de la tinença de benifassà

English version Parc Natural de la Tinença de Benifassà [email protected]

Tel. 650 412 497

http://parquesnaturales.gva.es

Assistance from: Layout: Benjamín Albiach Galán Kun.Xusa Beltrán

Photography: Benjamín Albiach Galán Equipo de Educación Ambiental del Parc Natural G. B.

Map Design: Pau Pérez Puigcerver source: ICV (Cartographic Institute of Valencia)

Printing this material has been possible thanks to the Cooperation Agreement Texts: Environmental educacion team signed on 21st April 2006 by the Caja de Ahorros y Pensiones de Barcelona, "la Caixa" and the Generalitat Valenciana (Autonomous Community Authority) for Undertaking Printed: Centro Especial de Empleo, IVADIS the Integral Management Plan for Conservation of the Natural Systems of the Legal Deposit: ’s Network of Nature Reserves. Date of approval of PORN: (Plan for Administration of Natural Resources) 28th April 2006

Date declared a Nature Reserve: 19th May 2006

La Tinença de Benifassà nature reserve covers 4,967.548 hectares, including the 25,814 affec- ted by the Plan for Organization of Natural Resources which lie inside the historical county with the same name. This terrain is spread bet- ween the upstream stretches of the headwaters of rivers Sénia and Tastavins, which cut through the last outcrops of the Iberian system, and takes in the towns and villages of La Pobla de Benifassà, Coratxà, El Boixar, Fredes, El Ballestar Minor Local Community (all in the municipal area of Pobla de Benifassà), Bel (Rossell), and Castell de Cabres.

La Tinença forms part of the great Puertos del Beceite massif, covering parts of , and the Valencian Community. This massif is the geographical point of encounter of the mountain systems in the Catalan Coastal Range and the Iberian System, resulting in a series of rugged ranges going from 400 to 1300 metres in altitude. The geological substrate has contributed to the way this was formed, con- sisting of limestones and dolomites arranged in layers in which the former have undergone ero- sion processes while the second have remained more unchanged. G.B. dels Rossegadors Levante artcavepaintingsin Iberian era.Oneshouldalsostresstheseriesof enabling thesetobedatedtheBronzeAgeand ous siteshavebeenfoundwithceramicremains place untilthe2ndMillenniumB.C.,sincenumer first majorcolonisationofLaTinençadidnottake (3rd MillenniumB.C.)butitisestimatedthatthe area havebeenattributedtotheEneolithicage, The mostancientarchaeologicalremainsinthis History left standingtoday Hasan, onlyafewstructuresof which havebeen turies), originallyknownasBeni-hazà orBeni- this, theconvent of of theP power until1.232-33,thenstarting toformpart Catalan- for thesecounties,whichwereconquered bythe of greatesteconomic,socialand culturalsuccess The Christiandominationgotunder waytheage F went onintheIberian-R stockbreeding stageintheBronzeage,which assumed tohavedevelopedintoafarmingand and defendedbyBenifassàcastle (10 an areaunderthesphereofinfluence ofMorella founded formilitarypurposes,must haveformed located atthetopsofmountains,probably nated thearea.Thewholevalleyandtowns rom roughly714to1.208,theMoslemsdomi oblet Monastery domain.Dependenton Aragonese crown,andremained intheir ( P obla deBenifassà . Santa MaríadeBenifasar oman era. Cova delP ). LaTinençais th -12 olvorí th cen was or - - - leaving itstraces onthelandscape. leading tosheep-farming beingdevelopedand major boom,mainlyduetothedemand forwool, Later onthecounty men andpeasantsbecameestablished. bourgeoisie thenflourishedand guildsofcrafts influence. Thecommercialand stockbreeding lay underitsadministrative,social andeconomic constitution ofMorellaasamajor town which governedthezoneforcenturies. F set up,itsbuildingbeingcompleted in1250,and ’s economyunderwenta La T rom the inença -

G.B.

