Primers Pobladors

The Primers Pobladors Route links the villages of Cretas, Mazaleón, Calaceite and Valdeltormo along a 47.2 km trail. The starting point is the Estación Rural del Matarranya (the old Greenway station), 500 metres from Cretas, and it finishes in Mazaleón.

The itinerary immerses us in the past, letting us enjoy: natural landscapes, fields of centuries-old olive trees, vines, peach trees and almond trees dotted with small patches of woodland, as well as the Matarraña river; and architectural heritage of great beauty — hermitages, Iberian settlements, water wheels, and traditional constructions.

The main route is linear and has 2 branches, one towards Calaceite and the other towards Valdeltormo.

Main axis: Cretas–Mazaleón (27.16 km)

The route begins in the municipal area of Cretas, near the old Greenway station. We set off towards the town centre, pass through it and continue north-west along the track of the Barranco del Calapata ravine until we reach the Bassa d'En Perler — a watering trough. Continuing along the same route, we come across an example of the structures that were of fundamental importance in the daily lives of our ancestors: the noria water wheel, used to draw water for irrigation.

Further along, we encounter the rock paintings of La Roca dels Moros and Els Gascons — declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site — and shortly afterwards we see another noria, in this case the one at Costa del Calapatar. We continue northward through fields of almond trees and olive trees, where we reach a fork that allows us to take the alternative paths towards Calaceite.

We continue along the main axis until we find the remains of the Els Castellans Iberian Settlement and the Lime Kiln, near the Font de la Madrillera — a watering trough — and we carry on westward, with a slight zigzag. Back on the bank of the Matarraña river, we come across a variant of the main route. In this case, it leads to Valdeltormo.

We continue along the main itinerary in a north-easterly direction, with the Matarraña river as our companion on the way to Mazaleón. After passing under the bridge, we ride close to El Tilo del Molí d'Arnal, a monumental lime tree. From here, orchards and peach tree fields dominate the landscape. In the final stretch, we can stop at the hermitage of San Cristóbal and the San Cristóbal Iberian Settlement. The village of Mazaleón marks the end of this route, which offers a contrast of beautiful natural landscapes dotted with numerous cultural remains from different eras.

About 7 kilometres from Cretas, the path forks and we can take a branch heading towards Calaceite through olive groves, almond trees and vines. After passing the beautiful setting of the Santa Ana hermitage and the Font d'En Oró — watering troughs — we can visit the Tossal Redó Iberian Settlement and the Font de les Espiles — a watering trough. The end point of this branch is the San Cristóbal hermitage, next to the San Antonio Iberian settlement, from where there are spectacular views across the whole comarca of Matarraña.

Once the main axis reaches the Matarraña river, we have the option of taking the branch that leads to Valdeltormo, passing through the Iberian settlements of Torre Cremada and Tossal Montañés, and connecting, if desired, with the Val de Zafán Greenway.