“Slow” cycling; 4 routes in Terres de l’Ebre you can enjoy with the family or friends

Everyone has its own pace in sport. In the world of cycling, for example, some are keen on taking long stages, demanding mountain passes and frantic descents, true monsters that require a special kind of preparation or capabilities. And some simply enjoy cycling along calmly while making the most of other aspects, such as the fact of sharing it with friends, enjoying the scenery or the moment, taking a break in order to admire a particular natural spot or monument or, quite simply, photographing a magical moment or having a little snack. This is what we call “slow” cycling.

Terres de l’Ebre offer both options, but today we’d like to tell you more about this quiet, peaceful, low-intensity sort of cycling, and about routes that will allow you to discover stunning views, all of different length, but always moderate, thought just for you to enjoy. In fact, Terres de l’Ebre are a true paradise for this kind of cycling and the area with the highest number of routes in the country. Want to join us?

One of the most well-known is Via Verda, which follows the old Vall de Zafán railway tracks, which once joined Aragón with Catalonia and the Mediterranean Sea, which stands out thanks to its beauty. This route is 183km long and we recommend that you try the stretch between Arnes and Tortosa. However, the 27km stretch across Terra Alta is absolutely stunning. For example, you can cycle from Arnes to Pinell de Brai, a route that makes it impossible not to feel goosebumps as you pedal among natural areas of immense beauty, mountain landscapes and natural ponds, as the ones you’ll find between Horta de Sant Joan (Picasso landscapes!), Bot and Prat de Comte. Oh, and if you’re feeling brave and want to carry on, the path has other surprises and spectacular spots, such as the old railway station in Benifallet, which has been turned into a restaurant with even some rooms available if you’d like to stay. In Tortosa, which actually has a cycle lane that joins the capital of Baix Ebre to L’Aldea following an old railway track, make sure you visit the existing rich and well-preserved patrimony.

Oh, did you know that Via Verda, thanks to the Next Generation European Funds, will soon connect Roquetes and Tortosa to Amposta and La Ràpita? This will extend the existing route by 24km and join both Ports and Delta Natural Parks, which will make it possible to reach the sea following the old railway tracks, now enjoyable both by bicycle or on foot safely.

Another interesting plan would be cycling along the old path of Via Augusta, on its way through L’Aldea, Camarles and L’Ampolla. With this circular route, which allows you to enter the Delta Natural Park, a Biosphere Reserve, you’ll discover the exhuberance of Terres de l’Ebre by bicycle: fortifications and watchtowers of the old coastline; the Fangar abbey, often used as a movie set and also known as the Delta desert, surrounded by dunes of great natural value ─the largest and best-preserved in Catalonia─; the Bassa de les Olles, a small pond perfect to admire birds throughout the year...

If you’re looking for a route that lets you calmly discover the entire Terres de l’Ebre, that’ll be the GR-99 Route, best known as Camí de Sirga, which is the path barge haulers would use when pulling their boats upstream. This route can also be enjoyed calmly, no rush, making the most of every bit of landscape and river. Still in Camí del Sirga, another option would be going from Amposta to L’Encanyissada, which will take you along the river between rice fields and natural ponds.