G.B. diversity ofsettings whichhasallowedthedevel woods, thishas endedupresultinginagreater tions, leadingto astructuralsimplificationofthe into pastureland ( groves beingconvertedinrelatively recenttimes large treemasses.Inspiteof some holmoak all combinedtoensuretheendurance ofthese lation densitytraditionallyfound inthiszonehave for farmingandstockbreeding thelowpopu The ruggedrelief and extensioninthewholeV the biggestholmoakgrovesas regards structure as initsnearbysurroundings,there aresomeof In V egetation La T inença deBenifassà , thelowproductivityofland bovalares nature reserve,aswell ) orforestryexploita alencian territory - - - . anteojos butterwort), the gasii del Saltravine crops ordeepravines,asisthecase ofthe ed inareaswithdifficultaccesssuch asrockyout zone. Mostoftheserarespecies areconcentrat ent floramicroreservesinthe naturereserve nature whichhaveledtothedeclaration ofdiffer species ofparticularinterestorwithendemic It isfinallyofinteresttostressthelargenumber cutlery wastraditionallymade. able extensionsofboxtreesfromwhosewood One shouldalsostressthepresenceofconsider these speciesarethe good stateofpreservation.Some examplesof (in V (in Coratxà)andtheFontdeLes R scapes intheV enclaves formoneofthemostexuberantland oaks intheV are someofthebestconservedmassescork climate andthecharacteristicsofsoil,there groves dependingonsmalllocalvariationsinthe F plant communities. opment ofsomeveryinterestingpastureland urthermore, sharingtheterritorywithholmoak allibona), whichhasmeantthatthese areina ( gossets deroca ) orthevascularplants alencian Community (in F alencian territory redes), the Biscutella fonqueri ). P inguicula dertosensis P ine of12 arms Mola deMitjavila Antirrhinum perte . . Thesecorkoak oques spring ( lluentes (Coratxà) Barranc (violet hill or ------

B. Albiach Galán

Maite pastor farming uses,etc.) whichhasinsomecasesmeant secondly groves, kermes oaks, narrowravinesetc);and areas withaprevalence ofundergrowth,pine existence ofdifferentenvironmental units(sunny teristics ofthezone,whichhave givenrisetothe firstly thephysicalandgeomorphological charac ducing thissituationmaybeconsidered tobe a verygeneralstandpoint,themain factorspro tude Mediterraneanmountainecosystems. F an excellentrelictualexampleof themedium-alti number ofspecies,whichiswhy thisconstitutes The faunaintheparkisveryplentiful, withalarge Fauna , humanactivity over theyears(hunting, Golden Eagle (A quila chrysaetus) rom - - -

