Catalonia has incredibly green natural parks. Unlike the southern parts of Spain (which can be a savannah type landscape) the natural spaces in Catalonia have much greater bio-diversity with some beautiful forests, mountains, deltas and coastline ideal for hiking, nature and adventure escapes.
Easy hiking for beginners and families with young children in Collserola park
Behind Barcelona is the sierra de Collserola mountain range and the 84.65 square Kilometre Collserola parc natural where there lies a wealth of woodland, fields and rivers in a protected park with a wide variety of Mediterranean flora and fauna. Collserola is often referred to as the lungs of Barcelona.
Carretera de les Aigues is a walking, running and cycling path on the city side of collserola parc below the ridgeline that has purpose-built viewing points for superb views of the city. Collserola also contains traces of early settlements, including the Iberian village of Serra del Moro, the Gothic castles of Castellciuroand El Papiol, old farmhouses, such as the famous Villa Joana, abundant natural springs, including La Budellera. Parc Collserola is train accessible from Barcelona within a 20-minute journey time.
Coastal trails for summer to explore wild beaches
The Costa Dorada (to the south of Barcelona is train accessible with journey times of one to two hours. While a lot of the cista dorada is urbanised there are some gems of routes between Sant viçens de Calders and Torredembarra, Tamarit to Tarragona and Ametlla de Mar to L’Ampolla. Alond these stretches of coastline you will find beautiful coves with wild beaches for swimming. My favourite stretch is Tamarit to Tarragona and Ametlla de Mar because of the Waikiki beach, a 500 m long beach in an arcing cove. The beach is so shallow here that you can walk out into the perfect blue water and only be up to your waste after 50 metres.
The Costa Brava (To the north of Barcelona) although not accessible by train does have a reliable bus service to the principal towns. Here you will find typical whitewashed fishing villages and postcard views. My favourite section to hike is the world famous camí de la Ronda between Palamós and Begur. I do this as a three-day hiking holiday staying in hostels or camping overnight. The route has plenty of coves and between the villages the views behind the coast are of pine forested mountains. My favourite beaches on this three-day route are Playa El Castell, Cala dels Canyers, Cala Estreta, Cala Cap de Planes, Cala del Crit, El Golfet, Cala del Cau, Cala Pedrosa, Tamariu Beach, Platja d’Aiguablava, Platja Fonda, Platja de Sa Tuna and Platja de l’Illa Roja. Along the route you eill pass through some spectacular villages and towns such as Calella de Palafrugell, Llafranc, Tamariu, and Sa Tuna.
The coastal trails mentioned above are suitable for children 10+ or that can tolerate walking 10 to 15 km per day.
The Pyrenees mountains perfect summer escapes
The Pyrenees are train accessible from Barcelona when basing your hiking around the town of Ribes de Freser which is 2 hours from Barcelona by train. From here you can hike up to Taga summit through mountain pastures and a green hilly ascent. For a more adventurous trails take the Cremallera de Nuria racked railway along its 40-minute trajectory through the scenic Vall de Nuria. The Nuria racked railway stops at the village of Queralbs which is a postcard village on the side of the mountain with stone houses and slate roofs. The racked railway terminates at Nuria resort just under 2000m above sea level. This is a summer and winter ski resort and is an excellent place for starting trails to Puigmal summit (just under 3000m) or descending down the Nuria valley to Ribes de Freser.
For car accessible hiking I recommend Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park. This a mountainous park with over 200 glacial lakes and wild forests, waterfalls and mountain rivers. I recommend Espots as an overnight base because it serves as a starting point for the Sant Maurici Lake and Ratera waterfall route plus the Black Lake and Peguera river valley route. The Vall de Fosca is pure paradise and can be done as a one-day hike or staying overnight in the Refugi Colomina mountain hut. In Aigüestortes you will see spectacular landscapes that were formed two million years ago by glacial erosion during the ice age. To finish your trip, take a white-water rafting trip along the Noguera Pallaresa River from the town of Llavorsí.
These Pyrenees routes are accessible for people of all levels but do contain ascents of about 1000m and can be physically challenging.
Autumn Forest hiking in Catalonia
When it comes to autumn hiking in Catalona the forest trails are the best. The diverse species of trees at this time of the year produce a kaleidoscope of colours ranging from mellow yellows to fiery reds and everything in between as the trees change colour and drop their leaves. The species of trees vary across the landscape depending on their proximity to mountain streams and rivers so in one view you can see all the colours.
The first place I recommend is Montseny natural park about 1 hour from Barcelona by car or train. This park is accessible from the town of Sant Celoni where bus routes take you to Santa Fe del Montseny reservoir. From here you can hike up to the Turó de l’Home summit or just walk around the reservoir. It is also possible to walk back to Sant Celoni via mountain river valleys and waterfalls. At Santa Fe de Montseny there are also two hostels to make this a weekend trip but be aware that the bus routes only run at weekends. On the other side of the park there are trails from Coll formic to Matagals and from Valldrau (November chestnut roasting festival) to Sant Segimon sanctuary. Both these routes are also bus accessible. Using the R3 train line to hike to Tagamanent or Cingles de Bertí are also great routes.
The Osona region around the Medieval market town of Vic also has fantastic forest hiking routes. Although Vic is served by the R3 rail line, unfortunately these routes are only accessible by car and are not served by bus routes. Tavertet is a small village on the top of a ribbon of cliff that has the sant pau reservoir below it. The circular route passes via a river valley along a cliff side path that goes under a huge crescent shaped waterfall and along the side of the mountain to the famous Moro d’Abuela viewpoint. As you walk along this route you cannot help but look along the valley which is a view uninterrupted by man made objects. It is in this valley that I always imagine giant flying dinosaurs swooping along. Near to Tavertet is the town of Rupit which is a picturesque stone and slate medieval village that sites on two sides of a river canyon with a pedestrian suspension bridge linking the two sides of the town. The circular hiking route follows the river to Salt de Sallent waterfall. La Fageda d’en Jordà is a famous hiking trail in a forest that has beach, oak and many other species growing on an old lava flow from a long dormant Volcano.
Montserrat Monastery and Mountain any time of the year
Montserrat monastery is train and ‘cremallera’ or cable car, accessible from Barcelona and the number 1 tourist day trip destination. Most people go and explore the Santa Maria church and wander around the mountain side sanctuary, however I find that the religious aspects of this day tip (or pilgrimage) take about one to two hours at most leaving the rest of the day without anything to do. Fortunately, the most spectacular aspect of Montserrat is the unique geology of the mountain itself. The summit of Sant Jeroni is about a six-hour hike from the monastery and a popular and well signposted route. For a more sedate route the Santa Cova chapel involves a 2 km route down some steps and along a paved path to the chapel. The route is adorned with religious statues and monuments with one being designed by Gaudí. For a medium level route, I recommend walking up to the Sant Joan funicular (cable railway) station then following the gravel path to Sant Joan and Sant Onofre sanctuaries. These are small cave dwellings cut into the side of the mountain where hermits would meditate.
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