The hotel I was staying in last night was a bit expensive (stretched my very tight daily budget target) but did have a buffet breakfast. The fact that I'm on the international buffet breakfast banned list doesn't seemed to have come up their computer so I was able to stuff myself before escaping down the road across the beautiful suspension bridge over the River Ebro. Eating the equivalent of four breakfasts made the room seem bigger and the bill smaller.
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Bridge over the Ebro |
Seem to remember that the River Ebro is the scene for a Don Quixote adventure, can't remember which one but pretty sure that he and Sancho end up in the water.
The 35 kilometre walk was very much a walk of two halves, the first across the delta to Ampolla, where you hit coast proper, and the second along a coastal path to L'Ametlla de Mer.
Although I wouldn't want to do the first half again it was interesting to do it once. It's clearly a very important agriculture area and the fields, which all have a complex set of drains, are currently mostly flooded presumably to get the nutrients and silt out of water before being planted. There were some fields of Jerusalem artichokes and fennel, the fennel was enormous much bigger than you see in the shops in the UK. I read on a board that the amount of water available from the Ebro is declining as more is taken out further upstream and that sea water and associated salination is eating its way into the delta.
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Flooded fields in the Ebro delta |
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Artichokes |
Although you were never far from the railway line and the motorway, which both run near to the coast, and villas and other residential development, the second half of the walk felt like a proper coastal path. Saw a few other walkers coming the other way, all English, but everywhere was very quite with lots of places for a swim if I had had the nerve. It was certainly warm enough, hot in fact.
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Classic coastline north of Ampolla |
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More classic coastline |
Arrived in L'Ametlla de Mer at about 4.30, staying in the Hotel del Port, near the port, where the room is unnervingly like the room I stayed in last night. It is however well inside my budget.
Big big football game here tonight and people in these parts are going to be very upset if the Catalan side doesn't win. I think they are going to be upset.
Enjoy the football on the bar TV - should be lively!!
ReplyDeleteSorry you have left the GR7 - was enjoying your posts and storing good information for when I resume at Alcoi in the autumn, thanks. The walking looked great in Valencia.
Enjoy the rest of your trip and stay healthy.
John Proud
Hi John. OI am on a four dya walk on the Rio Duero trail but I follow your adventure as well.
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