B. Albiach Galán numbers ofgoldeneagles( should bestressed.Thereare abovealllarge the largegroupofbirdspreynesting inthearea V giving The mostdiversegroupofvertebrates,theone ers typicalofregionslyingfurthertothesouth. northerly environmentsatthesametimeasoth characterised byincludingspeciespropertomore has meantthatthevertebratefaunainthiszoneis glaciations toboththesouthandnorth.This several migratorychannelsusedoverthelast falcons ( short-toed eagles( graphical situation, ( presence ofriverbankbirds,such astheKingfisher As forothergroupsofbirdswe should stressthe tures ( passeriformes ( respectively such asthefarmfieldsandpastureland( the expansionofspeciesbycreatingnewareas certain species,butinothercaseshasfacilitated a reductioninthepresenceordisappearanceof ( curvirrostra, Emberiza hortulana). collybita, Regulus ignicapillus,Sittaeuropaea,L laris, Monticolasaxatilis, Sylviaborin,Phylloscopus Cinclus cinclus Alcedo atthis alencian Communityisthatofbirds. Firstofall Gyps fulvus La T F alco peregrinus . Finally inença ) andthewhite-throateddipper ), andhigh-mountaindistribution Anthus campestris, P ). La T , duetotheparticulargeo Circaetus gallicus the greatestvaluein ) andaboveallgriffonvul inença A quila chrysaetos is aconfluencefor runella modu ), peregrine bovalares) ) and oxia - - - - the walllizard( There isagreatervarietyofreptiles, whichinclude amphibian ( thing occurswithamphibiansalthough theurodele duced bythe smooth snake( F scanty presenceofbarbel( water habitats,throughweshouldstressthevery There isnotagreatrangeoffishduetothelack from T lus Hermann Catalan countyof Montsiàtherearespecimens of ( with confirmedpresenceisthe Spanishterrapin ual populationshere.Theonly chelonidonium high-mountain distributionandwhich haverelict scrofa goats therearealsomanyspecimensofboar( ungulates, sinceapartfromtheplentifulmountain and aboveallanexcellentcommunityofgame carnivores (genet,mountaincatandstonemarten) savii, Plecotusaustriacus, tain habitatssuchas species ofbatsassociatedwithforestandmoun One shouldalsounderlinethepresenceofsome population intheV or ibex animal speciesintheparkisSpanishwildgoat of creaturesinthearea,mostrepresentative Although thebirdsaremostsignificantgroup Mauremys leprosa rench nase( ) hasrecentlybeenadded,bothbyexpansion ), towhichtheroedeer( eruel andthankstothespecimensreintro (Capra pyrenaica ’s tortoise( Pleurodeles waltl Generalitat V Chondrostoma miegii Coronella austriaca P ), althoughintheneighbouring odarcis muralis alencian Communityhere. T Myotis emarginatus,Hypsugo estudo hermanni as wellawiderangeof ) sinceithasthelargest alenciana ) istobefound. Barbus haasi Capreolus capreo ) andEuropean . ). Thesame ), bothwith ). W ) and ildcat Sus - - - -

B. Albiach Galán Negret Tossal dels Tres Reis 1356 E: 1/100.000 1356 Tossal d’en Cervera 0 1.000 2.000 4.000 m 1347

elada Serra P

Fredes Salt de Robert Punta del Solà d’en Brull

Portell de l’Infern

redes

Pico Fredes Serra de F Coratxà Mola de Mangroner 1239 Embalse de el Boixar Ulldecona

Convent de Sta. -7 GR Maria Benifassá CV-105

Ballestar Castell de CV-105 Umbría de Cabres Pobla de Benifassà Benifassà

-104 -100 CV CV

Bel Rosell CV-100

Vallibona

road geodesic vertex cave Route 1: Ombries de Benifassà leisure area –Ulldecona reservoir dam administrative boundary peak Route 2: Fredes – Portell de l’Infern – Pi Pastor – Salt de Robert (waterfall)

townx, buildings hermitage Route 3: Mas de Boix – Mas de Cardona (farmsteads) – Font del Noto (spring) Umbría deBenifassà 1 1 area –Ulldeconareservoir dam and ForndelVidre FaunaR bridge byanold forestryhouseandthenursery The backofthe damiscrossedbyacement metres fromthe banktothebackofdam. water having arestwithpleasant view acrossthe from whichyoucangotothereservoir leisure area Departure: Level: T Time: Distance: R otal ascent: oute 1: la Solanadelforn . Thepath,heading west,leadsalongafew

CV 1 h15min Easy del Vidre

-105 Barranco de 4 km l F Ombries deBenifassà err Mola Rossa , aneasilyaccessiblespotwithtables é 70 m F rom Ombries deBenifassà 841 801 1 ecovery Centre. , idealfor leisure 2

Embalse de

Ulldecona

477 m 3

Maite Pastor 3 2 and beable toenjoywater sports. point youwillfind arestaurant,accommodation Arrival: up withthereservoir bythe forming partofthe SerradelaCreuwhichconnects which leadstoaspectacular passbetweentherocks be enjoyed.Uptheravinethere isanotherpath vegetation associatedwiththese water coursescan the dam,leadsalongaravinein which thetypical voir anditsdam.Thepath,which goesontowards ic view F emblematic wildgoat,veryplentiful inthisarea. ilex pines ( natural beach After leavingthepathwhichleadstoa rom anabandonedstockyardthere isa ), whereyouwilleasilyobserve tracesofthe P of inus halepensis at the Barranc delaF , goonalongapathbetween dam ofthereservoir ) andholmoaks( ou , aswellofthereser Barranc delF panoram erri. R . Atthis Quercus eservoir small - - -7

