Albufera Reserve - Mallorca - Spain.

The Albufera marshes between C'an Picafort and Alcudia are Mallorca's best known, and best, reserve. Whilst it is a great draw for birders and boast an extensive list it is also a resource to all Mallorcans - each year every schoolchild on the island must visit it at least once. The reserve has an excellent website with details of visiting times, birds to be seen and its history etc.

The hide does had a ramp and a movable bench for viewing and is the best place on the reserve to spend time looking for the migrants and specialities. Time spent on the bridge over the canal should net you most of the rest. All in all the reserve is pretty accessible and staff (contactable by email) are very helpful even if the facilities do not live up to them.

From the disabled birder's point of view it is a place that is accessible in part. Around the edges, at, for example, the Depuadora, there is a car park (in itself a great place to bird) which has a small hide over looking one of the water tanks... this is not adapted, there is no space for a wheelchair and the benches are not moveable and there is no ramp up; on the other hand you can park right next to it and most disabled people could be helped in without too much difficulty or loss of dignity!

The reserve proper is not accessible for vehicles (except bikes) but exceptions are made for disabled people. Between 9.00am and 7.00pm (the opening times during the season) the gate keeper can issue a permit and allow your car to pass if you can produce the minimum evidence of disability (either by an obvious disability or by showing an orange or blue badge). Once through the gate there is a slow drive along the one kilometer long access track to the reserve reception and information centre where a permit must be obtained by every visitor.

Less than 100 yards from here is the best hide overlooking a large "scrape", the same distance in a slightly different direction takes one to an observation mound (about 30 steps up!) and another 100 yards takes you to a bridge overlooking a canal which is a great spot. One can complete a circuit back to the centre by the canalside. Apart from the very beginning the tracks are solid, even surfaced and level. The first few dozen yards might be hard going in a wheelchair as their are tree roots making progress difficult.