Gualta: Water Landscapes, Cultural Heritage and Routes

Nature and Water

Gualta lies on the right bank of the River Ter. Most of the town is situated on an alluvial plain. Its formation is due to the deposition of sand. The Ter and Daró carried it along on their way to the sea. Gualta has had an extensive network of canals and irrigation channels for a long time. These include the rec del Molí, the rec Madral or d’en Fonts, and the Sèquia “el regadiu”.

The Daró forms a river bend in Gualta. Behind the bridge, the river divides into two branches. In Gualta, the Daró forms an ecosystem of importance to the local flora and fauna. This ecosystem includes fish, amphibians, reptiles and mammals, as well as a great variety of birds. Gualta lies at the foot of the Parc Natural del Montgrí, les Illes Medes i el Baix Ter.

Culture and History

A pre-Roman archaeological site is located in Gualta on the southeastern slope of Puig de la Font Pasquala. In 1990, the Pont Vell was classified as a Bé Cultural d’Interès Local because of its architectural and historical value. The Molí de Gualta served as a flour and rice mill. It was also a hydroelectric power station, an ice factory and an oil mill. The oldest recorded mention of the Molí de Gualta dates from 1332.

Gualta has a cultural heritage route with eight information and interpretation panels. The panels lead to the origins of the town. They focus on its history, the most important monuments and buildings, and its natural heritage. Thus, the history of the town is represented both by an individual building and by a route with several thematic stops.

Other Places

Other places listed in the overview are Vilobí D'onyar, Ogassa, Sant Miquel De Fluvià, Pals, Capmany, Besalú, Canet D'adri and Sant Andreu Salou.

Routes along the Ter

“El Ter: camins d’aigua” is a cycling and hiking route operated by the Consorci del Ter. Along the River Ter, the route connects the Pyrenees with the Costa Brava. Five comarques of Catalonia lie along its course. The route title therefore represents a trail that follows the river across several Catalan landscape areas.

The circular route “De Gualta al puig de la Font Pasquala” passes through the centre of Gualta. It then climbs to Puig de la Font Pasquala. From Puig de la Font Pasquala, the route offers views of the Empordà, Montgrí and Illes Medes.

The circular route therefore connects the centre of Gualta with the subsequent climb to Puig de la Font Pasquala. The views mentioned there extend across the Empordà, Montgrí and Illes Medes. Together with “El Ter: camins d’aigua”, Gualta thus features both a local route and a longer route along the Ter. The two routes therefore cover different geographical scales without changing their respective courses.

For the higher-level travel overview: Girona.