GR

6 Route 2: Fredes – Portell de l’Infern – Pi Salt de Robert Pastor – Salt de Robert (waterfall) - Fredes Fredes 1093 Punta del 5 Distance: 11 km (short variant: 7.8 km) Solà d’en Brull Time: 5 h 30 min (short variant: 3 h 15 min) o 1 Font del Teix total ascent: 600 m Level: Average - high 4 Mas de Pixón 3 Portell de l’Infern 2 o Departure: From Fredes, which is the northern- most town in the Valencian Community.

1 Font del Teix, a permanent spring which is at redes present used for animal drinking trough. The path goes gently up through a black pine grove Serra de F (Pinus nigra). The vegetation on this route is of great ecological importance, as is vouched for by the different Flora Micro-reserves to be found by the way.

2 Mas de Pixón. A traditional building with a threshing floor in good condition. From this coun- try house you can enjoy some stunning views of the county. 5 Punta del Solà d’en Brull. From the Pi Pastor you can see the striking Morral Desplegat and 3 A rock forming a vantage point with wonderful views towards the Ombries del Salt. A beauty spot Pont Foradat, characteristic structures of where one can see birds of prey such as the grif- Tinença de Benifassà. Before reaching Salt de fon vulture (Gyps fulvus), the golden eagle (Aquila Robert, you can enjoy a pleasant rest at La chrysaetos), or the common buzzard (Buteo Tenalla Forestry House. buteo). A few metres from this vantage point a 6 Salt de Robert path starts to the left which will let you take the Point 6: . This waterfall creates a short alternative for the route, leading to the Salt habitat of special botanical and zoological interest, de Robert. with endemic species protected through a Flora Micro-reserve and a Fauna Reserve. 4 Portell de l’Infern. An impressive natural pass through a rock wall. You can see “gamellons” (tra- Arrival: Fredes. Restaurant and accommodation ditional drinking troughs built in hollow trunks possibilities available. where the water filters through from La Balma del Portell accumulates). The path goes on among some impressive specimens of black pine. 1177 o 1 Cabres Level: Departure: T Time: Distance: steads) – Access tothestartofroute: R valley and Mas deCardona stockbreeding in thezone. cows canbeseen inthesehillsduetotheextensive tion inthiszone aretheholmoakgroves.T with V path linkingup with theGR otal ascent: oute 3: 2 F ont delNoto allibona by by foresttrackandfromV 2 h15min A verage Mas deBoix La Gatellera 3 La Gatellera F 5 km ont delNoto Mas deBoix 200 m 1138 Mas deBoix(oRoch) La Gatellera . F o rom thispointone cantakea ravine. Thedominantvegeta – Mas deCardona (spring) - . W -7 andcommunicating onderful viewsofthe ravine. allibona bytheGR from Mas deBoix Castell de (farm 1 oday Cardona Mas de -7. - -

EEA del Parc Natural del 2 3 F few metresfromthetrack. Arrival: ravine whereasplendidoldholm oakcanbeseen. different oldfarmsteads.Thepath goesonalongthe for puttingoutforestfires.View of thevalleyand Nature R GR Lastly Cabres up theslopetoreachtrack from The routecontinuesalongapathcrossinghalfway (6.7 Km.)andthe latterwithV ont delNoto -7, along-distance path,goesthroughthe , oneshouldnotforgetthat partofthe to V Mas deBoix eserve, connecting F allibona. . Adrinkingtroughforcowsand tank L ’A . Leisurearea. venc delaCaseta allibona (14.5Km). redes withBoixar Castell de is justa the scenery sites ofinterest,eitherhistorical ornaturalfor own right,buttherearealsoa largenumberof a charmofitsownmakingitwell worthavisitinits Any ofthevillagesinthisoldhistorical countyhas Visits ofinterest midday onThursdays. (cloister andchurch) canonlybevisitedat late R 16th centuryin which onecanseeitemsof of differentages goingfromthe13thto This wasawalled areawithasetofbuildings T Santa MaríadeBenifassarCartuja which providessomewonderfulviews. of T ossal delsT eruel, T omanic andGothic styles.Thearea . Someoftheseare: res Reis arragona andCastellónmeet , apeakwheretheprovinces T ossal delstresreis(F Monastery redes) .

