The European funded project to restore the “playa fluvial” (river beach) on the River Segura and install a new White Water Canoe Course has finished and Nexonr editorial visited the site this week.
The river beach is situated just under the old iron bridge at the “Embarcadero” and has been somewhere families from Calasparra have visited and enjoyed for many summers. However, it had almost completely disappeared due to the passage of time and the swollen river.
The EU project to restore the beach has consisted of making a sand/gravel beach along the river, restoring the stone steps and banks to make them accessible, and restoring an area of “safe bathing” away from the fast current of the Segura.
The improvements aim to provide a safe, family environment for picnics and bathing during the heat of the Calasparrian summer.
The second project is the White Water Course installed in the river below the Canoe Clubhouse. To access the new facilities turn left at the bottom of the pedestrian bridge at the Canoe Clubhouse and walk along the grass path at the side of the river. Keep following the river bank, past a small wooden hut, over the mud path alongside a rice field and cross a ditch on a rather rickety makeshift “bridge” to access the new path constructed along the new White Water Course.
When Nexonr visited the site, members of the Canoe Club were putting the finishing touches to the gates on the White Water Course.
The course will be used for training but is also expected to host various regional and national events during the summer.
This is a fantastic local amenity in the River Segura below a stunning backdrop of vertical rock faces.
According to a spokesperson for the Club the new course, which uses a series of jetties to make “white water,” encourages wildlife in the river, including otters which love to fish in the deep calm, water alongside the jetties.
