The Prat de Cabanes-Torreblanca is a narrow
strip of land with marshes formed by Quaternary
deposits. This natural space is located on the
coastal plain stretching from the municipal boundaries of Torreblanca and Cabanes, limited by the
Serra de Irta and Serra de les Santes ranges.
The characteristic Prat landscape is the typical
one of coastal wetland, separated from the sea by
a line of gravel and pebbles with some zones of
sandy beach.
This is a former lagoon closed in by a coastal
strip of gravel and pebbles, silted up by alluvial
sediments (accumulations of chalk pebbles with
large clay interlayers) coming from the surrounding relief.
The Prat de Cabanes-Torreblanca, like any other
wetland, is characterised by the presence of a
sheet of water, permanent in some places and
seasonal in others. This factor is essential for its
conservation in the long term.
The regular flooding of certain zones is caused by
the characteristics of the swamp, since the water
table can come up to the surface through being a
depressed zone.
In the Prat there is no continuously flowing river
or stream, but one can find fresh water springs
which help to keep zones flooded all year round .
Fauna
The fauna in the Nature Reserve is of great
importance, as endemic species such as the crustacean known as the gambeta (Paleomonetes
zariguey), the fish called the fartet (Aphanius
Ibera) or the samaruc (Valencia Hispanica) that
has been considered by the International Union
for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources
(IUCN) like one of the 24 vertebrate species in
most danger of extinction of Europe, are to be
found here. The birds are the group of fauna best
represented in the Prat, with special mention
being deserved by the biggest colony in the
Valencian Community of a rare and endangered
species, the collared pratincole. Also of great
interest are the Montagu’s Harrier, the moustached warbler, with one of the greatest Iberian
populations in the Nature Reserve, the blackwinged stilt, the little bittern, little tern, snowy
plover, the marbled duck or the coot.
Amongst the wintering birds we could mention the
regular presence of the great cormorant, the
marsh harrier, common buzzard, common kingfisher or the penduline tit. This list is completed
with the birds that visit the Prat during their
migratory trips such as the garganey, the osprey,
black-bellied plover or the northern wheatear,
amongst others.
There are not many species of mammals in the
Prat, with populations of water rats, rabbits, and
weasels.
Other species represented at the Reserve are, in
the reptile family, the European pond turtle and
the viperine snake, and such amphibians as the
common frog.
Common frog (Rana perezi)
Reed
Mediterranean juniper
Vegetation
In the Reserve there are mainly three groups of
plant communities: the salt marshes, the ones
proper to the coastal strip and the aquatic and
swamp communities.
tonweed. In the coastal zones covered with pebbles you can find the yellow-horned poppy or the
Crithmum maritimum (sea fennel).
The salt marsh communities consist of plants
which develop different strategies to accumulate
or excrete the surplus salt. These formations,
which occupy the very salty ground occasionally
flooded by salt water, are represented in the Prat
by species such as salt grass or salicornia and
rushes.
The aquatic plant communities consist of different
formations of plants. First of all there is the floating vegetation, with the water duckweed as most
representative species. On the other hand there is
the community of subaquatic shallow fresh water
herbs, with species such as the Potamogeton
nodosus, Pectinatus, P. natans and Ceratophyllum submersum.
The communities proper to the dune line are formed of plants which grow in sand, amongst which
we could mentioned the sea medick, yellow rest
harrow, sea rocket, beach morning glory or cot-
In this natural enclave the swamp vegetation is
formed of semi-aquatic plants which have their
roots and the base of the stalk under water. The
important varieties of this type of plant are the
reed formations, consisting of species such as the
reed, cattail and the common club rush. The great
fen-sedge community, which occupies the same
ecotopes as the reeds are also important, being
represented amongst others by species such as
the fen-sedge itself. Other examples of plant
vegetation that the visitor can find are species
such as the rush, the artemisa or the plantago
crassifolia.
