Saturday 21st April 2018
From the Barbate area to Caños de Meca and inland towards Vejer de la Frontera there is one of the smallest nature parks in Andalusia with some 5,000 hectares, the Breña y Marismas del Barbate Nature Park.
It contains five different ecosystems: marine, cliff, pine grove, marshland and dunes. Special mention should be made of the stunning Tajo de Barbate. It is more than 100 metres high and is the most famous area of cliffs on the Atlantic coast of Andalusia.
On a trip to Barbate the other day we had noticed a small car park just off the main road CA-2143, with signs for a trail/sendero.
At only 45 minutes long and in a different part of the nature park which we hadn’t explored, it seemed a good choice for a weekend walk.
In the tidy car park was a map sign posting a number of walking trails including the one to the Torre del Tajo.
We followed the signs through pines, fan palms and a variety of flowers, including lavender, broom and snapdragons.
We thoroughly enjoyed the easy walk along sandy pathways with its twists and turns and we nearly had the entire nature park to ourselves, as we only met a few people on our route. (Including a man foraging for herbs).
The trail eventually brought us to the imposing Torre and the Mirador de Torre del Tajo over the cliffs and out to the Atlantic Ocean.
We thoroughly enjoyed the walk and there are a number of other trails in this area that are worth checking out on the website Ventana del visitante de los spacios naturales.