Summer Ruta del Ebro Outing

[dagreen]

I am in Tortosa at my father-in-law's for 10 days. I think spending a few days on the Ruta del Ebro is a good excuse to get out and about. I have read the forum journals and feel ready to hit the trail. The 17 L backpack that accompanied me on the Francés will get me by with 6 pounds of clothes/supplies plus water. I will also take a small umbrella. Let's see if any other pilgrims take the trail.

 

[peregrina2000]

I am in Tortosa at my father-in-law's for 10 days. I think spending a few days on the Ruta del Ebro is a good excuse to get out and about. I have read the forum journals and feel ready to hit the trail. The 17 L backpack that accompanied me on the Francés will get me by with 6 pounds of clothes/supplies plus water. I will also take a small umbrella. Let's see if any other pilgrims take the trail.

Hi, dagreen,

Sounds like a great idea! Would love to hear about how it goes for you. I assume you’ve seen Annie and my posts from a few years back. It was a LOT of fun. I also had a blog, which is linked below this post, in my “signature line”. The stretch from Tortosa is absolutely beautiful. Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Stephen Nicholls]

My favourite camino! Check out: Pilgrimage V on http://snicholl5.wixsite.com/home-site/santiago
Completed in May 2015 . A delightful if lonely Camino - not really a 'pilgrimage' as there was no religious site at the end of the 200 mile journey Logrono]. Very hot during the first week, with temperatures up to 37 degrees C: not a drop of rain in the entire three weeks! I saw one other pilgrim during that period, stayed in four albergues [by myself in three] and otherwise settled for inexpensive Hostals and Hotels.
Were I still able to walk, I would happily walk the Ebro camino again!
Blessings, and .... buen camino!

 

[dagreen]

Thank you Laurie and Stephen for your blogs. Tomorrow morning I am off to Benifallet. They no longer have tents at the old train station so I hope to get a bunk bed.

 

[dagreen]

I had a great two-day walk on the Ruta del Ebro from Tortosa to Gandesa. The 42+ kms covered were quite challenging due to the 36°C (97°F) days and the large distances between fountains. Luckily, my umbrella provided some constant shade.



Tortosa to Benifallet

Via Verde all the way. From Tortosa, it is best to start by visiting the Portal del Romeu and then crossing the bridge that the locals say uses the same color paint as the Golden Gate Bridge. Along the Via Verde, I was able to find ripe figs, green almonds, carob, and black berries to nibble on. Rosemary and wild fennel flavored my water.



I had a late start and walked in the midday heat arriving at the Estació de Benifallet around 5:15 pm. I was the only person at the albergue section and enjoyed a cold shower (hot water was available) and the air conditioned room.



The restaurant opened for dinner at 8:30 pm and offered a fortifying meal. Breakfast was from 8:30 am and included a cured meat and cheese plate, coffee, fresh orange juice, pa amb tomaquet, and a slice of cake. It was also possible to get a tortilla. Bed plus dinner and breakfast for 40.5€.



Benifallet to Gandesa

The heat did not let up and there was less shade than the previous day. Arriving to Foncalda took me off the Via Verde. Plenty of Spanish and French tourists splashing around in the thermal water there. The ascent to Gandesa was brutal in the heat. I only carried 1.5 L of water, but would have been better off with 3 L. For me, it was a more difficult walk than O Cebreiro or Pyrenees Napoleon Route. I had to take a number of breaks and even let out a few screams of anguish.



Gandesa seemed nice, but I had to take the bus back to Tortosa.



The Ebro is a lonely walk, but sometimes that is what is needed. The scenery was nice and the local food is great around the Terres de l'Ebre if you know where to go.



I will walk the Frances again, but will probably try to avoid some of the crowds by taking the Salvador and Primitivo options well described on this forum. I also think that finishing the Ebro (outside of summer) is in my future.

 

[peregrina2000]

Thanks for the write-up, dagreen,
It brought back lots of memories. I remember that via verde from Tortosa being just jam packed with cyclists of all sizes and shapes and types of bikes. The train station was quite the gathering place, too. We were put in the tents because the albergue was filled with a folk music seminar, and we were treated to a concert that night.

And oh, the walk to and from Foncalda, isn’t the part before Foncalda where all those long tunnels are? I really loved that part of the Ebro.

Gandesa has an albergue for pilgrims out in a municipally owned building at the edge of town. It is actually part of a complex with apartments for migrant workers, so there were always people around. I had walked ahead of my walking partner so I would be sure to have time to visit the Civil War Museum in Gandesa. Small, personalized and very poignant. Some of the battles along the Ebro were among the most brutal. There were many US volunteers from the Lincoln Brigades who fought here — of 30,000, 21,000 died. I remember being moved to tears by the long line of display cases of what were obviously American belt buckles, all no doubt belonging to a young US volunteer who didn´t make it.

And yes, you definitely should forge on ahead, it is a marvelous camino. Starting in May was perfect! Buen camino, Laurie