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A Meander along the Ebro
By Ellen Marshall
 This was my first Inntravel cycle and it has to be said that I am not
the world's greatest cyclist, nor as fit as I should be. In fact, I am
ashamed to say the trip was probably the first real exercise I had done
in a year. The cycling is easy, though, with just the occasional ascent,
and if you're like me, you'll just get off your bike and push it up the
hills. As we cycled to some wonderful hotels and fantastic meals (not
forgetting good wine, too), I developed the philosophy that for every
hill there would be a downhill section along which I could sit back, freewheel
and admire the view.
From Barcelona, we took the train south to Móra la Nova, where
our taxi was waiting to take us to the Hotel Pepo in nearby Benifallet.
The hotel itself is quite simple, more of a restaurant with rooms, but
we were really impressed by the warm and enthusiastic welcome, and the
excellent food – certainly a cut above the food to be found in most Spanish
2-star hotels. The restaurant's delicious fish dishes, in particular,
have earned it a loyal local following, and not surprisingly there is
a wide choice of fish dishes on the menu.
 There are thee options for your day at Benifallet, though as we had an
extra night here, we were able to do two. We decided to do the longer
of the two options first, and headed north along the vía verde (disused
railway line) towards the sanctuary of Fontcalda. Not surprisingly, we
cycled past several disused stations and through a few tunnels, though
this was not a problem as our bikes had been fitted with lights, and most
of the tunnels are lit anyway. By following the railway we cycled close
to the River Cantaletes, one of the River Ebro's tributaries, with views
into the gorge – the scenery on this ride turned out to be a great contrast
to the rest of the days on this holiday.
As
it was mid-February, we were a bit early to see the almond and peach trees
in blossom, but we did see the oranges being harvested as we cycled. After
approximately 15km of a very gentle incline (one of the main advantages
of cycling along a railway!) we reached the Sanctuary of Fontcalda, where
there is a thermal spring which is known for its healing properties. A
shrine was built here after a shepherd saw a vision of the Virgin Mary,
and there used to be a convent here in the 10th and 11th centuries. From
the sanctuary we returned to the hotel via the same route, the majority
of which was now downhill.
 The option to Benifallet's caves is hillier than the option to the Sanctuary
of Fontcalda - but at least the downhill sections are more fun! We cycled
along a quiet minor road, on either side of which people were again harvesting
oranges. The scent of citrus fruits filled the air, and the colours of
the oranges and lemons were wonderfully vibrant. The last section to the
caves is uphill and we did have to push the bikes up some parts. There
are in fact six caves (vases and pottery discovered during excavations
revealed that they were inhabited during the Neolithic Age), though only
two caves are open to the public: the Cova Maravelles and Cova del Dos.
The slow, steady flow of calcite-bearing water over the centuries has
produced some amazing stalagmites and stalactites in these two chambers.
From the caves, we cycled back to the road and headed uphill, stopping
at the top to admire the view, which was amazing – we could see orange
trees below and the meandering River Ebro and Benifallet in the distance.
Then began our descent, past groves of orange, almond and carob trees.
We returned to the hotel for yet another delicious dinner – Catalan salad
of eggs, cured ham, fish and asparagus followed by paella (the
portions were so large I couldn't manage a dessert, which was a first
for me!) and some excellent vino tinto.
 We
set off the following day to our next hotel with a real sense of excitement,
whilst our luggage went on ahead. We were cycling on the vía
verde once again, so we didn't have to worry about traffic. This was
probably one of my favourite days of cycling, with some lasting memories
– we passed through several villages and disused railway stations, enjoying
lovely views of the River Ebro. Our destination was Tortosa with its Gothic
cathedral. You stay at the Parador, perched at the top of a hill with
amazing views of the Ebro and the town's medieval quarter. The Parador's
restaurant is the best in Tortosa; the food was excellent and the service
faultless. We spent our day in Tortosa exploring the town and sampling
some of its many cafés and tapas bars – a must for any holiday
in Spain! – which was a welcome rest from cycling.
From Tortosa, we cycled past orange and almond groves and alongside canals
and irrigation channels towards our final hotel in Deltebre, amid the
flatter landscapes of the Ebro Delta. The Hotel Miami Mar is set on the beachfront – a great place to
sit and rest after a day of cycling. Not only does it boast four stars, but a good restaurant, too. Even though we had had
one at the Hotel Pepo, we couldn't resist the paella once again.
 Our final two days were spent cycling around the Ebro Delta, visiting
spectacular sand dunes and salt marshes. The delta is a haven for thousands
of birds. I'm no expert, but we did spot numerous oystercatchers and a
couple of herons, though the best sighting was of a small flock of flamingos
standing in a shallow lagoon, a rewarding climax to the holiday.
My one piece of advice is that you may find it useful, if you haven't
done much cycling, to invest in a pair of padded cycling shorts, though
with all that delicious cuisine, you might find your bottom develops some
cushioning of its own!
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