This 18, 19 and 20 May saw 3rd-year students go on an excursion to Pallars Jussà and Alta Ribagorça, as part of the ‘Dynamics and management of rural spaces’, ‘Geography of mountain spaces’ and ‘Management of natural spaces’ subjects. They were able to embark a three-day journey which took them through several points in these Pyrenees counties.

Day 1

Stop in Coll of Comiols, located 1,100 m above sea level, to observe the panoramic view of Conca of Tremp, the Pyrenees and pre-Pyrenees mountain ranges. Followed by a visit to Centre d’Interpretació de Sòls a Tremp, with the aim of taking a thorough look at the geological nature of this area. By the afternoon, they discovered Senterada's community allotments at first hand, a pioneering initiative from Mireia Font, the Chair of the Associació Senterada Municipi Viu i Sostenible. They finished the day at the Alberg Xanascat de Tremp hostel, where they spent the night.

Day 2

The day started with a visit to the Reserva Nacional de Caça de Boumort, to observe the characteristic fauna living in this area (Egyptian vultures, common vultures, Pyrenean chamois etc.), surrounded by an impressive and unique landscape. Followed by a bus trip to Alta Ribagorça, more specifically, to the Centre Romànic de la Vall de Boí, including a tour of Església de Sant Climent de Taüll church and its spectacular mapping of its apse’s Romanesque paintings. They spent the night in the same county, with a very pleasant stay at the Càmping Alta Ribagorça.

Day 3

Last day of fieldwork at the Parc Nacional d’Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici, with an excursion to the valley of the Sant Nicolau river to take a deep look at the area's natural habitats, putting special emphasis on the animal species and plants living there. All this, before returning by bus to Girona's counties.

In short, the excursion offered a unique opportunity for relating the knowledge acquired in each of the three subjects, obtaining a cross-disciplinary look at the natural and human factors that characterise these rural Pyrenees areas. None of this would have been possible without direct contact with the area's people which allowed a first-hand understanding of its reality and dynamics.

On Friday14 April, 3rd and 4th year students enrolled in the subject ‘Tourism, Territory and Environment’ went on a field trip to the Baix Empordà coastline. The aim was to learn how to characterise and analyse the different types of beaches found in the region from a tourism perspective, in order to be able to apply this knowledge in one of the projects included in the subject.

So in order to be able to see different types of beaches, during the outing they visited the beaches of Sant Pol (Sant Feliu de Guíxols), Platja d'Aro, Sant Antoni de Calonge, and Castell (Palamós). The trip allowed them to see first-hand examples of urban and semi-urban beaches, as well as natural beaches, such as Castell. The latter, which has been preserved thanks to the perseverance of local grassroots initiatives, is one of the few that remain in the Baix Empordà.

On Thursday 30 March, students taking “Management of natural spaces” visited the Cap de Creus Nature Reserve, stopping at Sant Pere de Rodes, Cadaqués and Paratge de Tudela. 

They were accompanied of the director of the Nature Reserve, Ponç Feliu, who addressed how the area is managed. They also enjoyed a guided visit by Marta Puiguriuguer of Paratge de Tudela, a source of inspiration for Salvador Dalí, and a sample of the shift from an anthropised landscape to an environmental education park.

On Friday 24 March, students taking “Geography of mountainous spaces” and “Dynamics and management of the rural spaces” travelled to Vall d'en Bas on a field trip. They first visited a section of the railway between Olot to Vic, then to Marrades del Grau d'Olot, before reaching the hermitage of Sant Miquel de Falgars. From there, they took in the panoramic views offered by the small rocky outcrop, with views over Vall d'en Bas, Olot and a large part of the Oriental Pyrenees.

On the way back down, they visited Pujolriu and Coromina farm, a pioneer in the ecological and sustainable production of milk in the ATO chain. They also learned first hand about the task of implementing new technologies to monitor the production of milk and control livestock. All while focussing on production, high-quality production.

