Sant Feliu-Girona-Olot bike path Part3

August 31, 2009 by Admin
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From Amer (211m), which has an interesting church and old town, it is a short run to the river Ter below where it emerges from the Susqueda dam, a major hydroelectric plant. It also means that the bulk of the downhill is over and from here on it is flat with hazelnut and walnut plantations or sunflowers and corn fields on either side of the path which meanders through the fertile river valley.

El Pasteral (179m) with its old station building still intact and along to La Cellera de Ter and finally to the outskirts of Angles.

Angles has an interesting old town (a few minutes detour) and was famous for the textile factories which were established at the end of the 19th century but have almost all been closed in the last few years as the competition from China destroyed their business.

Now the path follows the river Ter or the parallel canal which was established to serve the small sub- hydroelectric stations and factories that needed water and electricity along the route.

There is an interesting restored ice-house around km 10 which explains how ice was preserved in the era before electricity. We now take ice and refrigeration for granted but it used to be a luxury item.

Girona looms large and there is no way to avoid crossing it from the Devesa park (tallest trees in a public park) and then follow the other river, the Onyar out of town to the south-east towards Quart. You pass the new Science Park of the University of Girona with some impressive modern buildings.

The next part takes you to Cassa de la Selva and Llagostera which are both famous for the cork processing factories which have been there for over a century, using the cork collected in the Gavarres hills nearby.

From Llagostera the path drops fairly sharply to the coastal plain around Castell d'Aro and it is a short haul into S'Agaro and then finally Sant Feliu de Guixols where all the dust from the path can be washed off with a cool dip in the Mediterranean!

Only the foolish or very strong should consider cycling back to Girona (36 kms) as there are a good 8kms of climbing, much easier to have lunch on a terrace and then put the bike on a bus which leave every hour from the bus station and arrive in Girona fresh and happy!

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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Tags: Amer, Angles, Cassa de la Selva, Castell d'Aro, Devesa, El Pastoral, La Cellera de Ter, Llagostera Quart, river Onyar, river Ter, S'Agaro, Sant Feliu de Guixols, Vilanna,

Sant Feliu-Girona-Olot bike path Part1

August 28, 2009 by Admin
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The Sant Feliu to Girona and on to Olot bike path or “carril bici” or just “carrilet” is an old railway line which has been converted into a great bike path. More suitable for mountain bikes or hybrids than road bikes because it is made mostly of compacted gravel and sand.

From Girona it is 58km but starting in Sant Feliu on the Costa Brava adds another 36kms to the trip. One crucial point to remember is that going from the coast toGirona only involves climbing about 50m from sea level but from Amer for the next 20kms it is a solid climb to nearly 700m before the descent to the valley of Olot.

So it is recommended to actually start from Olot as this way there is only some 5-7 kms of hard climbing before enjoying a long, steady downhill. The best way to get toOlot from Girona is by bus from the bus station (in front of the train station) and they take up to 5 bikes in the hold for a cost of 7.25? per person one way. Just as easy is to get a bus from Girona to Sant Feliu de Guixols or to catch one from there if you want to cycle to the coast and end up with a cool swim which is highly recommended in the hot summer months.

Bikes can be rented in Girona, ask at the tourist information offices or send me an email to arrange it: discovergirona@gmail.com

This guide will give you the main sights and places to visit along the way.

View Sant Feliu-Girona-Olot bike path in a larger map

Tags: bike path BTT carril bici carrilet cycling disused railway Girona MTB old railway line Olot railway vias verdes, bike path, carril bici, carrilet, cycling, Girona, Olot, Sant Feliu

Sant Feliu-Girona-Olot bike path Part2

August 28, 2009 by Admin
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As mentioned in part 1 it makes sense to start in Olot (445m) if you want to take advantage of the natural drop in altitude from a peak of nearly 700m to sea level.

Olot- the bus station is modern and in the centre of town. It's worth cycling through the Old Town with an impressive church and a few modernist buildings. Callis is a famous pastry shop and cafe next to the church, a reward for those that have battled uphill and finish in Olot! The Volcano Museum is also worth visiting on your way out of town.

Once you find the bike path you are taken along a riverside park and past the athletics track and then you come to the Parc de la Pedra Tosca.. This exhibition won a European prize in 2006 for outdoor parks and is a creation highlighting the volcanic nature of the area with paths made from steel plates and is fun to wander around.

By this time you are cycling through the rich volcanic valley of the Vall d'en Bas with fields of corn, maize and wheat and cows and pigs being raised.

Once you reach the village of Bas all the way to the Coll d'en Bas is a steep 5 km climb to over 650m altitude partly on the old paved road. From here down to Sant Miquel de Pineda which is a beautiful small Romanesque church next to the path and then Sant Feliu de Pallerols which has a square and a famous statue of a boy "fishing for the moon" referring to people who spend their life dreaming.

