From the river to the foot of the mountain range

Ginestar rose on fertile alluvial soils, that is, carried by the Ebro. Some link the origin of the village to ancient Arab farmhouses, country houses with farmland, usually irrigated. The river has provided water and good harvests to its inhabitants, however, it has also been one of the villages most affected by the floods. From time to time, the Ebro has taken decades of work and illusions, such as the flood of 1787, which caused three deaths and caused one hundred and twenty-one to be demolished. three houses.

For centuries, the most fertile lands have been, of course, those where ferris wheels could draw water from the river aquifer to irrigate nearby fields. As we move away from the river, however, this becomes more difficult or even impossible. Thus, despite seeing the huge flow of water flowing down the Ebro, the traditional agriculture of the mountains of the region has been dry land, which was able to withstand the hot summers without a drop of water. Today, however, bombs suck the water from the river and raise it to irrigate fields at altitudes that the ancient peasants could never have dreamed of.

The proposed excursion allows you to taste these two worlds, so different, and the evolution of agriculture in the region. The route leaves the village through the traditional irrigated fields that surrounded the village. After crossing the C-12 road through an underground passage, follow the paved road that passes the first plinth of the mountain to be located in Les Planes, a traditional area of ​​crops with a very interesting plot.

The route reaches the foothills of the Tivissa mountains and follows its feet, crossing several ravines that descend from the mountain (Escalers, Comuns, Biscorn, Vallonga …). The contrasts between irrigated and dryland landscapes are very marked. You end up returning to the village along the Collet de la Basseta path that passes in front of the hermitage of Sant Isidre (17th century).