Friday 29th Cambrils to Tarragona

Today's walk was just awful, not point to it at all other than a means to get to Tarragona. I think that's what happening with this part of the walk. Instead of doing the obvious thing and carrying on up the GR 7, the Catalan contingent to the design process must have felt it would be a good idea to visit some iconic Catalan locations and dragged the E4 down from the mountains to achieve that. Today it's Tarragona, in a couple of days it's Santa Joan de Mediona and then it's Montserrat.

Will have a look at rest of the GR 7 when I get home but at the moment leaving it feels like a mistake. The walk today was just an endless walk along a seaside promenade. Eventually the coastal path ran out but I missed the signs and after a series of false starts managed to get around the headland beyond the resort of Port Salou, to the next beach but GR signs and I think the path coastal path had shot of inland.

The reason was that at the end of the beach about three kilometres away, was the southern edge of the enormous Tarragona port. Behind the port was a huge chemical works. If you haven't been to Middlesbrough this won't mean anything but this is Middlesborough on the Mediterranean.

Ships at Tarragona 

There were buses at the beach end which would have taken me to Tarragona and the sensible thing would have been to get one but I just kept walking. Eventually the beach ran out and I had to head inland. There was a road which seemed to go through the chemical works and with a sense of foreboding I followed it. It just got worse and worse, smellier, busier, increasingly confined and actually dangerous. I was starting to think about retracing my steps when a man in an ancient Nissan Micra came to rescue me. The phrase don't accept lifts from strange men did spring to mind and this man was photofit strange but hey look whose talking. Anyway I got in without much hesitation, although my rucksack resisted, and he took me all the way to Tarragona, about 7 kilometres along a dual carriageway. He was very impressed that I had walked all the way from Tarifa and we shook hands at each of the five stages it took to get my rucksack, which had now made itself at home, out of the backseat and through the front door of the Micra. Another example of a friendly Spaniard/Catalan saving the day.

So I'm having a rest day in Tarragona. Was going to have a long weekend here with Christine but we decided that as she was here last week that it was a lot of travel for just one weekend. Got a bit of rescheduling to do as a consequence, as I'm actually running a bit ahead of myself.

Thursday 28th April L'Ametlla de Mer to Cambrils

Well last night was quite a night. Great fun watching the Barca win, L'Ametlla de Mer is definitely a Barca town, everyone went totally nuts, fireworks everything. And then I had a plumbing disaster.

You know sometimes the water keeps running after you have flushed the toilet, really annoying if your trying to get to sleep. Common problem, all you have to do is lift the lid and adjust the fitting where it drains from the cistern and it's sorted. That's what I did, but it didn't instantly cure the problem and I touched (no more than touched) the floating thing which controls the water coming into the cistern. It disintegrated and suddenly there is water, straight from the mains, shooting right across the bathroom. The little stop cock next to the toilet just went round and round without doing anything. It was amazing how quickly the bedroom floor was covered with water and how quickly it was going out into the hall.

Slightly panicking, I pulled my shorts on, put everything on the bed and rushed down to the porter.   He was very grumpy, watching the Mourinho interview, and was clearly the only person in L'Ametlla de Mer who was a Real Madrid fan. Eventually screaming at him had an impact and he agreed to come up and investigate. He was not happy. His tried to reconstruct the toilet mechanism but it was impossible given the force of water. He temper was not improved when I asked for another room.

After getting himself soaked he went down somewhere and turned of the water for the whole hotel and rang up the manager. The manager was clearly a Barca fan, in a good mood, accepted that I wasn't helping and found me another room.

Saw the porter this morning as I was dashing away from the hotel and he didn't seem to recognise me, fair enough, didn't need to remind him about how we had faced adversity together.

Today's walk was a 40 kilometre walk along the coastal path. I don't completely understand why the E4 comes down to the coast. It is a change but dragging you along a largely built up coast line is not necessarily the best route for a long distance walk, particularly when you could have stayed up in the mountains on Spain's oldest GR trail, the GR7.

The first bit wasn't too bad, very similar to end of yesterday's walk, along a low cliff with villas very much in the background. You then arrive at a very exclusive marina, at Sant Jordi en Alfamat, and the route is around this and through the suburbs. You then get to Calafat which has a lovely beach at the end of which is a nuclear power station and then a gas power station. Another big detour which takes you alongside a new highspeed railway line and over two motorways.

Eventually you arrive at Hospitalet de l'Infant. Originally I was going to stop there but it was only 2.30 so decided to do another 15 kilometres and make for Cambrils. The nature of development had now changed from villas to blocks of flats and these went right down to coast. Lovely beaches and nice bays but very ugly blocks of flats.

Endless blocks of flats

One thing I did find interesting interesting were the republican coastal defences dating back to the civil war, quite a lot along this stretch of coast.