Lastly we should mention the presence in the Prat
of species of flora with a very localised distribution
in the Valencian Community, such as the Mediterranean juniper, the yellow-flowered aristolochia,
the Limonium angustebracteatum or even exclusively Valencian endemisms such as the Thalictrum
maritimum.
History
The production work done in the Prat is mainly
agriculture, stockbreeding and peat extraction.
This last business started up in the mid 19th century, but it was in the late nineteen-fifties when the
industrial exploitation of the site began. At present
over seventy hectares of swampland have been
transformed as a result of this work.
Peat lands
Fossil dunes
ROUTE 1: from Torre de la Sal
Stop 1. FOSSIL DUNES
For this itinerary we propose a circular route, that
is there and back to the same point if you go all
the way, though one should not forget that roughly
6 kilometres in all will have to be walked, so it
may be advisable to only attempt part of the
route, depending on the visitor’s fitness! There
are practically no ups and downs on this path, but
above all on the first part, from stop 1 to stop 2
there is some difficulty for the walker through
having to cross shingle, during some sections.
The most advisable point to start this itinerary is
the Visitors’ Centre in the Nature Reserve, which
is located beside the Torre de la Sal Aquiculture
Institute, close to this stop.
Here you will find an exhibition of panels with
photographs and texts about the Nature Reserve,
with videos shown about different protected
natural spaces in the Valencian Community, and
different didactic and informative material about
the space available to the visitor, etc..
Now close to the point marked by the stop you
will appreciate in some sections of the coast the
remains of the old barrier or sandbar which
enabled the formation of the former lagoon that
then turned into the present swampy meadow. A
Stop 2. RUINS OF THE
REVENUE GUARD BARRACKS
Distance from stop 1 to stop 2: 2,600 metres
This stop is characterised by the ruins of a
barracks once belonging to the revenue guard or
carabineros, who were a state security organisation, now no longer in existence in this country,
engaged in controlling smuggling, which once
used to be very common on these coasts. It is
interesting to note that the shore comes practically back to the foundations of the building,
which clearly indicates that this is a section of
regressive coastline.
Ruins of the revenue guard barracks
change in the conditions for supplying the coast
which still endures today has given way to an
regressive coastline with an accumulation of
pebbles that destroy the former sandbar in some
sections or are deposited on top of this, as can be
seen around this stop.
This shingle originates in the river Cuevas de San
Miguel, which comes out in the municipal area of
Alcalá, and in the river Chinchilla, which comes
out in the municipal limits of Oropesa. The beach
at Oropesa-Alcalá constitutes the most important
coastal shingle lines in the Valencian Community.
One of the main problems in the Prat is the
unbalance caused by human action in this. The
liquid and solid remains such as rubbish left by
people using the area for bathing degrade this
natural space.
From this stop you can see an interesting
panorama of the swamp plant life consisting mainly
of three large groups of plant communities:
a) Aquatic communities: these can be divided
into two subgroups: one truly aquatic sort made
up of species that live submerged and which limit
their contact to the surface film of the water on
which they tend to spread their leaves, species of
the genera Potamogeton, Lemna, etc., the other
known as swamp vegetation, covering plants
which, with their roots at the bottom of the water,
develop the vegetative part (leaves, flowers, fruit)
outside the water, species of the genera
Phragmites, Typha, etc..
b) Salt marsh communities: the plants that have
managed to colonise these environments have
developed a number of strategies such as
adopting succulent forms to accumulate the
surplus salts in their tissues or either have
excretory glands to eliminate these salts. These
are mostly species of the Arthrocnemum genus.
This water is discharged in different ways: on one
hand a lot is pumped out, above all for farming
uses, and also a large volume of water discharge
is caused through evaporation, which very particularly affects the marshland zone; springs, constitute a measurable proportion of the system’s
water contributions; lastly part of the outlets go
directly into the sea on the surface through canals
and their "golas", like this one where you are now,
or through underground channels.
