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In the area between Santa Pau and Olot is the Garrotxa Volcanic Natural Park and well worth a visit it is too, especially if you are looking for a contrast from the beach or city. How many places do you know where you can you walk into a volcano and see what the resulting geology looks like? There are plenty of easy, well marked paths through the park but one of my favourites is to the Croscat volcano (extinct I hasten to add) where mining activity over many years has basically revealed the interior in cross-section.
There is a visitor centre and the areas flora and fauna as well as the history of the mining operation is explained but seeing the colours and scale of this carved out mountain are deeply impressive.
This area is perfect to visit in the hot summer months because it is quite high with cool breezes and the mountains are densely covered with mature trees so walking on cool sheltered paths is a joy.The recent storms have caused a lot of damage but all the main routes have been cleared of fallen trees.

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Els Angels can be reached from many different sides as it is the highest point (484m) of the Gavarres protected area which straddles the counties of Girones and Baix Empordà. From Girona it is a hike of some 12 kms and is quite a climb considering you start at 40m altitude. Just like the Castell de Sant Miquel hike this is suitable for mountain bikes as well as hikers and each group has their favourite routes.
There has been a chapel at the top since 1420 and over the centuries gained importance as pilgrims sought protection from natural and political catastrophes. Floods, plagues and harvest failures as well as wars and bandits were the usual disasters people came with a small offering to ask "La Mare de Deu" for help with.
This became such a visited place that a large hostel or sanctuary was added next to the expanded chapel to cater for the steady flow of visitors. During the French wars (1809-14) it also served as a hospital before it was burned down by an angry French general because Girona was resisting his siege.
Today there are picnic grounds and terraces to enjoy the spectacular views and you can eat or sleep at the recently restored hostel, although it still retains its rustic charm. The chapel has some interesting tile murals depicting hikers and picnickers with an impressive statue of the Lady herself surrounded by angels which dominates the gallery.
We were lucky to still see snow on the ground from the storms of a few days before, a contrast which will seem unbelievable to most people making their annual pilgrimage here on the 2nd of august when finding some shade and a breeze is the main reason to seek Her protection.

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Leaving Sant Daniel and Girona behind we pass the cemetery with the traditional cypress trees which denote everlasting rest and keep going until the asphalt ends and a well used track begins. After crossing a small bridge there are two options, one path for cyclists which follows the track and one for hikers which goes off to the right marked with white arrows. The hiking route is steeper and more direct where the cycling route winds around the mountain a bit more but both do converge during the initial stages.
After going under the bypass and past a hideous modern sculpture we start to have some good views behind us of Girona and the Cathedral.
Strong walkers should take about half an hour to arrive at the top where there are picnic tables scattered under the pine and oak trees. On sundays groups of people meet up here to have their "esmorzar" which consists of bread (toasted if possible) drizzled with olive oil and tomato pulp and then either cheese or sausage on top and a glass of wine to wash it all down.
At the very top is the partially restored castle with stairs in the keep up to a viewing deck where the views are fabulous. On a clear day we can see the Isles Medes and Torroella de Montgri on one side, the snow covered Pyrenees on the other and Girona, Salt and Sant Julia de Ramis spread out in the valley below. For those that have not had enough exercise there is the option of heading up to the Monastery of Els Angels some 8kms further on in the Les Gavarres mountains or dropping down to Celra on the other side of  Sant Miquel.

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A perfect walk, especially on a warm and sunny day, starts from the Devesa Park, the largest public park in Catalonia, which is close to the centre of Girona and bordered by the River Ter. Head for La Copa which is outside the smaller of the two Tourist Information offices and is a meeting place for taking tours of the city. From here walk across the pedestrian bridge with great views of both Sant Feliu church in the foreground and Girona Cathedral further back up the hill. Head to the left of Sant Feliu (the church with the top of it's spire missing) and when you come to the Archeology Museum (in another converted Romanesque church) follow the road on the left which runs parallel to a stream.
Now we are in the Sant Daniel valley where you pass the Font del Bisbe a water fountain that come from underground sources discovered in Roman times, the water is highly mineralised but very refreshing in the hot summer months. Less than a kilometre along this valley we come to the Monastery of Sant Daniel which an ancient building and is still in use today.
From here be sure to find the sign that says Castell de Sant Miquel which is where the countryside begins and the going gets a bit tougher.

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Known as the Cami de Ronda, the coastal path that goes all along the Costa Brava up to the French border, has some truly spectacular parts, and this is one of them. It's only short (an hours hike) but the dramatic scenery and views make it a great introduction to the "Wild Coast".
After last weeks storm damage, the wooden walkway was either completely destroyed/submerged/brocken as you leave Sant Pol beach in S'Agaró heading south. Once you climb away from sea level, which you do rather quickly, the normal well kept and sign posted path resumes. There are modern houses and blocks of apartments dotted up the hill, but somehow they do not intrude overly, and anyway, ones focus is towards the sea. The path follows the inlets and rugged outcrops as it winds it's way up to a point from which there are views over the whole Sant Pol beach and bay in the distance.
The really nice part about this stretch is how thoughtful the local council have been in putting picnic tables and benches in strategic places for maximum enjoyment. A legacy from a previous upgrading long ago is a pedestrian tunnel complete with alcoves and windows so you don't miss any of the wonderful sights as you pass under some splendid mansions garden.
The flora and fauna are protected and the wind blown shapes of the pines and cork oaks add to the surreal but peaceful environs, except for the circling gulls nesting along the cliffs. All too soon we come around the headland on the other side we catch sight of the marina and town of Sant Feliu de Guixols. As we leave the wild coast behind my mouth starts to salivate at the thought of a small glass of wine with a seafood tapa in the bars around the port...

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Another common activity in the autumn is to scour the woods around Girona for mushrooms. Everyone has their favourite, and normally secret, places where they go back every year. The old country types say it takes about two weeks after rain for mushrooms to start appearing, so with that in mind and since the weather is perfect during the day, I set off with a friend to explore.
We found lots of different varieties, big and small, edible and poisonous but not really the ones we were looking for. The "rovellons" and "pinyatells" as well as "ceps" and "trompetes de la mort" are the most desirable but also hardest to find when half the population is out looking for the same ones.
When we had walked for a couple hours and were getting hungry we called it a day and made an omlette with a mixture of the best ones with olive oil, garlic and rosemary, a hunk of bread and all washed down with a good rustic wine. Now that's what I call a good mornings work!

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This years harvest has been delayed several weeks here in Vilamaniscle in the foothills of the Albera natural park because of rain or cloud which has meant the grapes could not ripen completely. The garnatxa grapes were harvested last week and now is the turn of the syrah with the cabernet coming last. The quantities collected have generally been less than last year but the quality is still excellent and it should be a great vintage, at least in the Alt Emporda. Having said that a few weeks ago most of the soft fruit (apples and pears) and a few vines were completely wiped out by a freak hail storm slightly further south around Mollet and Sant Climent so those that survived are very happy to be producing anything at all this year!