Virtual/planning thread: Caminos Girona, Catalán, and Aragonés - Part 1: Llançà to Montserrat

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

And one last tidbit that makes me think I went that way is that when I compare my tracks with someone who describes the walk as not having any special difficulties, it looks the same to me. But someone with better map skills could confirm that.

Halfway in you climbed the steepest portion but I measured that as just 13%.

Edit: apology below.

 

[VNwalking]

That wikiloc track shows 2000 feet of elevation gain, mostly in a mile and a half. Which is no small thing. I don't know what that works out to in terms of slope. But whatever - it's nothing to sneeze at.

But I can’t imagine that anyone will walk this camino without absolutely excellent map/navigation skills or a GPS.

Sounds like backup here is a good idea, because you never know. People do the darndest things, or tecnology fails, or both.

 

[AJGuillaume]

And one last tidbit that makes me think I went that way is that when I compare my tracks with someone who describes the walk as not having any special difficulties, it looks the same to me.

The blue line are your tracks, @peregrina2000 , the green line is the other person.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

That wikiloc track shows 2000 feet of elevation gain, mostly in a mile and a half. Which is no small thing. I don't know what that works out to in terms of slope. But whatever - it's nothing to sneeze at.

My apologies. I edited my post to strike out just. I thought the steepest part of the Napoleon was 30% but it is 15% (450m over 3km).

 

[peregrina2000]

View attachment 105679
The blue line are your tracks, @peregrina2000 , the green line is the other person.

Halfway in you climbed the steepest portion but I measured that as just 13%.

Edit: apology below.

And do we have confirmation that my blue tracks show the easier route, which would mean that @alansykes and @gyro probably took the more difficult northerly green route?

 

[DoughnutANZ]

I have been searching for some time for the mythical Albergue west of Girona and I finally found it thanks to @Felice . It is currently temporarily closed due to Covid and that might be why it isn't on G Maps. I have tried to add it. Details follow.

L’alberg municipal de Sant Julià del Llor
Carrer de Sant Ramon, 10, Bonmatí
Ph: 972 42 22 96
info@stjuliabonmati.cat
Must call ahead to get the key
Pilgrims have priority

 

[VNwalking]

which would mean that @alansykes and @gyro probably took the more difficult northerly green route?

I'm thinking it must be something else altogether. Because the person described it as not especially difficult. Alan and gyro describe something that was definitely challenging.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

I would like to walk Sant Esteve to L'Esquirol over two days, via Rupit. This is much less of a grade but slightly longer overall although divided into two days instead of one. Map to follow tomorrow.

 

[VNwalking]

Oh! What a good idea.
Or...would it be shorter from Amer - less backtracking?

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Oh! What a good idea.
Or...would it be shorter from Amer - less backtracking?

It would be shorter overall but I am not trying to shorten my overall distance. I am trying to avoid very steep ascents while not straying too far from an established path.

For me (and maybe others) my prior lung infection has left some permanent damage that doesn't really restrict me on trails that aren't too steep, I can still walk long distances without noticeable symptoms but when I climb any decent slope I get breathless much quicker. I now have a preventative inhaler that does wonders for me but I haven't yet tried it out on a decent long hill climb and so I am a bit cautious.

The other factor is that @peregrina2000 and others have shared about how beautiful it is up to Sant Esteve so I don't want to miss that. Plus it is not really backtracking because my proposed route is all new trails, just on the other side of the range of hills.

@peregrina2000 has also shared how much she enjoyed walking around the Rupit area on previous, non Camino, expeditions.

 

[VNwalking]

I love how we're finding alternatives as we go along. There's a lovely freedom of not being tied to "The Camino," which is an arbitrary alternative in many places anyway - the original route long since having become a carretera.
But out here, we're off the beaten track and can find ways that suit our bodies and hearts.

So I'm with you, @Doughnut NZ . I was born 3 months early and don't have brilliant lung capacity on the best of days. So I'll take a gentler ascent spread over a longer time any day. Plus, as you say - this area looks so beautiful. On top of that, what you propose allows a visit to Olot, as well. Doing this in realtime will require budgeting plenty of extra days to meander.

 

[VNwalking]

BTW. Olot is not a place of interest only to geophiles - it has history and much else, too:

Olot (Catalan pronunciation: [uˈlɔt]) is the capital city of the comarca of Garrotxa, in the Province of Girona, Catalonia, Spain. The city is known for its natural landscape, including four volcanoes scattered around the city center. The municipality is part of the Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa Natural Park. Olot is also well known for its cultural activity, with historical art movements like Olot school or factories of religious imagery

(From Wikipedia)

Lots of information here; it really looks fantastic:

สล็อตเว็บตรง ฝากถอนไม่มีขั้นต่ำ สล็อตทรูวอเลท ใหม่ล่าสุด 2023

สล็อตเว็บตรง ผู้ให้บริการ เว็บสล็อต ถูกกฎหมาย เข้าไปเลือกวางเดิมพัน สล็อตแตกง่าย แตกจริง ได้อย่างปลอดภัย ทำให้นักพนันสามารถสร้างกำไร

www.catalonia-valencia.com

To get there, just keep going in the Via Verde from Sant Esteve. There look like there are alternatives that are more adventurous, but that VV is gorgeous, and most expedient. It's about 5km from SEdB.