Stop 4. THE SWAMPS
Distance from stop 3 to stop 4: 500 metres
Yellow horned poppy
c) Communities of the coastal line: these can
be divided into two subgroups according to the
substrate on which they settle - they can be found
on gravel, as is the case of the yellow horned
poppy and they can also be found on sand, being
mainly species of the genera Ammophilatea and
Crucianelletea.
Stop 3. “CANAL DEL CENTRE” CANAL.
Distance from stop 2 to stop 3: 350 metres
The Oropesa-Torreblanca plain can be defined
from the hydrogeological standpoint as a high
permeability hydrogeological unit. It consists of a
detritic aquifer of the Quaternary age, bounded at
the bottom by marlaceous materials from the
Myocene, with very low permeability.
At this stop you can observe the marshes. As
long ago as the 18th century there is a mention of
the Torreblanca area by botanist CAVANILLES, of
some interest for its descriptive qualities: "...The
land is extremely sandstone-dominated and partly
uncultivated, mostly close to the sea; there are
nevertheless some beautiful vineyards, whose
creeping shoots carpet the ground... The farmland
grows beyond Torreblanca, where the marshlands
start; these are damp lowlands, followed by
others towards the west, which rise successively
to form arid hills close to the town...; the lower
(land), that was undoubtedly flooded in other
times and would still be so without man’s work, is
crossed at right angles by several drainage
ditches, where the waters run to other larger
channels heading towards the sea. The soil which
is produced from the mud dug out in the excavation and cleaning of the ditches is spread over
the fields and gradually thickens the surface with
repeated and new improvements...".
Stop 1. SALT MARSH.
Distance from the start to stop 1: 500 metres
Although irrigated farmland crops and other
changes made by man have increased the
surface area of ground affected by salinity, there
are zones which naturally generate salt deposits
and there plants have had to adapt to a generally
hostile medium for plant life. So both the floral
diversity of salt marshes and the peculiarities and
strategies of the species that grow there are sufficient arguments for recommending its protection.
ROUTE 2. From Torrenostra
For this itinerary we propose a circular route, that
is there and back to the same point that you set
off (if you make the whole route), practically
without any ups or downs. The route starts close
to the Oropesa end of the seaside promenade in
Torrenostra, continues along the coastal zone
located in the north of the Nature Reserve and
heads in through this towards the pools left by
peat extraction. The total distance, there and
back, is about 4.5 kilometres. Its length might
mean that it proves too much for some visitors
and it may thus be advisable only to walk a
shorter stretch.
The salt-rich soils contain outstanding biological
wealth, as they have a great variety of endemic
plants of great botanical value such as, for
example, the ones belonging to the genus
Limonium. This genus groups seven endemic
species in the Valencian Community. One of these
species, the Limonium dufourii, has a population of
only about 5,000 specimens left, spread between
Torreblanca, Sagunto, Valencia and Cullera.
Stop 2. Parallel way to the “SEQUIA MARE”
Distance from stop 1 to stop 2: 500 metres
From this stop we continue by the parallel way to
the coastal shingle line going in the direction of
Oropesa, as far as the next stop close to the
“Gola del Trenc”
Stop 3. “LA GOLA DEL TRENC” CANAL
Distance from stop 2 to stop 3: 100 metres
From this stop you can observe the coastline
stretch of the Nature Reserve. This is a
regressive coast with a large accumulation of
shingle. This originates in the river Cuevas de
San Miguel, which comes out in the municipal
Marsh and Desert de les Palmes at the background
area of Alcalá, and in the river Chinchilla, which
comes out in the municipal area of Oropesa. The
Oropesa-Alcalá beach forms the most important
coastal shingle line in the Valencian Community.
The Oropesa-Torreblanca plain can be defined
from the hydrogeological standpoint as a high
permeability hydrogeological unit. It consists of a
detritic aquifer of the Quaternary age, bounded at
the bottom by marlaceous materials from the
Myocene, with very low permeability.
outlets go directly into the sea on the surface
through canals and their "golas", like this one
where you are now, or through underground
channels.
To continue the route take the way back from the
“Gola del Trenc” along the path parallel to the
“sequia mare” and at the first crossroads
continue along the road to the right up to the
purification plant.
