On the odd day of February (the 29th) we went to Tarragona province to hike up to la Foradada del Montsiá and contemplate the views of the Ebro delta through the gap – a curious natural formation; and explore the beaches, wetlands and the Ebro river on the following day.
Saturday: La Foradada Hike
After a longish drive we stopped in one of the cafe’s in Sant Carles de la Rápita, where, after a group council, we finally decided who gets to have the last piece of apple pie, we were ready to tackle the hike to la Foradada – one of the most curious rock formations in this area.
The ascent went through a forestry area with lots of shade – might be a good trail choose even on warmer days. The vegetation around provided very nice scenery and the sound of goats herding close by, added to the rural atmosphere. In the middle of the ascent there is also a spring – Font del Burgar, which still had some water.
Soon the area opened up and we even got some sun. We also passed by the ruins of an old house stranded up here in the mountains, which led to a lot of shenanigans.
As we reached the peak and the hole, which occurred naturally in this rock, the wps (wows per second) rate exceeded the allowed limits, and rightfully so. This cave/hole is much more impressive than it looks on the photos definitely deserves a visit.
The views were disrupted by a lot of people burning stuff (old rice plants?) this day, but even then were quite impressive, with Punta de la Banya peninsula (more on that below) standing out. This was also the perfect spot to have lunch, contemplating the views.
Photo: June Verwijs
The Evening
In the evening we went for a walk along the promenade of Sant Carles de la Rápita. The town has settled upon some interesting architecture decisions along the coast: lonely benches which probably give you an opportunity to get wet, a nice boardwalk above the water, and a mysterious red lighthouse.
Sunday: El Trabucador beach and Delta del Ebro
Punta de Banya peninsula is connected with mainland by a very narrow stretch – El Trabucador beach, just a 100m weter at points. It is a unique “double” beach since there are two sides to it – the sea side, and the bay side towards Sant Carles da la Rápita.
Driving here (or even floating at one point) was quite adventurous, after doing which we also went out to explore the area on foot.
The beach exploration was followed by some bird watching, flamingo searching and observation tower climbing. To finish off the touristic part we also went on a Rio Ebro cruise, which took us along the river, and technically we can even state that we navigated the Mediterranean sea.
Photo (this one and below): Allen Deuel
Of course the trip would not be complete without a final lunch together. As we were sat in the wine room, the main goal was to avoid the temptation and all of us (except 1) successfully did!
Happy and not even that tired!
