Benitatchell brings its dramatic cliffside fishing heritage to life in immersive new experience

A unique part of Benitatchell’s coastal history is being given a digital makeover, allowing visitors to explore one of the area’s most dangerous traditional fishing practices without having to tackle the cliffs themselves.

The new ‘Les Pesqueres de Cingle’ project recreates the spectacular fishing platforms found along the municipality’s coastline using immersive digital technology. The initiative has now opened to the public and has also been put forward for the prestigious European Heritage Europa Nostra Awards.

Explore the cliffs without the dangerous descent

The project focuses on three traditional fishing spots: La Taula, La Branca and El Moraig.

These ‘pesqueres’ were built into the cliffs and were used by local fishermen known as encesers. Reaching them involved navigating extremely steep terrain, with some of the surrounding cliffs rising more than 100 metres.

Rather than sending people into this fragile and protected landscape, the project uses aerial drone photography, photogrammetry and 3D modelling to recreate the sites digitally.

The result is a 360-degree virtual experience that lets people explore the fishing platforms from a phone, tablet or computer.

Available in four languages

The virtual tour can be accessed from anywhere in the world and is available in Valencian, Spanish, English and French.

Visitors can also access the experience from the real locations using QR codes installed on information points at La Taula, La Branca and Moraig.

The project has been designed to be accessible too, with adapted information including Braille signage, professional narration and interactive information points explaining the history of the sites.

A new way to experience Benitatchell’s coastline

The town will also introduce six standalone Meta Quest 3S virtual reality headsets, allowing visitors to experience a virtual descent down the cliffs accompanied by a local fisherman’s narration.

The technology means people who could never safely reach the original fishing platforms can still discover the traditions and stories connected to them.

European recognition

Benitatchell has submitted the project to the Europa Nostra Awards in the Cultural Landscape category.

The municipality says the digital approach could also provide a model for other Mediterranean coastal communities where important heritage sites are difficult or dangerous to access.

The project was funded entirely through NextGenerationEU funds as part of Spain’s Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan and the municipality’s Sustainable Tourism Plan.

The virtual experience is now available to the public, bringing one of Benitatchell’s most unusual pieces of coastal heritage to a much wider audience without physically altering the protected landscape.