The path goes through forests with views of the volcanic mountains all around and descends steadily through Les Planes d'Hostoles all the way to Amer, on the outskirts is a good place to fill up your water-bottle at the Fonter natural mineral water spring.

Posted via email from gironaJ

Tags: bike path BTT carril bici carrilet cycling disused railway Girona MTB old railway line Olot railway Sant Feliu vias verdes, bike path, carril bici, carrilet, cycling, Girona

Harvest updates from Girona

August 23, 2009 by Admin
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Summer is almost over and yet some people have been busier than ever; my 90 year old friend Lluis is one of them. First he was busy sorting and platting the onions and garlic and now he is working on this years hazelnut harvest, by hand of course.

All of these products come from either his veggie garden or the woods he has near the village of La Pera which is where he has lived all his life. The tomatoes were late but tasty although not particularly abundant and the onions were bigger because of the wet winter/spring we had.

Next will be the beans which are dried and stored for the winter in his cellar along with the potatoes and soon it will be grape harvest and the new wine will go into the casks to keep them jolly through the winter months.

When you ask about the weather he tells you how much colder and wetter it used to be 30 or 40 years back when they had a river at the bottom of the village where they could swim and fish which is now just a dry ditch. There was occasional snow and it froze every night from December to February contrasted to now when even bougainvillea survive in sheltered spots and they die when it gets close to zero.

Like in many agricultural areas the end of summer is celebrated with a harvest festival to give thanks for the bountiful (or not depending on the year) crops and to prepare for the shorter, colder days ahead.

Living in complete harmony with the seasons is amazing, there is always something important to do whose benefit you will not see for several months but on which your life could depend before the arrival of modern logistics to supply shops in even the remotest villages, or transport to reach them.

Sion, Lluis’ wife still gets a thrill when she hears the horn announcing the fishmonger who comes through their village twice a week, she still thinks it a real luxury to eat fresh as opposed to salted fish.

Talking with them makes you realise how much us city dwelling folk take for granted every time we go food shopping!

The first picture is of an old traditional food served in Camprodon called “garru”, boiled ham on the ubiquitous toasted bread with olive oil and tomato rubbed in with optional garlic. A great way to start the day!

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Tags: Camprodon, garlic, garra, hazelnuts, La Pera, olive oil, onions, tomatoes

Pals- medieval splendour

August 10, 2009 by Admin
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Pals is a town set on a hill some 6 kms from the Costa Brava and has been well restored in all its medieval splendour. The steep narrow streets winding up to the church and tower are full of interesting balconies, doors, courtyards with many colourful plants like hibiscus and bougainvillea growing everywhere.
Like all medieval towns the important characteristics are here, the hill and walls for extra fortification, the church and lords house and the tower which was a lookout as well as providing water storage in some cases. Pals was on the coast 500 years ago before the surrounding land silted up and watching for pirates was important as this was a wealthy town from trading agricultural commodities.
Rice from Pals is famous for its quality and flavour and they built an irrigation system to sustain the industry which dates back a thousand years.
Now the town mainly lives off tourism with many art galleries, shops selling local produce (chocolates and rice) and ceramics from the nearby La Bisbal pottery centre. There are many terraces to sit and eat and drink in the shade before admiring the views from the top of the village over the Islas Medes and the Mediterranean Sea.

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Posted via email from gironaJ

Tags: ceramics, chocolates, Costa Brava, medieval town, Pals, Platja de Pals, rice

Priorat wine tour

August 5, 2009 by Admin
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The Priorat is one of the hidden gems of the Spanish wine world and luckily it is much easier to visit now that the access roads have improved and only takes an hour and a half to reach from Barcelona.
Why go there? Well the terrain is mountainous, the climate very dry and extreme and the roads narrow and winding but despite all of this the drama of the steep slopes planted with almond trees or vines, villages built on rocky outcrops and above all some spectacular wines are what should bring you here.
This is where the traditional varieties of garnacha (white and red) and cariñena are blended with newer arrivals cabernet, syrah and merlot to make some of the most powerful yet complex wines which reflect the wild herbs and red fruit aromas which send wine lovers all over the world into ecstasy.
It is fair to say that these wines have a bigger following outside of Spain due to what is referred to locally as "Riojitis" but cost has also been a factor since many of these wines have been overpriced. Reality seems to have set in and there are plenty of very interesting offerings in the 10-25? range as the number of Bodegas (wineries) has exploded from a dozen to nearly a hundred in only ten years.
A day trip visiting two contrasting bodegas with a full lunch in between is a great way to discover this wild area and I know you will fall in love with it just like me!
Contact: wine.walks@gmail.com for more details.