Riudecols: Discover hiking and cultural heritage
Accommodation in Riudecols
Riudecols offers several nature trails for hiking and cycling, as well as distinctive buildings and historic sites. You can use specific differences to help choose where to stay: one route is described as an easy circular trail, another leads from the town to a sanctuary; there are also paths through the Baix Camp landscape and examples of local architecture.
Hiking trails and landscapes
The Itinerario saludable is an easy circular route through an agroforestry landscape. It includes hazelnut, olive and almond crops, as well as stands of pine and holm oak. Where cultivation has been abandoned, woodland has gained ground. This makes it possible to characterise the route primarily by its circular course and the transition between cultivated and wooded landscapes.
The “De Riudecols a Les Irles” route also passes through the Baix Camp landscape. Cork oaks, hazelnut groves and almond fields are mentioned there. Abandoned fields are giving way to new forests. This description complements that of the Itinerario saludable, without equating the two routes: one is explicitly described as an easy circular route, while the other bears the names Riudecols and Les Irles.
Another regular event on the hiking calendar is the Pujada a Puigcerver. This six-kilometre hike leads from the town of Riudecols to the Santuari de la Mare de DĂ©u de Puigcerver and takes place every year on the first Sunday in August. The calendar date changes from year to year. If you want to include this event in your travel plans, you should therefore check the date for that year.
The three descriptions offer different points of reference: a circular route, a trail to the sanctuary, and a route bearing the names Riudecols and Les Irles. Which one suits your stay depends on whether you want to focus on the circular route, the annual August event or the landscape described. For its other nature trails, the municipality lists hiking and cycling as activities.
Buildings and local history
Els Canalots is a fountain built in 1935 on the western edge of Riudecols. Its six spouts are a distinctive feature of the structure. Along with the trails, the fountain offers another way to experience the town: here, the focus is not on a route, but on a single structure with a clearly described form and date.
The old watchtower Torre dels Moros is also known as Torre de Guaita de Riudecols. The dimensions and materials of the AqĂĽeducte del Mas d'en Vall are particularly striking: the aqueduct has 13 stone-and-brick arches and is about 100 metres long. The approximate length is a useful guide; the arches and building materials describe its architectural form.
The Ermita de la Mare de DĂ©u de Puigcerver is located at an altitude of 787 metres on the Serra de Puigcerver, on the boundary between the municipalities of Alforja and Riudecols. From there, the views extend across the Camp plain, parts of the Costa Daurada and the western Priorat. Its elevation, position on the municipal boundary and the areas visible from it give this place a different relationship with the landscape from the buildings within the town.
Planning your stay in Riudecols
If you are looking for a hotel in Riudecols, the topics described here can help you decide what kind of stay you would like. The nature trails offer ideas for hiking and cycling trips; the fountain, watchtower, aqueduct and hermitage each add their own cultural and scenic highlights.
Discover more destinations: Les Irles, L'ampolla, Alcanar, Duesaigües, La Canonja, El Baix Penedès, Lilla, Vilaplana
For the broader travel guide: Tarragona.
