The Rambla del Cañar

This is the best inland walk, right by the campsite. It’s a dry river bed five miles long with a dirt access track running right through and out the other end. Parts of the rambla are ravine-like, running through barren hills. There is lush vegetation in the rambla itself from the occasional downpour that reawakens the watercourse; in addition, there is  a permanent spring. This is a sample of the terrain. The black hole is the cave of the horseman, a stiff climb for a mountain goat never mind a horse.

Further up, the rambla widens out with a backdrop of 2,000 foot chalk-white cliffs, minus the bluebirds.

There is more water here than in other parts of the region, and even more water in past times so we are told, so there was substantial agriculture in the rambla area. Some of the old farm dwellings survive, the inhabitants still scratching a living as in the photo below; other houses have been modernised and extended as homes for city people or foreigners.

But many have fallen into disrepair, in some cases just piles of stones. This premises has clearly been vacant for many years but retains its structure; it is bigger than it appears from the photo as it extends to the back. The high room on the right is unconnected to the main building and contains a fire place but with alcoves and round windows as in a chapel. 

Some of the roof beams were exposed at the back showing the rough tree trunks used, presumably available locally.

The land formerly cultivated behind the farmhouse is still green, but not planted with any crop, in a really beautiful setting.

There is, in fact, a proper chapel near the top of the rambla, a tiny place of worship attached to a small recreation hall. We sat on the benches outside to eat our sandwiches accompanied by a friendly local dog who thought we might have a spare sandwich.

The spring, mentioned earlier, still flows, and was first recorded in Roman times. This is it, not highly impressive, but it’s at least a reliable water supply.

In the past the spring water was channelled through a network of pipes and gullys for irrigation purposes and also to run a corn mill. This, above all, proves the historic fertility of the rambla. This water channel provided the water power for the mill, located about a mile down from the spring.

This water then drops some 30 or 40 feet down a hole onto a waterwheel connected to the grinding mechanism. Can’t help thinking the hole looks like a medieval castle toilet.

This is what remains of the mill from the lower level. Its description comes courtesy of an information board: you just couldn’t guess what it had been otherwise.

There are some unusual visitors at this time of the year, the bee-eaters who  feed off bees that live in holes in the soft mudstone cliffs to be found in the lower parts of the rambla. 

The bee-eaters are most colourful, like parrots, but difficult to photograph. The next two photos will at least give some idea of their vivid appearance. They are about starling size.

Well, enough of rambling on about the rambla. It’s a fascinating place with always something new to offer. It has a long mining history, for example, but that’s for another time.

We leave here on Thursday, May 3^rd, slowly heading back up the Med coast into France. Will keep posting anything of interest as we go along.