'Eco - friendly' - Whilst there is no definitive meaning, it is generally accepted to mean 'To inflict minimal, or no harm, on the environment'.
That is what we try to do.
We offer you the chance of an Eco trip to unspoilt rural Catalonia in Spain. Based in our organic Almond and Olive Grove, you are ideally situated for
holidays away from the hustle and bustle of the heavily commercial Costas further south and will be coming to our working farm not a campsite.
Your eco friendly holiday will be in the River Ebro Valley, ideally located for exploring the spectacular Catalonian countryside, where all manner of
environmentally friendly pastimes can be enjoyed without harming or changing the environment.
The location is a eco friendly smallholding and our facilities are rustic. We use no chemicals or fertilisers whatsoever on our land.
Rain water is harvested for plants, our grey water is cleaned and recycled, water is heated by solar power and we use solar panels to generate electricity.
Obviously we have to be realistic and do use some mechanical tools to keep our trees and land in shape.
The local area has walking and cycling routes (‘vias verdes’) which follow the river Ebro and take you through some of the most dramatic countryside
Spain has to offer. Centuries old olive groves, dry stone terraces, almond, orange and lemon groves as well as vinyards stretch the length of the
valley which is lined with hills, mountains, pasture and craggy outcrops. Ideal locations for walking, cycling, boating, photography and painting.
The river Ebro is the longest river in Spain. At the end of the valley is the Ebro Delta, a huge flat nature reserve covered with rice paddies. Large
lagoons are surrounded by reeds and rushes. Many bird species nest and migrate here and colonies of pink flamingos can be seen. The long beaches are
backed by sand dunes and unique flora and fauna.
A little up river is Tortosa, a large town straddling the river. Here you can enjoy street cafes, markets, shops and fiestas. Many of the villages
straddling the river hold fiestas regularly and these are colourful events worth seeing. Fireworks on the river bring in the new year. Easter and
Christmas are traditional events and almost all villages have fiestas to celebrate.
Many of the villages are medieval which time seems to have forgotten. Xerta is famous for its orange and lemon groves where you can buy sackfuls of
fruit for just a few Euros.Flix has an old traditional ferry consisting of two river barges for carrying vehicles and pedestrians across the river.
Asco has a mainline train station from where you can travel to Barcelona and Valencia.
Many villages have co-operatives where local farmers take their
crops. Here you can buy fresh olive oil, wine, and all manner of other goods. Gandesa is a small town with a museum dedicated to the Spanish civil war
and Mora’d’Ebre sits on the banks of the river. Here you can go shopping, hire a boat, or just wander over the river to the next village where the
local market sells everything from organic fruit and vegetables to livestock!
This is truly rural Spain at it’s best. You will not be disappointed and probably won’t want to leave.
