dossier

Walking in Catalonia; Barcelona, Montserrat and Montseny

Travel Information

Season:Start September to May on any Mon, Wed, Thu or Sun. This walk is ideal for a winter, spring or autumn break. The skies in this part of Spain are often clear when it is overcast elsewhere, The High Pyrenees tend to draw away the worst of any bad weather, however in the winter you can still,but rarely, find snow and cold conditions. In high summer it can be uncomfortably hot for this tour, but summer is a good time for our 'Summits to the Sea' walking the neighboring Catalan Pyrenees.

Arrival: Between4 p.m and 7 p.m on Day 1.

First hotel:At St. Bernat, near Montseny.

Nearest Airport: Barcelona (Del Prat).

End of Tour: After breakfast on day 8 in Barcelona.

Travel options: Fly to Barcelona airport.  Barcelona airport has its own train station and is linked by a half-hourly service (journey time 35 minutes) with the main central station, which is called 'Sants'. From Sants there is an hourly train service to the nearest station to the starting point of the tour at San Celoni (journey time 1 hour).

Level of Difficulty
Fitness:The walk is best described as easy to moderate; most people in a reasonable state of fitness will find it well within their capabilities, but remember that it can be very warm and sunny.  Trails can be overgrown in places from year to year. We would advise that this trip is best enjoyed by the more adventurous type of walker.  You, however, only have to carry a daypack.  You can have cold winds blowing off the Pyrenees, so you should at least be prepared for occasional cold weather.

Please note that as in other parts of Spain,sudden building work can occur that may affect the course of walking trails at fairly short notice.

Day stages:4 to 6 hours walking per day and ascents/descents of 300 to 850m.

Waymarks: Partsof the route are waymarked, for example in Montserrat; in Montseny waymarking is more erratic and you will need to pay close attention to our route notes and the large-scale maps.  We would thus recommend that you have some ability in map interpretation.

Accommodation & Meals
Accommodation is in small hotels.  Half board (evening meal and breakfast) on 4nights; bed and breakfast only on the other 3 nights (i.e. on 2 nights inBarcelona and on 1 night in Montserrat). Picnic lunches on walking days are not included in the tour cost, but picnic materials can readily be bought in local shops or a packed lunch ordered the night before from your accommodation.

Most frequently used hotels are described below but alternatives are used on occasion when room availability is limited.

Nights 1 & 2 Montseny Renovated in 1998, the traditional, rustic buildings of this 3* hotel (pension) enjoy a lovely rural setting in woodland typical of the Montseny National Park, about 8km/5 miles from the town of Montseny. All rooms have private en suite facilities. There are very stylish wood panelled  bar and lounge areas as well as extensive lawns for sipping your Rioja. The regional cuisine is prepared here up to a high standard.

Night 3 Tagamenent A typical 'Casa de Pages', (i.e. a country guest house rather than a hotel) this 'Masia' a traditional farm building, restored and converted into guest accommodation with 9 rooms very well appointed rooms with en-suite facilities. (There are some amazing views from some of the bath rooms)The patron prepares some very fine Catalan home cooking with local grown produce. The farm is situated amidst the wooded hills some 4km/2.5 miles from the town of Figaro.

Nights 4 & 5 Montserrat Situated within the old monastery complex, the interior ofthe hotel has been refurbished from its original function as a pilgrims  residence to provide comfortable 3* accommodation at the center of this historic site. All rooms have private facilities. The stone clad restaurant once again serves excellent food and wine.

Nights 6 & 7 Barcelona  In a simple and clean no-frills 3* hotel in the center of the city, located in the most popularplace in Barcelona:  Las Ramblas.

Included in the tour price
7 nights accommodation with breakfast, 4 evening meals, transfers of baggage on days 3 and 4, transfers of clients on day 1 (San Celoni to Montseny) and day 4 (San Miguel del Frai to Montserrat), maps, route  notes, local rail timetables, other local information.

Not included: International Airfare, 3 evening meals (1 night in Montserrat and 2 in Barcelona), all lunches, transfers on Days 1, 6 and8. The transfers by train from Barcelona to San Celoni (day 1) and from Montserrat to Barcelona (day 6) will cost about Euros 25/approx US$38 per person. Taxi/train fares from and to Barcelona airport are also not included in the tour price.