 

[SabsP]

BTW. Olot is not a place of interest only to geophiles - it has history and much else, too:

(From Wikipedia)

Lots of information here; it really looks fantastic:

สล็อตเว็บตรง ฝากถอนไม่มีขั้นต่ำ สล็อตทรูวอเลท ใหม่ล่าสุด 2023

สล็อตเว็บตรง ผู้ให้บริการ เว็บสล็อต ถูกกฎหมาย เข้าไปเลือกวางเดิมพัน สล็อตแตกง่าย แตกจริง ได้อย่างปลอดภัย ทำให้นักพนันสามารถสร้างกำไร

www.catalonia-valencia.com

To get there, just keep going in the Via Verde from Sant Esteve. There look like there are alternatives that are more adventurous, but that VV is gorgeous, and most expedient. It's about 5km from SEdB.

I did like Olot very much. I actually preferred it to Vic.
Very friendly atmosphere.
I do not remember where we had lunch ( seeing we drove by car we might have stopped somewhere in between ) but this places in Olot seems nice.

Bar-Restaurant La Trobada de Olot

rlatrobada.wixsite.com

11.90 € for a menu del dia.

"Alan's recommendation: 'I stayed at a very nice hostel called the Vertisol, about half way between Olot and San Esteve in a village called Les Prises. Very easy to get to Olot along the vía verde.' "

 

[VNwalking]

11.90 € for a menu del dia

Sabine, I would trust your menu intuition anywhere. And yes...it does look nice! More than nice - that salad on their landing page looks like heaven.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Sabine, I would trust your menu intuition anywhere. And yes...it does look nice! More than nice - that salad on their landing page looks like heaven.

Yum, strawberry salad.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Okay, here is my map of routes from Sant Esteve to Rupit. It has two overlays, @peregrina2000 truncated route from Sant Feliu to L'Esquirol (Green colour) and the Catalonia Friends of the Camino stage from Sant Esteve to L'Esquirol (Red colour). I suspect that Laurie's map came about by following the Catalonian Friends because they are very similar until Laurie's got truncated (perhaps by losing battery power).

I have drawn two routes, the first is a full route from Sant Esteve to Rupit coloured in Purple. This route starts at the Albergue in Sant Esteve and then initially follows the other two routes until those two routes start to climb. At that point the purple route goes off to join the road (C-153). It follows C-153 until close to Rupit and then heads off-road again so that people get to see the countryside. This route is the least steep ascent.

I then followed this route along the road parts using G Maps street view and although it starts well with a nice berm to walk along so that we would be off the sealed road itself, as soon as it starts climbing and turning we lose the berm and although the road probably isn't that busy I think that it starts to get a bit dangerous on some of the corners if we were to meet traffic.

With this in mind, I went back and drew an alternate (partial) route (Blue) that starts off from @peregrina2000 's map before it climbs but continues off road and around the highest hills so that it is not as steep as Laurie's/Friends of Camino but is a little bit steeper than the road route. The other nice thing about this Blue route is that I was able to route it past a café/bar that sits alone out in the hills, presumably waiting for hikers to come past. This route is probably now my preferred route. It is less steep than the recommended route, it goes to Rupit rather than L'Esquirol, is off-road, has a lunch stop and is doable in a Doug day. It is about 17-18klms long.

Please note that the four pictures underneath the map show the relative incline/decline for each track. They are not quite comparable because @peregrina2000 's track is much longer and the Blue route starts at the steep part. This makes the Blue route look steeper than it is on its own. You might need to take my word for it being less steep.

Picture below:

 

[peregrina2000]

BTW. Olot is not a place of interest only to geophiles - it has history and much else, too:

(From Wikipedia)

Lots of information here; it really looks fantastic:

สล็อตเว็บตรง ฝากถอนไม่มีขั้นต่ำ สล็อตทรูวอเลท ใหม่ล่าสุด 2023

สล็อตเว็บตรง ผู้ให้บริการ เว็บสล็อต ถูกกฎหมาย เข้าไปเลือกวางเดิมพัน สล็อตแตกง่าย แตกจริง ได้อย่างปลอดภัย ทำให้นักพนันสามารถสร้างกำไร

www.catalonia-valencia.com

To get there, just keep going in the Via Verde from Sant Esteve. There look like there are alternatives that are more adventurous, but that VV is gorgeous, and most expedient. It's about 5km from SEdB.

Olot is a wonderful place. You could easily spend several days here taking day hikes.

MapMyWalk

Fitness training made easy with MapMyWalk.com

www.mapmywalk.com

 

[VNwalking]

You could easily spend several days here taking day hikes.

