The best trails to walk in Spain this summer

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Just as there are blue flags, we have

.

This is the name of the award that recognizes and rewards the environmental, sustainable and heritage value of up to

throughout Spain.

From the Barbate Cliff route (Cádiz) to the coastal path of the

(Asturias), the

(La Palma) or the path

.

Sea breeze and exercise, a good tandem to get to know the territory in summer or when the opportunity arises.

Chosen by the Association of Environmental and Consumer Education (ADEAC), the trails make up a network of almost 500 kilometers and are present in 19 provinces of ten communities.

By communities,

is the one that offers the most

with a total of 29 blue trails, followed by the Valencian Community (19), Andalusia (12), Principality of Asturias (6), Catalonia (5), the Balearic Islands and the Region Murcia (4), the Canary Islands (3), Cantabria (2) and Extremadura (1).

Camí de Ronda in s'Agaró.SHUTTERSTOCK

Beyond the 'sun and beach'

The Senderos Azules program, which is a pioneer in Spain and has been linked to the Blue Flag program since its inception in 2011. Originally, the initiative sought to promote the

and diversification of the sun and beach tourism offer in blue flag destinations, hence, most of the trails are

As for the award-winning trails in this edition, 64 percent are partially or totally immersed in

and 57 percent are home to protected species of flora or fauna.

Only one autonomous community in the interior, Extremadura, receives the Blue Flag for a trail near a "continental beach" in the province of Badajoz.

In total there are

trails that have joined this initiative this year: the Carballos de Aldariz route and the Poio coastal trail in Pontevedra;

the one on the coast of Coroso, in La Coruña;

that of Cap de Cullera, in Valencia;

the Les Marines-Rajadell Blue Path and the 6,000 Steps Path, both in Castellón;

the ecological trail from Calalga to Bassetes (Alicante);

and Huelva: the Matalascañas beach trail and the Punta Umbría juniper groves.

To achieve this distinction, the trails must meet certain criteria such as promoting the conservation of the environment.

The president of the ADEAC, José Palacios, has underlined the importance of these flags when it comes to recognizing "the

of the roads within, above all, respect for nature", and has stressed the obligation to " respect and promote the conservation of our environment with the ultimate goal of creating a network of trails for everyone".

Likewise, among the environmental improvement actions carried out in the Blue Paths and their surroundings, the regeneration of

, the planting of native species or the re-naturalization of old paths in disuse stand out.

Some of these trails lead to "Blue Centers" interpretation buildings awarded by ADEAC for their work in disseminating the conservation of natural heritage.

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More information at

www.senderosazules.org

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