Students of the subject the ‘Tourism, territory and environment', went on a field excursion in the Baix Empordà on 17 March 2023. This involved following a stretch of the GR 92.1, between the villages Vulpellac and Canapost, to apply knowledge they will subsequently find useful for preparing their next practical, which will centre on designing of a tourist path. This is meant to help them to discover parts of the country while focusing on a specific subject.

The excursion and route saw the students learning to assess and categorise the various natural and cultural resources. They also analysed the quality of the landscape, another of the key aspects to take into account when creating a tourist product. It was ultimately a perfect opportunity for them to put into practice on the ground everything they had learnt in the classroom.

Students of the subject “Integrated territorial and environmental management practicals” carried out a field excursion from 1 to 4 March 2023 in the province of Alicante, accompanied by three teachers from the department, to find out the layout and management of the territory in the face of climatic change and risk of floods.

They embarked on their itinerary accompanied by Maria Hernández, a full professor at the Department of Regional Geographical Analysis and Physical Geography (University of Alicante), who tell them about the latest trends in urban planning in Alicante itself.

They visited La Marjal park together, with a technician-engineer from Hidraqua, David Santacreu, where they were able to appreciate a pioneering green infrastructure in Spain that met the double function of floodable park and shelter for biodiversity and fauna. In addition, it also regulates the integral water cycle and acts as green lung for the city. They were thereby able to appreciate the values of sustainability, urban resilience, biodiversity and multi-functionality.

Their day event continued with Jorge Olcina Cantos, an important geographer and expert in the territory and in climate change. They were able to observe the polarities together between the city of Elx and Alicante regarding the urban policies, the large potential of green zones and the Torrevieja Saltworks and their difficult management between private and public companies.

They were also able to enjoy at first hand the explanations given by the geographer and doctor in regional space planning, Antonio Oliva Cañizares, on the Vega Renhace Plan for the city of Orihuela. This is an initiative with a geographic focus that attempts to tackle natural potential catastrophes in the Baix Segura county.

The day event continued with a visit to Babilónia beach, with a large number of buildings occupying the maritime-terrestrial public domain. This involved a high risk from maritime storms, as well as a conflicts over the use of the space.

They also learnt the history of Alicante’s water: legends from Arab and Christian cultures, visits to wells, and the importance of water in the various social and historical contexts. They were able to observe the importance of water for the city, thanks to the technician Javier Masaquiel. In addition, when it come to controlling and digitalising hydraulic infrastructures, they visited the DINAPSIS company that has a network of digital-transformation hubs for managing the region’s water, environmental health and ecological transition.

Finally, there was also time for taking a deep look at the region’s planning and layout. They did this in Benidorm, which is noted for its very distinctive tourism, although it is also a pioneering city time in its implementation of the first General Urban Layout Plan (PGOU) at state level. The field excursion was concluded from Finestrat, with a panoramic view of the city of Benidorm and its environment.

On Friday the 20 January 2023, we went on a field trip to the city of Barcelona, within the framework of the subject Dynamics and management of urban spaces .

We followed an itinerary that led us to discover the city’s several urban sections. We started the itinerary in the Gothic Neighbourhood, an exremely organic route. via Cathedral Square and Via Laietana (the latter, an example of the destruction of the historical centre). We continued across the Rambla and on to Raval, en route to Sant Antoni Market. Here we could appreciate the work that has been done on the market building itself and the streets around it. We ended up paying special attention to the creation of the C/ Comte Borrell green hub.

On Friday 13 January 2023, the geography students of the coastal spaces went on a trip to the Baix Ter to see and analyse first hand the characteristics that define coastal spaces.

The itinerary began at the viewpoint just below Rocamaura, from where we could observe the entire Baix Ter plain, together with the ancient mouth of the river. We then made for L’Estartit where, following the coastline, we went deep into dune and marsh environments. Finally, we ended the excursion on Pals Beach.

We took account of physical aspects throughout the excursion, including the areas’ native plants, and humans too, such as exposure to natural risks. An example is the beach and the of Griells promenade, which have suffered considerable damage from storms over the last few years.

It therefore proved very useful to apply the knowledge we had acquired in class to the terrain.