Republican coastal defences

Flats were then replaced for several kilometres by caravan and camper-van sites. I thought these were nicer, very multinational with the Dutch particularly well represented. Flats re-emerged as you approached Cambrils, so many in fact that I started to wonder if there was going to be any hotels. There were of course but right in the old centre of town. I say old, a picture in reception of the hotel shows old Cambrils with just a handful of houses. The coast north and south is totally empty. The picture was taken in 1962.

Approaching Cambrils

Wednesday 27th April Amposta to L'Ametlla de Mer

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.

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.

Flooded fields in the Ebro delta

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.

Classic coastline north of Ampolla

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.

Tuesday April 26th Ulldecona to Amposta

Was perhaps a bit rude about Ulldecona in yesterday's blog and it's much nicer than first impressions. Towards the centre there were some interesting art nouveau houses and a lovely baroque church.

Church at Ulldecona

Must admit I had assumed that after the walk through Valencia, Ulldecona to Tarragona was going to be a flat coastal walk. Well today completely contradicted that impression with a route over the Serra de Montsia range of mountains. This proved to be really interesting with lots of information on boards along the way. Essentially the walk firstly took you through some of the oldest olive groves in Catalonia, with trees dating back 2000 years to Phoenicians; through some natural evergreen oak woodland (i.e. pre-overgrazing and fire effected landscape, the cause of the shrub based landscape that typifies most the Mediterranean), and through some abandoned farming settlements which like much of upland Valencia had supported significant communities until the sixties.

The range gets to over 700 metres and although it wasn't a perfectly clear day the views were impressive. On the way up and looking back I could see across the valley with Ulldecona in the foreground, to the gorge I had emerged from coming from Moli l' Abad. Behind that I could see what was probably the La Creu mountain which I must have seen the day before yesterday. Most impressively I could see Penyagolosa which I had walked past in the rain 5 days with Christine and which is pictured on the blog from three days ago. It's dead centre on the horizon in the photo below, believe me.

Views back to Ulldecona

As well as looking back in time I could also see up the coast to Tarragona so from one place (slight poetic justice, you had to go up the hill a bit to see up the coast) I could see 9 days of walking.

Perhaps the most impressive view however was from the highest point on the walk, La Foredada where you got an amazing view of the Ebro delta. You could see the whole fan of the delta formed by the sediment flowing out from the Ebro river along with the cresent shaped sandbank beyond. From high up it looked like much of the delta is managed for agriculture although parts of it are important wetlands and form the Ebro Delta National Park.

Ebro delta

La Foradada

Just to add to the view, which the photographs don't capture, was one of those windblown holes in rock the name for which has for the moment passed me by.

Sat at the top and had my lunch, an apple and a packet of crisps. The air was full of little flies which in turn attracted hundreds of swallows and swifts who were also having their lunch.

The walk down was also excellent. Deep valleys and through tunnels formed by the evergreen oak. Once on the flat however, and after such a brilliant walk, the sting in the tail was a five kilometre walk through the dead level land of the delta. Like the fens in Cambridgeshire although at least the sun was shining. One highlight was some waders in a flooded field reminding me that this is a very important area for birdlife.

Ancient woodland

Ibis?

Monday April 25th Moli l'Abad to Ulldecona

There is almost nothing to say about the walk today apart from the fact that I finished it.

Had a vague notion that having done much of the walk yesterday I would get to Ulldecona by lunch-time and then pressing onto Amposta in the afternoon gain myself a day. As it turned out I was suffering from the 54 kilometres I did yesterday, it ended up being a 20 kilometres road walk today, and by the time I got to Ulldecona at about 2.30 my feet were burning. Instead of walking on I found a nice hotel, the only hotel, had a nice lunch and then marinated in a bath for an hour or so.

Was supposed to find the GR 8 at La Senia, which was about 5 kilometres from Moli l'Abad. Well I'm sure it's there but I couldn't find it. There were some really good plans and signs outside the town hall but no reference to the GR8. There was an Olive Trail which took you to Ulldecona, which might have been the GR8, but given the rain and the mud I was happy to go with the road. Today was always going to be a transit day and I'm writing it off as that.

After constant mountains for the last two, almost three weeks, you might think that walking through some flat country would be a nice change. Well the pleasure was short-lived. Flat country around here means olive trees, citrus trees and pig farms, lots of pig farms. Not a lot happening in Ulldecona, nice castle on the hill outside the town, but the town itself a bit nondescript. The most interesting thing for me was the huge quarry just outside the town, was amazing to see how many different coloured sandstone you can dig out of same hole.

Tomorrow looks better and I have even worked out where the GR 92 is. Have a small mountain to climb and then it's a coastal trail all the way to Tarragona. With any luck it will stop raining and I can put my waterproofs away again.

Sunday 24th April Morella to Moli l'Abad

The plan was to stay at El Boixar but there isn't much accommodation there and sure enough when I tried to book on Saturday it was all gone. This was a real pain because just after El Boixar, at Fredes, things navigationally get a bit more complicated. So far the E4 has followed the GR 7 but at Fredes and it heads down to Ulldecona, near the coast, on the GR8. Couldn't find any accommodation at Fredes and the only accommodation I could find was at a place called Moli l'Abad which looked about 15 kilometres to the east of El Boixar. So I decided not to go to Fredes but go direct from El Boixar to Moli l'Abad, stay there for the night and then try and find the GR 8 again next day and continue to Ulldecona.

