.
Plant life is plentiful. Rare sea grasses and reeds surround you. The reeds are used in the production of cane furniture in local towns and villages. Balada is a must see place for those who love to see the ubiquitous Oleander. As you travel around Spain you may see this plant in the central reservation of motorways, adding vibrant colours to the landscape. But the Oleander of Balada is listed as a monumental tree no less, and horticulturalists from all over the world make their way to Balada to see it.
Nice Rice
I really took to Sant Jaume and enjoyed staying there. It has a unique feel to it. The local cuisine is a delight, the people charming. When i stepped into one of the old thatched cottages, used now as a base to sell local products to tourists; I thought I had strolled into a Amish community in the USA. Lots of lace making going on by women dressed in outfits from a lost age. I filled my boot with rice rather than lace. I figured, not unreasonably, that the former would taste nicer than the latter!
The small city of Sant Carlos de la Ràpita is in the south of the Ebro Delta and is a good place to rent your holiday accommodation. A smart place with a nice harbour and restaurants serving some of the finest local dishes. But if it is beach life you want, fear not. You can relax on one of the many long, quiet sand dune lined beaches, including those at Migjorn and the popular Playa de l’Eucaliptus. You are now on the Costa Dorada. There is even an offshore island called La Banya. You can only reach it on foot at low tide. Another, called Buda, lies in a lagoon with a sand bar rim.
Silence is Golden
Loving Ebro
On my travels around the Ebro Delta I heard both Catalan and Valenciano being spoken. Your now perfected Castillian Spanish may be understood, but it may not be responded to in kind. They’re a proud bunch up here and they are determined to retain their preferred first languages. As you travel through the country you will soon realise that there are many languages spoken in Spain.
Dena Rowlands, who lives in the Ebro Valley, told me of her initial impressions when arriving in the area. She says: “The first time we drove inland from the Costa Dorada up to the River Ebro, I was amazed at how green everything was. Pine clad mountains and, in the valley, acres of fruit trees (peach, pear, cherry, orange). The following day we explored in the mountains and the day after that we were on the Delta with canals, lagoons and rice paddies. All within an hour from the coast. So, for me it is the beauty and diversity of the landscape in such a relatively small area. There are actually three natural Parks in this compact area: Montsant, Els Ports and the Ebro Delta.”
To live in the Ebro Delta you would have to like feeling as though you were cut off from the outside world even if, literally speaking, you are not. After all, the terrific city of Tarragona is not that far away if you need a fix.
But to holiday in the Ebro Delta is to switch off from your busy life. You should go there to relax. Somewhere to leave the modern world behind. Please don’t go there only to spend all day texting and tweeting.
This is the world before technology took over our lives. It is one of the more undisturbed corners of Spain I have visited. And all the better for that.
Next up I travel to the neighbouring Ebro Valley.
