List of Useful Services on the Catalan Way via San Juan de la Peña

[Mark Francis Auchincloss]

I went to the last meeting of the Associació d’Amics dels Pelegrins a Santiago - Barcelona
(Barcelona Association of Friends of the Pilgrims to Santiago). They meet every Wednesday at 8pm at Calle Rector Triadó, 53 in building called Casinet Hostafrancs (close to Sants Railway Station). I had a very interesting discussion with their members in Castillian Spanish as my Catalan is not up to it! The President Sebastià kindly emailed me after a list of all services (in Spanish) on the Camino Catalan from Barcelona via San Juan de la Peña to Jaca. I've translated this into English for everyone. They don't really think much of the Camino from Port de la Selva preferring to promote this route which is well marked and to them is more logical.

 

[peregrina2000]

I went to the last meeting of the Associació d’Amics dels Pelegrins a Santiago - Barcelona
(Barcelona Association of Friends of the Pilgrims to Santiago). They meet every Wednesday at 8pm at Calle Rector Triadó, 53 in building called Casinet Hostafrancs (close to Sants Railway Station). I had a very interesting discussion with their members in Castillian Spanish as my Catalan is not up to it! The President Sebastià kindly emailed me after a list of all services (in Spanish) on the Camino Catalan from Barcelona via San Juan de la Peña to Jaca. I've translated this into English for everyone. They don't really think much of the Camino from Port de la Selva preferring to promote this route which is well marked and to them is more logical.

Great list. This is a terrific resource. It’s an updated version of an older version you will find posted here.

I would love to hear more about the reaction to the Port de la Selva starting point (actually, I started in Llança, just because it was cheaper and easier to get up to the monastery). I know there is a lot of scorn heaped on the route from Port de la Selva to Montserrat. For one thing it is pretty clearly a jerry-rigged camino. From Girona to Vic is a fabricated camino route, surely made by someone looking to increase travelers to both of those great places. Actually if you look at a map of ancient caminos over the Pyrenees from France, you will see one that goes south directly to Girona and another that goes south directly to Vic. What the Catalan tourist guys did was combine them together. It may not be a historical route, but it is amazing. The whole way is loaded with lots and lots of Romanesque, and both Vic and Girona are great places with lots of ancient art and lots else to see (roman temple, great plazas, etc).

When I walked, the amigos in Girona were particularly angry about the fake-ness of it all and refused to mark the route through the city. But what they did to make up for that was to meet me in a cafe the evening before and show me how to continue on the “fake route.”. That was very nice, but it made me think that they would save themselves a lot of time if they just put up the “fake markings.”

Anyway, this route takes you to Montserrat, so you miss the two or three days out of Barcelona, but from that point it continues on the “real” Catalán camino. So it’s just the Barcelona to Montserrat part you would miss if you walked the fake route. I would not have missed it for the world, it was just amazing, more romanesque per km than any other route I have walked, except maybe for the Castellano-Aragonés, beautiful scenery, lots of solitary, “away from it all” stages through gorges, forests, or foothills. My blog is linked below and there are lots of pinned resources with more details.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[Mark Francis Auchincloss]

Yes I entirely agree with you Laurie it's a beautiful route from Port de la Selva passing amazing villages,towns and cities although the route itself doesn't make sense and is not as direct as it should be until it gets to Montserrat. I do think one day a route will be marked from the centre of Barcelona.

 

[lindam]

Thank you for taking the time to translate and post this information. While I have never attended one of their meetings, I do know that the Barcelona Association of Friends of the Pilgrims to Santiago posts regular updates to this document on their website (in Catalan). Currently, they are advising that the albergue in Cervera is temporarily closed for renovations. Having walked this route twice, I have been grateful for the up-to-date information they provide. I am now in the early stages of planning to walk starting in Llança at the end of September. Struggling to find information related to pilgrim accommodations along the way, but I look forward to exploring more of Catalunya.

 

[Mark Francis Auchincloss]

Hi Lindam I agree their website is useful. Their meetings seem popular and it's a great way to help pilgrims there thinking of doing a Camino,most start elsewhere though!. Yes good starting point to head towards the interior right through Catalunya which is so beautiful. Weather should be nice and sunny and hot still !

 

[lindam]

Hello MyDestinationGalicia. I have yet to attend one of their meetings, mainly as a result of my poor language skills. I have conversational Catalan only (oh, and I know all the food-related words for when I go shopping ). I would find it difficult to follow the discussion at one of their meetings or to contribute anything useful, unless they were seeking English input, in which case I would have a great deal to say. Nonetheless, this route remains as one of our favourites and I have no doubt that we will repeat it several more times.