Stop 4. THE SWAMPS
Distance from stop 3 to stop 4: 2,000 metres
All this water is discharged in different ways: on
one hand a lot is pumped out, above all for
farming uses, and also a large volume of water
discharge is caused through evaporation, which
very particularly affects the marshland zone;
springs constitute a measurable proportion of the
system’s water contributions; lastly part of the
Along part of this route you can observe the
marshes. As long ago as the 18th century there
is a mention of the Torreblanca area by botanist
CAVANILLES, of some interest for its descriptive
qualities: "...The land is extremely sandstonedominated and partly uncultivated, mostly close
to the sea; there are nevertheless some beautiful
vineyards, whose creeping shoots carpet the
ground... The farmland grows beyond
Torreblanca, where the marshlands start; these
are damp lowlands, followed by others towards
the west, which rise successively to form arid hills
close to the town...; the lower (land), that was
undoubtedly flooded in other times and would still
be so without man’s work, is crossed at right
angles by several drainage ditches, where the
waters run to other larger channels heading
towards the sea. The soil which is produced from
the mud dug out in the excavation and cleaning of
the ditches is spread over the fields and gradually
thickens the surface with repeated and new
improvements...".
Marsh and Desert de les Palmes at the background
Stop 5. THE PEAT LANDS
Distance from stop 4 to stop 5: 1,000 metres
In the surroundings of this stop you can see the
pools stemming from peat extraction. The peat
sites are formed in places with a high phreatic
level, permanently saturated with water. In the
case of Prat, the peat started to form in the former
lagoon as a result of the coalification of vegetable
remains of the plans that lived in this. The most
ancient peat in the Prat, that is the part that is
found in the deepest layers, is about 6,000 years
old, according to pollinic dating. With the passing
of time and as a result mainly of the accumulation
of peat, the former lagoon has given rise to the
present swampy meadow. These lagoons are
formed when the peat is extracted, since the
phreatic level is very superficial.
Occasionally the peat has been used as a fuel,
but today its most important use is as a supplement for garden or farming soils, and like a
filter in sewages plants.
In these pools you may catch sight of a wide
variety of species of water fowl, some sedentary
ones such as the coot, the little grebe, mallard,
red-crested pochard, etc, other summer visitors,
such as the collared pratincole, the purple heron,
etc, and other wintering varieties such as the
great cormorant, the pochard, etc. The
importance of the breeding colony of the collared
pratincole gives this Nature Reserve the nature of
“international importance” as a wetland.
If you continue the road towards the sea you’ll
finish the route coming out close to the starting
point of the route.
Visits of interest
In the Park surroundings you will find the following
points of interest:
Roman Arch in Cabanes.
Villafamés Contemporary Art Museum.
Alcora and Ribesalbes (ceramic production).
Irta Mountain Range.
Alcocebre Springs.
Desert de les Palmes Nature Reserve.
Alojamiento
Accommodation
Free camping is not allowed in the Nature
Reserve but there are plenty of hotel and tourist
establishments in nearby towns. There are also a
large number of camping sites, located mainly
close to the coast and in the main tourist resorts
such as Torre de la Sal, Oropesa or Torrenostra.
Cuisine
In the towns and villages near the Nature Reserve
you can enjoy the typical cooking of the
Mediterranean coast. The recipes based on fish
or seafood are of special interest, and of course
the excellent variety of rice dishes. The visitor has
the option of tasting the different types of paella
or may choose from other less well-known suggestions at the restaurants.
Swamp vegetation
Coastal strip
Accesses
Access to the Reserve is by Ribera de Cabanes,
a village from which you take the turnoff seen at
kilometre 92 on road N-340 towards Torre de la
Sal Aquiculture Centre, where the Nature
Reserve’s Information Centre is located.
If you are on the A-7 motorway, leave this at the
Oropesa exit to reach the vicinity of this natural
enclave.
From Torreblanca you can get to the Reserve
from Torrenostra beach.