Things to do within the area

Why not take a day trip on the train to Barcelona or Valencia (both 2.5 hours) or Tarragona (1.5 hours) ?

Tarragona is a World Heritage city famed for its Roman remains.

Roman Amphitheatre, Tarragona

Visit Port Aventura Theme Park, near Salou.

Explore the Ebro Delta.

Wander around the Picasso Museum at Horta de St. Joan which in itself is a fascinating medieval hilltop town.

The Picasso Museum

Visit the Gaudi Centre in Reus, which is also known for its Modernistic Walk. 

Go catfishing (we can arrange this for you).

Birdwatching
Quad-biking

Horse-riding (we can arrange this for you) 

Drive the hairpin road to the top of Mont Caro

The road up Mont Caro

Drink the mountain waters at Fonts el Tosca before they are piped down to Els Reguers for bottling by one of the major suppliers of natural mineral water in Spain.
 

Fonts el Tosca

Off-road cycling through the mountain tracks.

Visit the caves at Benifallet

Dip in the reputedly health restoring warm waters of Font Calda after driving across the Sierra de Pandols.  Font Calda was a place of pilgrimage after 

local children reported seeing a vision of the Virgin Mary.

Corbera d'Ebre

The Spanish Civil War, 1936 - 1938 was a brutal conflict with neighbours and families often fighting each other, and as a result even now many will not acknowledge each other.  The last major conflict was the Battle of the Ebro.  The small pueblo of Corbera d'Ebre was situated on a hilltop midway between the opposing armies and for days was subject to a torrent of bombs from both ground and air with the result that it and many of its residents were annihilated.  The ruins are now under the wardenship of a Spanish couple who maintain it as a memorial to the fallen.  If visiting do not fail to miss the 'Alphabet of Freedom' with many sculptures and writings being donated by artists and authors from around the world.

Corbera ruins

Things to do

Probably the most well known of things to do in Spain, is to attend a Fiesta.  Throughout the summer these festivals take place in all of the towns and villages.  In Tortosa the two main fiestas are the Renaixement, which takes place towards the end of July and the Sinta which occurs in early September.  During the Renaixement Fiesta the whole city becomes medieval with artisans showing off their crafts in the old town, and all of the the townsfolk wearing medieval costume as they promenade through the streets.

The Renaixement

The Cinta celebrates Tortosa's patron saint and always finishes the week with a correfoc and a massive firework display over the River Ebro.  The correfoc is a Catalan tradition in which the participants dress up as devils and demons and run and dance down the Generalitat (High Street) swinging fireworks around.  To dance underneath the fireworks is said to bring good luck.  A correfoc also takes place in early July at the end of the fiesta in Roquetes.

The correfoc

The main fiesta in Alfara de Carles is at the end of August when bull-runs occur on most evenings.  These take place either through the streets or in a makeshift area whilst the local young men display their skills.  Traditional bull-fighting has now been banned in Catalonia and the bull is not killed at the end of these local spectacles.                

The Bull-run

Other fiestas which take place in the area include the rice harvest in L'Ampolla in early September and the Corpus Christi in L'Atmella when the streets are decorated with flowers. 

Flower decorated streets in L'Ametlla

  Font Calda 

'What a relaxing week !  The accommodation is lovely - everything we needed and lots of home comforts. 

We enjoyed exploring the garden and playing boules as well as the swimming pool which has been so welcome in the heat of the day.  Tarragona and Horts St. Joan were both lovely and full of interesting history.

The kids really enjoyed the beach at Cap Roig.  Thank you  so much for making us so welcome.'

S, J, M and S. August 2011