Spain, January / February 2017 - 1 East Coast - Ebre Delta, Sagunto, the Albufera Natural Park and Valencia.

Our first stop was at Playa-y-Fiesta where the campsite was right next to the beach. We stayed for a few days enjoying the sunshine and being able to do some cycling.

Ebre Delta Natural Park.

The Delta is a large flat area of land with lots of rice paddies, lakes and reed beds. Many of the roads are narrow with ditches / water on each side so careful driving is necessary. It's a good area for birdwatching and there are some towers overlooking the lakes.

Rice paddies. In January there were no crops but many of the fields were filled with water and there were plenty of small houses dotted around amongst the fields.

We stayed overnight at an 'Aire' next to a large lake. There was a birdwatching tower which gave a good view but the wind meant that most of the birds were on the far side where there was more shelter.

I saw lots of marsh harriers patrolling the reed beds.

A kestrel hovering, on the lookout for food.

Sagunto.

This town is to the north of Valencia and the top of the hill has lots of ruins that run for a kilometre from east to west. There are remains from the Iberians, the Romans and the Moors. There's also a Roman amphitheatre and that, and the castle, are free to enter.

As we approached the town from the East we could see the hilltop fortifications.

It was market day in Sagunto and the streets were filled with stalls.

The Roman amphitheatre is used for performances in the Summer.

After wandering around the town and amphitheatre we made our way up to the castle and spent at least couple of hours wandering around. We were glad that we'd taken some water with us as there are no refreshments available once inside the castle grounds.

Looking West from the Eastern part of the castle.

The Eastern fortress with Sagunto port and the sea in the distance.

Albufera Natural Park

We spent a week at the campsite at Devesa Gardens in the Albufera Natural Park. We did lots of cycling and spent one day in Valencia. The park has the largest lake in Spain and is an important wetland area. There are plenty of rice paddies, serviced by canal networks, and the freshwater lake is used by fishermen and tourist boats.

These two photos are both taken from the campsite. We had a great site next to the canal so had great sunsets each evening.

Tourist boats on the Albufera Lake.

One day we cycled to El Perello, a fishing port and holiday village.

Valencia

We took the bus into Valencia and enjoyed walking through the gardens and looking at some of the new buildings.

The Oceanarium and the Arts Centre.

The Opera House.

The gardens outside the Opera House.

1. East Coast: Ebre Delta, Sagunto, the Albufera Natural Park and Valencia

2. SE Spain: L'Albir,/Altea, Cartagena and Granada

3. Gibraltar to Santander via Seville and Cacares.

top of page

Palms and plants in a covered walkway.