Cartaya: Nature, Coast and Historic Buildings

Nature

The Pinares de Cartaya cover approximately 11,500 hectares. They are of ecological and landscape value and include Mediterranean vegetation, birdlife and small vertebrates. The Pinares de Cartaya feature hiking trails, picnic areas and recreational areas.

The Sendero Marismas de San Miguel is a 1,720-metre-long trail with a low level of difficulty and a duration of approximately 52 minutes. It passes through marshland with salt- and flood-tolerant vegetation as well as birdlife that can be observed.

The initial section of the Sendero Río Piedras is adapted for people with reduced mobility. This section has four rest areas equipped with benches.

The Río Piedras trail is intended exclusively for pedestrians; bicycles and motor vehicles are prohibited there.

Coast and Water

The Marismas del Río Piedras y Flecha del Rompido are protected as an Andalusian wetland, Paraje Natural, LIC and ZEPA. At the mouth of the Río Piedras, they combine tidal flats and marshland with a sandy coastal formation approximately ten kilometres long.

The Marismas del Río Piedras area offers water sports, river excursions, sport fishing, diving courses and windsurfing.

The Playa Nuevo Portil beach in Cartaya has calm waters and extends for 1,500 metres below cliffs.

The old lighthouse of the Faros de El Rompido was built in 1861 to a design by Ángel Mayo.

History and Buildings

The Castillo de los Zúñiga stands in the centre of Cartaya's municipal area and was declared a Bien de Interés Cultural in 1985. The complex has seven square towers; its walls are eight metres high and 130 metres long in total. The Castillo de los Zúñiga is used for festivals, performances and civic events.

The Iglesia parroquial de San Pedro was built between 1575 and 1606 and is considered one of the significant Renaissance churches in western Andalusia. It houses an 18th-century collection of scenes from the life of Saint Francis of Assisi.

The original building of the Casa Consistorial, known as Casas Capitulares, was erected in 1555 above the Pósito de los Pobres. The Casa Consistorial is located on Plaza Redonda, which is regarded as the civic and representative centre of Cartaya.

The Convento de Mercedarios Descalzos de la Santísima Trinidad is registered in Cartaya as a Monumento and Bien de Interés Cultural. Its convent church or chapel is the oldest part of the complex and was built between 1624 and 1628. The new building of the Convento de Mercedarios Descalzos de la Santísima Trinidad was constructed between 1774 and 1778.

Festivals

The Feria de Octubre takes place every autumn in honour of the Virgen del Rosario, the patron saint of Cartaya. It has more than 60 years of history and was first held in 1964. During its five-day programme, the Feria de Octubre includes exhibitions on livestock, agriculture, automobiles and trade.

Regional Insights

The Centro de Interpretación El Faro presents the history of fishing in the municipality of Cartaya. The lens from the old lighthouse and information about the watchtowers of Huelva Province are on display there. The centre also presents the region's protected marshlands, wetlands and birds, as well as Cartaya's pine forests.

A rectangular tide mill preserves large parts of its rubble-stone and brick walls, the Cárcavos and the arch of the sluice opening.

To the higher-level travel overview: Huelva.

More Destinations

More places under the same destination:

Niebla, Aljaraque, Corteconcepción, Rosal de la Frontera, Linares De La Sierra, Calañas.