The Garraf Natural Park lies just 30km to the south-west of Barcelona, but despite this proximity, it is remarkable how bleak and wild the landscape feels. A combination of limestone bedrock and human activities has created this classic Karst Mediterranean landscape with an absence of surface water. Although the park's north-eastern fringes are cloaked in dense pinewoods, most of the massif is covered by a low garrigue, which has taken hold as fire and overgrazing over the centuries reduced the ancient forests.
Relief and geology
The Garraf forms part
of the Catalan Coastal Mountains. Most of the massif is made up of
limestone, producing a thoroughly Karstified scenery with typical
features such as dolines,
potholes, gorge and limestone pavements.
Vegetation and
climate
The
vegetation of the
park gives one the impression of an area sparse in rainfall. In fact,
this one the wetter spots along the Catalan coast with an average of
between 650 and 700mm of rainfall, although with a characteristic
Mediterranean
summer drought with rain often coming in short, violent
downpours, leading to massive erosion. Temperatures are also relatively
moderate here because of the dampening affect of sea winds. It is the
presence of a limestone bedrock and its
sensitivity
to human activities
(grazing, framing, fire) which has produced the landscape we see
today. The
garrigue is the dominant community on calcareous soils, forming an
impenetrable scrub, only broken limestone outcrops. This garrigue is composed of
typical southern Mediterranean species (xerophytic plants with leathery or resinous leaves, long roots, spiny leaves to reduce
evapo-transpiration). This is reputably the most
northerly area of Europe where this association occurs, and is dominated
by kermes oak. In
damper and non-limestone areas, and on coastal slopes, a higher, denser
maquis takes over.
Typical plants in both associations include:
- kermes oak. (Quercus coccifera) Sometimes known as holly oak. Historically important as the food plant of the Kermes insect Kermes ilices, from which a red dye, the natural source of crimson, was obtained. The tree takes its Latin and English name from this insect. Appearance of leaves are very similar to young holm oak, but leaves are shiny on both sides and lack hairs.
- strawberry tree Arbutus unedo Occasionally delicious, though more often mealy, fruit plentiful in autumn. Together with the bear the symbol of Madrid
- rosmary
- gorse
- tree heath
- butcher's broom Ruscus aculeatus
- dwarf fan palm Chamaerops humilis (Europe's only palm, and most >northerly site in the continent)
- masic (lentisk). A hard, brittle, transparent resin, also known as mastic, is obtained from the tree. The resin is collected by bleeding from small cuts made in the bark. Used as a spice in liquors, cooking and in Turkish delight!
- Lonicera implexa
- Viburnum tinus
- Smilax aspera
- North African coast grass (Ampelodesmos mauritanica), which probably arrived in the Garraf from seeds dropped by migratory birds.
Sandstone replaces limestone in the park's northern-eastern fringes which are covered in dense woods of Aleppo Pine (Pinus halepensis). Aleppo pine is also gradually gaining ground in other parts of the park, as the soils ever so slowly recover from the last serious fire of 1994. Given the composition of the vegetation, fire is today a constant hazard. Holm oak, the original climax species for much of the
Mediterranean, are present in valley bottoms. This pdf in English gives a more detailed overview of the vegetation of the Garraf.
Reptiles and mammals
The high level of sunshine and the lack of surface water means the park does not have a rich mammal life, though wild boar, fox, genet (video in Garraf), and beech marten are all present. See video here summarising monitoring of mammal populations in the park. Reptiles include typical
Mediterranean
species horseshoe whipsnake and snub-nosed viper. Birdlife
of El Garraf
The dry conditions make the park a great site for typical
Mediterranean
species. Breeding birds include: thekla lark, tawny pipit, black eared wheatear, rock thrush, Dartford warbler, Sardinian warbler, southern grey shrike, ortolan bunting, peregrine, pallid swift, red-rumped swallow and crag martin. Star of the show though goes to the pair of bonelli's eagle. See video
here of monitoring programme which also
gives good idea of the Garraf's landscape . The massif is also a good
spot for observation of migratory raptors and storks, as they head down
the coastline on their way to Africa
List of Garraf birds:
- Robin
Erithacus rubecula
- Blue
Tit Parus caeruleus
- Short-toed
Treecreeper Certhia brachydactyla
- Bonelli’s
Warbler Phylloscopus bonelli
- Coal
Tit Parus ater
- Crested
Tit Parus cristatus
- Wood
Pigeon Columba palumbus
- Magpie
Pica pica
- Wren
Troglodytes troglodytes
- Jay
Garrulus glandarius
- Turtle
Dove Streptopelia turtur
- Golden
Oriole Oriolus oriolus
- Firecrest
Regulus ignicapillus
- Long-tailed
Tit Aegithalos caudatus
- Nightingale
Luscinia megarhynchos
- Common
Cuckoo Cuculus canorus
- Green
Woodpecker Picus viridis
- Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelis
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- Cetti’s
Warbler Cettia cetti
- Great
Tit Parus major
- Blackbird
Turdus merula
- Greenfinch
Carduelis chloris
- Rock
Bunting Emberiza cia
- Serin
Serinus serinus
- Sardinian
Warbler Sylvia melanocephala
- Dartford
Warbler Sylvia undata
- Southern
Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis
- Woodchat
Shrike Lanius senator
- Rock
Thrush Monticola saxatilis
- Red-legged
Partridge Alectoris rufa
- Stonechat
Saxicola torquata
- Black-eared
Wheatear Oenanthe hispanica
- Ortolan
Bunting Emberiza hortulana
- Thekla
Lark Galerida theklae
- Corn
Bunting Miliaria calandra
- Tawny
Pipit Anthus campestris
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Human history of El Garraf
Although
a sense of emptiness
envelopes
one as one walks
or drives through the park today, there was once a large human
population, and the massif was intensively farmed until the late
nineteenth century, when the outbreak of Phylloxera
almost entirely ruined the vineyards that occupied the hill slopes. This led
to
the rapid
abandonment
of the area, with many of the impoverished farmers
heading for the slums of nearby Barcelona.
Practicalities
Good routes here in Catalan
- Car
Easiest
route into park
- Train Barcelona to Sitges. Get
off at El Garraf (only 1 an
hour) and walk back towards Barcelona until you come to GR-92 footpath
on side of mountain. This will lead you up to massif and visitor centre.
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