By springs, ditches, mills, caves and marshes

This November, the MACMA team put our backpacks on our backs and went to explore some springs, ditches, mills, caves and marshes of the Marina Alta, this experience is designed to be done by car, motorbike or bicycle and discover the region in a different way, through the Gallinera basin. An itinerary that combines the landscapes with the culture, heritage and gastronomy of our region. Between waterways, from the interior to the coast of the Marina, we will reveal the history and curiosities of the towns and landscapes we have visited on this excursion, we hope you enjoy it a lot. 

A BIT OF HISTORY. We know where we come from to decide where we are going.

In the bordering area of ​​the north of the Marina there are some valleys, between mountains, through which the ravines and rivers run until they reach the plain and form a marsh. The Gallinera , Atzúbia and Pego river valleys form waterways that over thousands of years have plowed through the mountains to make their way to the lowest point above sea level, the Marjal de Pego-Oliva , where water springs from the subsoil to form one of the most important wet natural areas in the Valencian territory.    

But have you ever wondered how this wonder comes about? Our proposal today is for you to get to know first hand the course of the water that feeds  the Marjal park , from its source in the mountains, opening caves and chasms and gushing through springs in the areas of umbria, until reach Mostalla, to feed the main Marjal aquifer and thus create the source of the Bullent River.

Curiosities:

• From the Middle Paleolithic, through the Bronze Age, remains of human settlements have been found, both in the mountains surrounding the Marjal, and in the area itself. We also find remains of roads from the Roman era, as well as numerous contributions from the Islamic era such as waterwheels, irrigation ditches, etc., up to the current management of water resources that have tamed the marshland. It was in 1994, when the Marjal de Pego-Oliva was declared a Natural Park, thus starting a process of conservation and protection of this space.
• Its main characteristics are a great biodiversity and the excellent quality of its waters, as well as its quantity. There are two main rivers that run through the Marjal: the Bullent or Vedat, in the northern part, and the Racons or Molinell, in the south. In addition, we find numerous tributaries and springs, the latter known as ullals.

PROPOSED DAYS. Step by step we are making our way.

We start from Benissili, the last of the towns that make up the Vall de Gallinera, at the source of La Mata, where the so-called ' 8 Towns Route ' begins. During the route, marked with green and white signs, we will follow the Gallinera river and also part of the old Camí Reial. If anything characterizes this route, it is the possibility of knowing the route of the water and the various hydraulic structures that the people of the Valley have left over the centuries. 

In all the towns we can enjoy their laundries and their fountains, such as the Vella fountain, the Llimener fountain or the Racó ponds, but also other elements such as the Tio Quico sénia or the Molinet in Benialí. During the route you can make a gastronomic stop at a restaurant in the villages of the Vall de Gallinera and try some of the typical dishes of the area, such as wild boar 

The irrigated vegetable gardens that surround the farms in the Valley bear witness to the great Andalusian medieval heritage. Water is channeled through ditches to grow irrigated vegetables. The route of the 8 towns ends at another spring,  the Mata spring , but this time located in the town of Benirrama, the last town in the municipality before entering the town of Atzúbia and Forna .

We will continue the path and discover other fundamental structures of the Gallinera river: the flour mills. In the section between the Vall de Gallinera and the Atzúbia, there are three hydraulic flour mills that will accompany us: the Dalt or dels Moliners mill, in the Vall de Gallinera; the Mig mill, also known as Porra (landmark between the two municipalities); and the Baix or Serafins mill, already in the Atzúbia region. All these mills are from the 18th century, coinciding with the population increase that took place in the Marina Alta at that time, and in which new farmland was created. Consequently, the vast majority of buildings and infrastructures needed to transform the cereal were built (threshing mills and hydraulic mills). All of them were in operation until the 1920s or 1930s.

The Gallinera river escapes in the direction of the village of Forna, but before continuing on the way, we have an obligatory stop, the Tossal del Llop, in Atzúbia. There is hidden a cave that will be a delight for the visitor, popularly known as the Canelobre cave , because if anything else characterizes our mountains it is the formation of an underground karst system in which water continues to make its way between the guts of the mountains. No wonder this area is full of galleries, chasms and caves, in which the drops of water have created natural sculptural wonders in the form of stalactites and stalagmites. In order to be able to visit the cave, we will have to speak beforehand with the Atzúbia Town Council. 

This cave has a route of 80 meters and a 15 meter drop. Inside there is a spectacular room of 600 square meters that contains a very important quantity and variety of stalagmites and stalactites. It also houses one of the highest vaults in all of Spain, with a height of 70 meters, which looks like an authentic cathedral vault.

We propose spending the night in Atzúbia or Forna and following the road to the Natural Park the next day, passing through the municipality's bakery first to load up on sweets or bread, every Wednesday they make cakes to order.

From Atzúbia and to get a glimpse of Marjal and its charms from the air, we will have to take a  hiking route that starts at the municipal swimming pool and will allow us to go around the Moleta mountain until we get inside in the upper part of Carritxar - the highest part of the Mostalla range. The best time to reach the top is early in the morning, when the sun rises and bathes the whole sheet of water in La Marjal in gold. From up there we can take a new route, approved by the Pego Hiking Centre, and go down Mostalla to the Pego valley .

Our last recommendation is to visit the Park and the Muntanyeta Verda route, from where we can observe the Bullent river, meandering from the heights and from where we can also observe the entire natural park: the new cultivation areas of the land of rice and the stone giant asleep in the background, Segària omnipotent. We can also combine it with the ornithological itinerary of the Bullent river which allows us to discover birds from Africa in the summer and birds from central and northern Europe in the winter.

It should be noted that the balance between traditional rice cultivation and respect for the environment have been responsible for the survival of numerous plant and animal species of high biological interest. 

The excellent condition in which the Marjal water is found allows there to be populations of invertebrates such as shrimps and scallops. As for fish, the presence of samaruc should be highlighted. Among the most characteristic reptiles we point out the European water turtle and several species of water snakes. The birds are very well represented and constitute one of the great riches of the Marjal. There are numerous species that should be highlighted: the reed grouse, the scabussonet, the goldfinch, the rosette, the wagtail or the white-cheeked fumarell, among many others.

The view presents us with a sheet that looks like a mirror, fed by the water that runs through the Vall de Gallinera, the Atzúbia and Forna. That water that people have learned to use through their power with mills, but that they have also learned to tame to irrigate and provide food. A water that has the strength to bore through entire mountains, but at the same time the delicacy of creating wonders, drop by drop, over thousands of years, such as streamers, stalactites, stalagmites and stone columns. And, finally, a water that springs from the deepest part of the Sierra de Mostalla until it leaves again and creates another fundamental river of this whole water system, the Bullent River, the main river that feeds the Natural Park of the Marjal and which has also awakened many passions throughout history, from the 16th century to the 20th century.

To finish the experience we will return to Pego where we can taste the typical crusted rice with bombo rice cultivated in the same marshland.

** This experience is designed to be done in two days, but each person can adapt it according to their tastes and take a look at the cultural program of each of these municipalities. In addition, if what you want is to expand the information or elements to visit in each town, you can go to the Descobrim la Marina Alta website and customize this route.

AND MORE. On the table and in bed at the first cry. 

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