Helen Rose’s Outdoor Diary, El Rompido Part 1.

lighthouse

February, 2025

In the autumn Bearsden and Milngavie Ramblers arranged a walking trip to El Rompido on Huelva’s Costa De La Luz through Saga Group Holidays.  This was my sixth trip abroad with the group and as there is so much organisation required, they decided to use the travel company group booking for the flights, transfers, hotel and walking. There is still a lot of organising for 37 people but thanks to Fiona and Moira, it all went smoothly. The base was El Rompido, a former fishing village in the Province of Huelva in Andalusia, southern Spain very near the Portugese border.

Rio Piedras Nature Reserve

Our first day, after a very late arrival the previous evening, was spent at El Rompido on a nature walk on the Rio Piedro Nature Reserve adjacent to the hotel. The Wild Donana our guide was Manu Mojarro who is a wildlife enthusiast and founded his own company Platalea. He is an excellent guide, knows the area well, being local and an expert on wildlife.

The walk on the reserve was through a salt marsh where we saw egrets.  There were still some colourful flowers. In the forests, Manu pointed out a Spanish Cork Oak tree, On peeling off some of the bark, the cork underneath could be seen. These trees are evergreen and have the ability to regenerate. The bark is harvested every 9-12 years, and the process does not harm the tree. It is a renewable resource and also biodegradable. Also, by the nature trail path there was cacti.

El Rompido

El Rompido is a coastal borough in the municipality of Cartaya located in the province of Huelva in Andalusia, Spain. Founded in the 16th century, El Rompido is situated by the mouth of the Río Piedras. It has 1,832 inhabitants and is 8 kilometres south of Cartaya. It is on an estuary looking over to the headland with a lighthouse. It is a small village but busy with tourists from the hotels and visitors to the Rio Piedras National Park. The beach was across the estuary. Huelva is famous for the Iberico ham from the Black Pigs bred locally. Their special diet and the fact that they can freely roam makes their meat one of the most expensive in the world.

River Guadiana

The walk the following day was about 11 miles with significant ascent. However, for those not wanting to do the ascent there was a convenient pickup point for the bus at La Media Le Gua as the group had a variety of walking abilities and this meant the main walk on offer could be shortened where necessary. At the river, there is a Roman Viaduct, evidence of the previous occupiers in this region.

The River Guadiana is 800 kilometres long and runs through the Iberian Peninsula, partly along the border of Andalusia and Portugal. The walk started at Casa Canaveral which is an old Guardia Civil Station adjacent to the River Guadiana where we could see across the river to Portugal. We headed south towards Puerto La Laja, an important port used by the mining industry in the 19th century. The path uses the green way of Las Isabel mine and then back to the river edge. I opted out at La Media Le Gua to take the bus to Sanlucar de Guadiana to spend time looking around the beautiful town.

The church in the town is Iglesia Nuestra Señora De Las Flores, which has an interesting bronze statue outside of a dancer from which the church takes its name: Our Lady Dance .

Looking up from the town, we could see over the tiled roofs and up to the windmills on the hill.

Spanish Tiles and Mosaics

 

On the pavement outside the church is a lovely mosaic, Dove of Peace. I am always impressed by Spanish Tiles and Mosaics.

Also known as Sevillian tiles, these tiles are known for their bright colours, geometric figures, and drawings. They are often used in interior patios, but can also be used in bathrooms and kitchens. The most common colours are blue, green, and brown, and they are often placed at half height.

The origins of Andalusian tiles and mosaics can be traced back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, where the first glazed bricks were made. The Romans also used mosaics in their intricate wall and floor designs, which influenced the development of Zellige tiles. In the 8th century, the Moors brought Islamic mosaic and tile art into the Iberian Peninsula where an art form known as Hispano/Moresque flourished in Cordoba, Andalusia. Examples of this may be seen in Spain at the Great Mosque at Cordoba and the Alhambra Palace in Granada.

Atlantic Beach

From El Rompido, it is necessary to take a short ferry journey over the estuary and walk across the Spit of land to reach the beach on the Atlantic to the beach known as Flecha (Arrow) de El Rompido. It is a short ferry ride from the marina in El Rompido to disembark on the Spit of Land where there is a boardwalk across the Spit to reach the beach. A spit is a long, narrow ridge of sand or shingle that extends into the sea from the coast. Spits are a type of coastal landform, also known as deposition bars or sandspits. They are formed by the longshore movement of sediment, which is caused by the prevailing wind and wave direction.

 

The beach stretches as far as the eye can see along the Atlantic Coast. On returning to catch the ferry we stood at the blue flag, a sort of bus stop for boats as it lands on the beach sand and a gangway is put out to board the boat.

While we were in El Rompido, the weather was changeable but never cold. In Scotland, we are used to clouds, rain and intermittent sun but it was perfect walking weather.

A very big thanks to Fiona and Moira for all the organisation for the trip and to Manu  for leading the walks and he can be contacted by  email.

Coming attraction; Part 2 of El Rompido

Helen Rose Outdoors – Grantown on Spey.

This section: Helen Rose Hillwalking Diary

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Avatar of HelenRose Scottish hill walker and writer for Pat's Guide to Glasgow West End.

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