Itchy Feet Adventures: Barcelona – Parc del Clot (Park series IV.)

When we moved to this part (El Clot) of Barcelona we were happy to see that we are 2 minutes away from a park. As soon as we dropped our stuff we went to explore. Since then I fell in love with this park and it’s definitely amongst my favourites. This is the Parc del Clot.

This triangle shaped green area is full of surprises and you stumble upon something new after every step. I think this is mainly due to the history of the park. In the old days this bit of land was full of factories and industrial buildings. In the late twentieth century they got rid of the unused buildings and made it a green space. They kept a few bits from the factories combining the old and the new in a very creative and aesthetic way.

These arches used to belong to a train factory. On one side they provide a floral background to the children’s playground, on the other side they were turned into a viaduct and a quirky fountain. In the corner they kept a little square with a square pond in the middle. In the centre there’s a sculpture by an American artist.

The park is full of playgrounds. This one here would be unimaginable in England.

In this corner elderly people play the 'petanque' game almost every day.

You can practice many different sports here. This side is dedicated for outside squash games.

These ping-pong tables are often occupied by the young.

There’s a big football pitch with basketball baskets and seats for the visitors. There are many events held here.

There’s even a big area especially for dogs.

I love the details of the park, like the white bridges (impressively free from graffiti) the long white chimneys that are lit up in the evenings or the overhead lights.

The grass is maintained well together with the many different roses and other flowers.

The park is 700m long. They put out signs in every 100ms to the runners so they can calculate their distance. I do my morning runs here. Usually I run around 30-40 minutes and I get to see the surrounding area getting ready to start the day, children go to school, people walk their dogs or the elderly do their morning walks.

In the evening however everything changes. I really think that the people living around here treat this park as the extension of their homes. They all come here to get together and chat, walk, or rest on one of the many benches. Young couples do their evening stroll hand in hand, children learn to roller blade and dogs are walked leisurely. This is the social centre of the district and it’s so busy that on those days when I run home from work I have to keep dodging people.

Some photos of the park at night.