Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación
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La Val de Zafán section

Description

Camino Natural de la Val de Zafán

Through drummers’ lands

A tour of the same landscapes that marked the childhood of Buñuel; harsh farmlands across whose valleys the echo of the most famous tamborradas (drumming processions) on the Peninsula resound every Holy Week.

The Trail begins at the old railway halt of Alcañiz, where the old railway tracks have been converted into a tarmacked path that initially runs between reedbeds and the station’s old buildings to then cross a landscape where olive and fruit trees, especially almond trees, prevail.

Antiguo apeadero de la localidad de Alcañiz

As soon as you cross the roundabout on the N-211 highway, with caution as there is no pedestrian crossing, you will come to a long, unlit tunnel. As a consequence, you need a torch to cross it, as well as a reflective vest in your luggage, as there are many tunnels which are also used by motor vehicles.

After crossing a large viaduct over the ravine of the River Guadalope, the Nature Trail ascends up a long, but gentle slope towards a small valley surrounded by hills strewn with pine trees and Mediterranean scrubland, passing next to crops and the ruins of deserted country houses. You will meet a lot of farm trucks as the track is also used to access a lot of estates. The dirt surface is sometimes quite slippery for bicycles, so you must ride carefully.

The route crosses two more tunnels and continues climbing until it reaches Valdealgorfa, some 12.5 km from the start. This town, built on a hill next to the Trail, preserves a city centre that is well worth visiting, especially its narrow streets, the town hall, the stately homes and its Baroque church, with the characteristic churrigueresque pillars of the façade that are so common in the region. This town’s station is large which reveals that in bygone days it was a prosperous and populated village, although its railway buildings are currently used by farmers as almond drying facilities.

Portada de la Iglesia de la Natividad de Nuestra Señora. Las dos columnas churriguerescas de la portada son características del Barroco Aragonés

At this point on the route, you will come to the first information panels in an area outfitted as a picnic area, where you will be able to rest in the shade. It is advisable to get a good supply of water from the nearby local fountain as the following towns are quite a distance from the track and there are no other fountains on the rest of the route.

Next to the abovementioned station, you will find the Equinoccio Tunnel, which is so named because every year at sunrise on March 21 and on September 23, the sun crosses its 2,200 m length for a few minutes. You should not cross it as it is dangerous since it has no lighting and in some places there are small pieces of rock that have come away which you may trip over. The speck of light you can see at the end is deceiving because it seems like it is not very far away. The route must be followed along the path that goes round the hill, which is clearly signposted with signs, milestones and information panels. This 6-kilometre leg runs through agricultural terraces and stream beds covered with olive and almond trees, and passes alongside some small man-made water ponds that are used as cattle watering troughs. A sign in this section shows the way to the cave paintings of the Val del Charco del Agua Amarga, which are 12 km away along farm paths. You will get back on the old railway track one kilometre after the other end of the tunnel.

From the beginning of the route in Alcañiz as far as the other side of the Equinoccio Tunnel, even though there is little traffic, the path has been shared with vehicles that almost exclusively belong to farmers accessing their estates. From here onwards and until the end of the Nature Trail, the route is exclusively for the use of walkers and will pass by several stations outfitted with their respective picnic areas. They are, in this order, the station of Valjunquera, that of Valdetormo, that of Torre del Compte (which is currently a four-star hotel), that of Valderrobres, that of Cretas and, finally, that of Arnés-Lledó, located on the border with Tarragona.

Vistas de la Torre del Compte desde la ruta

After the Valjunquera railway halt, you will begin to see pine groves scattered among crops. You will cross a small sierra, with two tunnels and deep cuttings, in whose interior the Valdetormo stop is located. When you have passed it, a sign at the crossroads with a forest path advises you that two Iberian towns are nearby: Torre Cremada (2.4 km) and Tossal Montañés (1.8 km). Both remains are located on hill tops that overlook the valley of the River Matarraña.

Once you have crossed the sierra, fruit tree terraces appear once again until you reach the viaduct of the River Matarraña. After crossing it, you leave the old track for a moment to go round the station-hotel of Torre del Compte. Just a few metres ahead, you will climb up the embankment of the old track again from where you can see Valdeagorfa, built on a hill to make it easier to defend against any possible attacks from invaders.

From the River Matarraña onwards, you will once again gain height gradually but steadily, crossing wide areas of pine tree forest where, if you are lucky, you will be able to see the endangered Bonelli’s eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus). After passing Valderrobres station, little by little you will begin to see views of the nearby Puertos de Beceite, with their spectacular crests and rocky peaks. The path descends gently once again, this time to the valley of the River Algars, passing close to the town of Cretas, and after some deep cuttings, you will reach the viaduct over this river, which is on the border with Tarragona and is close to Arnes-Lledó station, where the route ends.

Map

Profile

Perfil MIDE del CN de la Val de Zafán

MIDE (Method for the Information of Excursions)

(Calculated according to the MIDE criteria for an average excursionist with a light load)

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Further information

The Bajo Aragón Railway

From La Puebla de Híjar (Teruel) to Tortosa (Tarragona), the railway was the outlet to the sea for the Bajo Aragón. Planned in 1863, its purpose was not only civil, but also strategic and defensive, taking advantage of the natural barrier formed by the River Ebro against hypothetical invasions from France. In this way, the designated stretch was used in the Civil War to transport weapons. It was built very slowly, reaching Tortosa in the 1940s. After a meagre 31 years in operation, the poor performance of the line, due to the population drift from the province of Teruel and to competition from roads, coupled with the collapse of the tunnel between Prat de Compte and Lledó, forced it to close in 1973. Not even all the designed layout, which reached the sea at San Carlos de la Rápita, was completed.

Alcañiz

The second town in the province of Teruel, and the capital of the region of the Bajo Aragón, is located on a hill surrounded by a meander of the River Guadalope. The town is presided by an outline of the Castle of Calatrava, an order of monk soldiers who protected these territories from attacks by Muslims. It has been reconverted into the Parador de Turismo de la Concordia state-run hotel, which still preserves a rich architectural and monumental heritage. Alcañiz is also famous for its noisy Holy Week celebrations which, with good reason, form part of the Drum and the Bass Drum Route.

Multimedia

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