By the way the GR 7 carries on all the way to the Pyrenees. The E4, which travels along the coast to Tarragona, and through Catalonia to the Pyrenees ends up almost in the same place. I must admit I'm sorry to be leaving the GR 7 not least because I had the route well defined on my GPS. My E4 GPS route is very messy in Catalonia so I'm bound to get lost.

So I was a bit fed up when I left Morella, fed up about having to contrive a route and fed up about the weather which continues to be poor. Spending my time trying to find accommodation last the night (fortunately I had an internet connection) meant I missed the supermarket and all I had with me food wise was the last bit of my birthday cake and a lump of cheese.

After about 4 kilometres I left the road and headed up along a farm trail where I met a farmer who was rounding up his cows. Everything was very wet and I started to gingerly cross a stream. The farmer, who was in the middle of his cows and associated mud, and was wearing bedroom slippers, kindly pointed out the stepping stones.

The route follow the stream along a valley and then climbed fairly gently to the top of a ridge. The stream included some brilliant natural swimming pools. As you got higher you had some great views back to Morella spoilt a bit by the murky weather. The ridge walk itself went on for 2 or 3 kilometres before eventually descending through an oak wood, which has just come into leaf, to the town of Vallabona. It was now pouring with rain and at just before one o'clock I decided to stop for some lunch.

Lovely Swimming Opportunity

Spring growth

The next stage of the journey was up along a bottom of a dry river bed heading north. Although the heavy rain had gone it was still drizzling and didn't stop until just before El Boixar. Again a lovely trail which as you approached the top started to open up. It was uphill nearly way and by the time I reached El Boixar at about 5. 30, I had walked 35 kilometres and climbed over 1000 metres.

El Boixar

The sign to La Senia, at El Boixar, said 23 kilometres which I must admit was a bit of a blow much further than anticipated. Setting of and just outside the village I took the first left rather than the second and had gone about 2 kilometres before I realised my mistake. There were no GR signs to follow. To get back on track I could go back or head straight down the side of a gorge, through trees and get on the right route the direct way. I went with the second option and had to survive some very wet, very steep bushwhacking.

Once on the right road it was just a case of walking as quickly as possible. They told me I would need to be there by 7.30 to guarantee the room but it was nearer 9 by the time I arrived. This was the first time I had had to walk on the road in a prolonged way since Andalucia and my feet were very sore at the finish. The signs to La Senia were now reading 5 kilometres so I had walked 53 kilometres in total.

Saturday April 23rd Benasal to Morella

After a week of really good walking, Christine has gone back to the UK and I'm on my own again. It's been great going from mountain town to mountain town and unfortunately she is missing the best one, Morella. The only consolation for her is that the weather continues to be bad.

Set off on a 35 kilometre walk having seen Christine go at 9. The weather was already looking poor which some heavy rain clouds to the south.

Having climbed out of the village the sky was clear enough for a short time to get a view Penyagolosa, the second highest peak in the Valencia region, as well as some great views back to Culla.

Penyagolosa

The first target was Ares de Maestre yet another hill top town. You could stay here it you had a more leisurely schedule, or just stop for lunch. It looked like a great place with lots of visitors on Easter Saturday.

Ares del Maestre

The main issue for me was how far I would get before it started to rain and sure enough it was pouring from about 1.30. It wasn't the end of the world. With the rain, the dry stone walls and the more open scenery you could easy have been in the north of England. In addition to the stone work there was livestock out and about, and for the first time since the early few days of the walk I was amongst grazing cattle, cows with suckling calves.

Another storm

Another feature of today's walk were the wonderful ancient caminos, old cattle trails which in this part of the Spain have not all been turned into local roads. I guess the nearest equivalent in the UK is a green lane but here they are much more widespread. Some of them today, with the dry stone walls on each side, and bedrock running along the bottom were particularly impressive.

Camino

One picture I would have taken if I had had the nerve was that of the bull standing astride a particularly deep camino about 20 yards ahead of me. I've been told that bulls with cows are not dangerous but wasn't going to test the theory, even less ask him to stand to one side, and within seconds I had climbed over the wall and disappeared.

Morella

Got to Morella at about 6 by which time it had stopped raining. It really is the jewel in the crown of the wonderful mountain towns along this part of the route. It still has it's city walls as well as usual brilliant location. Had a good look round, not least because it was packed and finding somewhere to stay was not easy.

The past six days have really been excellent. If it wasn't for the schedule it would have made sense to walk at a much more leisurely pace and take 8 or 9 days to cover the distance. As it is, because I can't get accommodation at the next planned stop, Boixar, tomorrow is going to be a big 40 kilometre day.