Maite Pastor or curds, toes, notforgetting thetypicaldessertssuchas ers its The typicaldishes ofthisareaareamongstoth Cuisine ment ofthestay Authority Ambient, Aigua,UrbanismeiHabitatge the “ Applications tousethisshould be submittedat Mas deBoix nature reservealsohasaforest campingzonein rented housing,campsitesand hostels.The towns aroundthepark,including ruralhotels, There isawiderangeofaccommodation inthe Accommodation crespell Boixar Jaume enCoratxà the P main altar side doorwaysandabaroquesteeple P architecture, suchastheP Diverse examplesofinterestingreligious cated to tion theP gateway areofparticularinterest covered byitsportico,andthealley architectural standpoint.Thechurchstreet, tre ofthistownisveryinterestingfromthe organ datingbackto1791.Theurbancen which hasinsideanextremelyvaluable the ceilingdonebyaMudejarartist,and interesting decorationofcoatsarmsin Dirección T obla deBenifassà carquinyols recapte , atleastsevendayspriortocommence arish churchof pastries. , thatof , verycloseto San L arish churchofV , theR erritorial delaConselleriaMedi pie andlambcutlets withpota . almond sweet,honey orenzo Santos Màrtirs , theAssumpcióChurchin , withR omanic Churchof . Oneshouldalsomen Castell deCabres Castell deCabres omanic mainand allibona, withan arish churchof in F ” R , almonds redes or , dedi egional Sant ------. N-232 towardsMorella,until,close to way throughVinaroz,whereyou shouldtakethe Another possibilitystartsfromtheN-340onits you toP after afewmetresalongtheCV taking exit42towardsVinaroz(N-238)toturnoff A thirdpossibilityistotakethe CV 105) orbefore,theoneforV La SèniaNorte tinue towards Rafael delRío Y How togethere the traditionalandmodernfacetsofitscooking. area aregameandmushrooms,whichisseenin not forgetthattwoofthenaturalassetsin brought infortheircustomers’delight.Oneshould many recipesthatcaterersintheareahave Apart fromthisfinetypicalcookingtherearealso you cometotheturnofffor towards ,Cabanesand turnoff toV is tocontinuetowardsMorellauntil youreachthe the N-232,whereyouhavetwo options.Thefirst you gettothislasttowncontinue untilcomingto del Río should taketheroad thatheadstowards towards Vinaroz asfarT second involvestakingthesame N-232but Sénia Ballestar ou cangetto road, whichleads to , fromwhichyou cangettoR , F obla deBenifassà redes, etc. allibona orto . Onceyougetthereshouldcon , untilyoureachtheCV La Sénia, La T inença deBenifassà heading intothistownby . Castell deCabres El P Castell deCabres P raiguera, where you allibona (CV obla deBenifassà, el ont F San Mateo -11 towards -10 in oradat (F ossell orto -105, taking by theA T San Rafael orre Miró -111). Castellón . When redes) . The (CV San -7, La - - ,

EEA del Parc Natural del Penyagolosa

Maite Pastor In theevent ofanyemergency R ules cles outsidethetracks No drivingmotor vehi the mostnearcontainer Deposits thegarbagein without destroyingthem Observes theplants heritage T do nottakeshort-cuts R ake careofcultural espects thewayand - , call 112. don't polluteits T tied The dog,takeitalways sounds of theforest fort, youwillgetlost the If youdonoiseor speak pure air do notsmoke,breathes Do notignitebonfires, autorized areas Camping isallowonlyin without botheringthem Observes theanimals Mas delRic ake careofsprings, of F redes

Maite Pastor