 

[caminka]

Thank you for taking the time to translate and post this information. While I have never attended one of their meetings, I do know that the Barcelona Association of Friends of the Pilgrims to Santiago posts regular updates to this document on their website (in Catalan). Currently, they are advising that the albergue in Cervera is temporarily closed for renovations. Having walked this route twice, I have been grateful for the up-to-date information they provide. I am now in the early stages of planning to walk starting in Llança at the end of September. Struggling to find information related to pilgrim accommodations along the way, but I look forward to exploring more of Catalunya.

as far as I have been able to determine, there is a pilgrim albergue in a polideportivo in Bonmatí about 5km after Girona. and that's it.

otherwise there are (youth) hostels in Llança, Figueres, Girona, Sant Esteve d'En Bas and Vic. possibly in Cantonigros but I'm not sure if it takes in individuals.

alberg in Sant Esteve d'En Bas has a pilgrim price of €11 if you manage to be there when it's open (Jun25-Aug daily and on weekends Sep-Dec and Feb-Mar).

apart from alberg xanascat (youth hostel) in Vic there is also Seminari which is closer to the old centre and has dormitories but there are no prices for them on the internet, so perhaps they are reserved for groups only.

apartaments Tilopi in Roda de Ter adverts a discount for pilgrims.

 

[lindam]

Thank you, caminka, for this very helpful information! Much appreciated.

 

[karidadpoethig]

I am planning to walk from Girona to Montserrat this June, coming down from the Via Podiensis because I am following the black madonnas instead of st jaume (Lyon, Le Puy, Rocamadour, Tolouse, Olot, Montserrat). I have downloaded much discussion on this route, but -- are the waymarkings the shell? or other trail versions.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Great list. This is a terrific resource. It’s an updated version of an older version you will find posted here.

I would love to hear more about the reaction to the Port de la Selva starting point (actually, I started in Llança, just because it was cheaper and easier to get up to the monastery). I know there is a lot of scorn heaped on the route from Port de la Selva to Montserrat. For one thing it is pretty clearly a jerry-rigged camino. From Girona to Vic is a fabricated camino route, surely made by someone looking to increase travelers to both of those great places. Actually if you look at a map of ancient caminos over the Pyrenees from France, you will see one that goes south directly to Girona and another that goes south directly to Vic. What the Catalan tourist guys did was combine them together. It may not be a historical route, but it is amazing. The whole way is loaded with lots and lots of Romanesque, and both Vic and Girona are great places with lots of ancient art and lots else to see (roman temple, great plazas, etc).

When I walked, the amigos in Girona were particularly angry about the fake-ness of it all and refused to mark the route through the city. But what they did to make up for that was to meet me in a cafe the evening before and show me how to continue on the “fake route.”. That was very nice, but it made me think that they would save themselves a lot of time if they just put up the “fake markings.”

Anyway, this route takes you to Montserrat, so you miss the two or three days out of Barcelona, but from that point it continues on the “real” Catalán camino. So it’s just the Barcelona to Montserrat part you would miss if you walked the fake route. I would not have missed it for the world, it was just amazing, more romanesque per km than any other route I have walked, except maybe for the Castellano-Aragonés, beautiful scenery, lots of solitary, “away from it all” stages through gorges, forests, or foothills. My blog is linked below and there are lots of pinned resources with more details.

Buen camino, Laurie

Hi Laurie

Do you have GPS tracks of your route from Llanca to Montserrat? I checked your blog but I could not see any files there.

 

[Ellen the Pesto]

How can a route be fake? I started at Sant Pere de Rodes, partly walked and partly got rides for various reasons, ended in Vic. My path led me thorough Girona, and I found my own Way. If the road I'm on takes me to where I'm going, it is real. 500 years from now, the Cami Sant Jaume will be venerable and totally legitimate. My opinion.

 

[peregrina2000]

How can a route be fake? I started at Sant Pere de Rodes, partly walked and partly got rides for various reasons, ended in Vic. My path led me thorough Girona, and I found my own Way. If the road I'm on takes me to where I'm going, it is real. 500 years from now, the Cami Sant Jaume will be venerable and totally legitimate. My opinion.

I say that in jest. That is the reason given by the Girona Association to oppose the route marked by the Generalitat. There is historical information to show a number of routes coming down from France, through what is now Catalunya and onward to Santiago, but none of them went through both Vic and Girona. The head of the Girona Association told me that the tourist side of the Generalitat, not the culture side, had marked the route and wanted it to go through both cities for tourism and revenue purposes. That doesn’t bother me at all, and I have to say that my walk from San Pere de Rodes to Montserrat was one of my favorites ever. And I would be hard pressed to choose between Vic and Girona!

 

[Mark Francis Auchincloss]

Hi everyone,

By way of update Sebastián Navarro from Associació Amics dels Pelegrins has just sent me an updated list of services on Camino Catlán via San Juan de la Peña,it's in Castillian Spanish but it's easy to understand, please see attached pdf.file.