Parque Fluvial Fuente del Río

Located in Villafranca de Córdoba, the Fuente del Río Waterway Park and its recreation area stand at the beginning of regional road A-421 that runs between Villafranca de Córdoba and Adamuz.

The venue, right beside the Iron bridge, has the following facilities: a recreation area, a children's play park, a quay, a trail and a bird-watching observatory.

It has received an award for the Sustainable Development of Rural Areas as a result of a project whose main aim is to recover civic activity in this area near the river, an area which is felt to be ideal for resisting the high summer temperatures, creating access to an area with a very high potential for tourism and recreation.

In this area you'll find a trail, a wooden pergola, picnic tables, benches, information panels and most importantly, a bird observatory which can be accessed by means of a walkway which is suitable for the disabled.

Fauna and flora

The Guadalquivir River is a leading player and the backbone of the countryside, with landscapes of exceptional beauty. The area provides vital support both for flora and fauna as well as for agriculture and the breeding of animals, and it is especially suitable for recreation and leisure. All along the banks of the river there are excellent riverside woods consisting of white poplars, black poplars, elms, willows and ash trees. There are also shrubs, like the tamarisk, the crack willow, bulrushes and reeds. It forms a natural barrier of great ecological and economic importance. These woods protect against erosion, since they form a natural barrier against flood waters and create a refuge for the flora and fauna. It is of great scenic and cultural value. The presence of a rich variety of fauna should not be forgotten, with indigenous species like the barbel, the chub and the "cobitis paludica", and others introduced by man like the carp and the black-bass. On a stroll along the riverbanks you'll come across footprints belonging to badgers, weasels and otters that are busy in the undergrowth under the forest gallery. The passage of the river leaves numerous, small reservoirs like the Salto de Villafranca, originally used to produce hydroelectric power. Today they form genuine artificial lakes surrounded by bulrushes and reeds, creating a vast refuge for water birds like grey herons, mallards and coots, among others.