How I discovered a gentler side of Catalonia – A blog by Debbie Ward

Pausing among the plentiful poppies, we turn towards a melodious birdsong in the trees. Someone holds a phone aloft and an app confirms, it’s a nightingale. It’s the first I’ve ever heard but it won’t be my last on this walking tour of Catalonia with Involved Holidays.

While our bird stays hidden, the wildflowers are out in force. Besides the poppies, thick clumps of yellow broom line our path and blue chicory flowers peep from hedgerows. To my surprise, our guide even plucks wild asparagus spears from the undergrowth. There would be more, she explains, but locals have spent the last month foraging.

As is typical for Involved Holidays itineraries, we have three guided walks scheduled over a week. The first takes us inland, past olive groves and old monasteries. At one point our guide wades shoeless into a river to help us cross stepping stones.

As we tick off the miles, my confidence grows. Though I spent the pandemic exploring the South Downs, my comfort zone is yoga and modest cycle rides.

© Debbie Ward

Many of our 20-strong group have years of walking (and Involved Holidays) under their belts, but as most are retired, my relative youth counterbalances their experience. The gentle pace also encourages sociability. I tackle a short hill chatting with a former PE teacher in her 80s.

This is one of Involved’s Trails & Rails itineraries, so we access our walking routes by train, returning to the same accommodation. Our base is Estival Maramar Hotel in the relaxed resort of Coma-Ruga, where our half-board tariff means a nightly buffet featuring a salad bar and local fish dishes.

Balanced itineraries

There are many young families during our May stay, but the adult-only roof terrace proves a relaxing alternative to the main pool, as does the spa where the hydrotherapy pool and sauna soothe my post-walk muscles.

© Debbie Ward

Involved (the name suggests interactive travel) bills its balanced itineraries as ‘holidays with walks’ rather than walking holidays. I appreciate the twin opportunities to rest between our hikes of eight to ten miles, and to sightsee.

Our break includes a city tour of Unesco-listed Tarragona which, we learn while standing under towering 23-centuries-old walls, was the first Roman settlement on the Iberian Peninsula.

As we wander the old town between the ruins of a forum, a circus and a spectacular seaside amphitheatre, an excellent local guide makes us wince with gory stories of chariot races, gladiator sword fights and slaves being sacrificed to lions.

“Almonds, olives, cava… more people should come here!” exclaims our regular guide Meritxell del Brogit, gesturing to the trees and vines we pass on our next walk. 

It’s refreshing to avoid the crowds and practise my simple Spanish in cafes, but I share her surprise at the relative lack of international tourists, because this part of Costa Daurada has much to offer besides its produce. The same train route which links more well-worn Barcelona and Sitges, continues west to heritage (and airport) city Reus, pretty Altafulla, and Tarragona, each 45 minutes or fewer from our resort. 

My fellow walkers are engaged and resourceful, most travelling solo. While some relax by the beach, many use their free days for further exploration. In Reus a few of us follow a self-guided trail of Art Nouveau architecture and, this being Gaudi’s birthplace, visit his tribute museum.

Besides long-time walkers, our group includes people who have shifted gear from higher impact exercise as they’ve aged, or discovered walking more recently, including through a bereavement group. Many mention its mental health benefits.

Over dinner, I chat with three Involved Holidays repeaters. Third-timer Louise Warburton has also walked with competitors, she praises the operator’s “…very good value for money, flights from your local airport at no extra cost and, some of the weeks, no single supplement.”

Her friend Gill Adams adds: “The single supplements aren’t huge compared to a lot of companies, that’s a plus… and the walking is not excessive, it’s quite relaxed.”

Jean Woodall is on her sixth Involved Holiday. She explains: “I travel by myself, so it’s very good to meet other people informally without it being quite contrived.” She too praises the local airport options, adding: “I’ve found the quality better than the equivalent bigger [operators] and at a more competitive price.” 

Our final walk starts in Altafulla, a charming village of medieval walls and 17^th and 18^th century homes, with cobbled streets, balconies bursting with succulents and a defensive tower primed against pirates. 

From here we head down the so-called ‘Way of the Witches’ (their once rumoured presence was likely a cover for smugglers) and emerge onto a powdery beach overlooked by Tamarit Castle. For a while we’re gloriously incongruous in our walking gear, stomping between sunbathers towards the seafront cafes.

There’s a further treat, because the same sparkling sea view is shared by the impressive Roman remains of Unesco-listed Villa del Munts. We visit its ancient baths and mosaics before continuing across the cliffs, walking poles clattering against rocks and waves crashing below.

Back at our hotel, I reward myself by peeling off my hiking shoes and socks and striding straight into the cooling sea. I feel a personal sense of achievement, even as I hear women decades older planning extracurricular walks for our last free day.

© Debbie Ward

 This article is reproduced with the permission of TTGmedia.com