Why not? We're meandering all over the countryside, so what's a few days? What was your favorite thing, Laurie?

Speaking of meandering...Doug, that is brilliant.
Thank you.

It is less steep than the recommended route, it goes to Rupit rather than L'Esquirol, is off-road, has a lunch stop and is doable in a Doug day. It is about 17-18klms long.

Then getting from Rupit to l'Esquirol is a zig-zaggy due west - another 12 -12.5km, with road or a number of off-road options.

Edit. A wikiloc track has this at 14km. Still a short day.

 

[peregrina2000]

What was your favorite thing, Laurie?

Ha ha ha, that was back in the early 70s and I have no specific info to give. But my overall memory of traveling through this entire area is one of many beautiful hikes, some hard ascents, great picnics at the top, and lots of charming villages.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

This route is probably now my preferred route. It is less steep than the recommended route, it goes to Rupit rather than L'Esquirol, is off-road, has a lunch stop and is doable in a Doug day. It is about 17-18klms long.

Once you get to Rupit and you feel shortchanged on walking there is a loop trail that you can take that is described at the link below. The webpage also has some pictures. It is written in Catalan but we all know that the Chrome browser can translate.

Puig del castell de la Bastida

R upit - Can Cames - Puig del castell de la Bastida - Pla de l'Aigol - La Fontana - El Corriol Rupit És un itinerari tranquil i su...

carrecaminos.blogspot.com

BTW, the castle is not a real castle but a pile of rocks that appears to be one from a distance.

Here is a translation of the first couple of paragraphs:

Puig of the castle of the Bastida

It is a quiet and gentle itinerary that begins with the beautiful views of the village of Rupit and Agullola before arriving on the hill of the castle of La Bastida and back you pass in the middle of a large pine forest and next to the stately homes of La Fontana and El Corriol.

It is done quietly in a little less than 2 hours, there are about 6.5 km to make the whole lap and the difference in level is about 160 m.

There is also the Ermita de Santa Magdalena. The pictures on the Google Maps page also show the surrounding countryside.

Ermita de Santa Magdalena · Plaça Major, 6, 08569 Rupit, Barcelona, Spain

★★★★★ · Church

maps.app.goo.gl

 

[VNwalking]

There is also the Ermita de Santa Magdalena. The pictures on the Google Maps page also show the surrounding countryside.

Thanks, Rick. Your post got me looking around more in Rupit, rather than being so focused on route-finding. There's quite a bit up there worth exploring:

Llocs d'interès - Ajuntament de Rupit i Pruit

www.rupitpruit.cat

In addition to the 17th c. Santa Magdalena, there's some romanesque as well, one of which (Sant Joan de Fabregues - Rupit) is basically in the center of town. It's been turned into a restaurant and place to stay:

XII romanesque church converted into lodging. Located in the famous medieval village of Rupit, in the woods and over a cliff. Accommodation for individuals and groups in nature, with local food and affordable prices. Ideal for meditation and communion with nature. 120m waterfall, 300 km of BTT trails, meditation hall. Perfect to feel the more authentic and traditional heart of Catalonia.

From:

RESTAURANT LA RECTORIA DE SANT JOAN DE FABREGUES - RUPIT - Prices & Hostel Reviews (Spain)

Book Restaurant La Rectoria de Sant Joan de Fabregues - Rupit, Rupit on Tripadvisor: See traveler reviews, 7 candid photos, and great deals for Restaurant La Rectoria de Sant Joan de Fabregues - Rupit, ranked #3 of 4 specialty lodging in Rupit and rated 4.5 of 5 at Tripadvisor.

www.tripadvisor.com

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Sant Joan de Fabregues - Rupit) is basically in the center of town. It's been turned into a restaurant and place to stay:

From:

RESTAURANT LA RECTORIA DE SANT JOAN DE FABREGUES - RUPIT - Prices & Hostel Reviews (Spain)

Book Restaurant La Rectoria de Sant Joan de Fabregues - Rupit, Rupit on Tripadvisor: See traveler reviews, 7 candid photos, and great deals for Restaurant La Rectoria de Sant Joan de Fabregues - Rupit, ranked #3 of 4 specialty lodging in Rupit and rated 4.5 of 5 at Tripadvisor.

www.tripadvisor.com

Looks great but according to their website, https://www.santjoandefabregues.com/restaurant/ they have not yet completed construction of the accommodation. The restaurant part looks great though and it looks like they feature that fantastic Catalan burnt creme dish!

 

[DoughnutANZ]

We're can stay at Fonda Marsal http://www.fondamarsal.cat/habitacions.html for E40 per person per day, bed and breakfast.

El Neuler, sort of bakery/shop has very nice gluten free waffles that get great reviews.

Restaurant Albert has a menu of the day for E15 and a daily specials menu for E25 or children's portions of the specials for E11.

Forn de Pa L'Era is a bakery/cafe/restaurant with delightful dishes including pizzas. Menu of the day E10.50.

Restaurant Rupit gets the highest ratings on G Maps, 5 stars from 38 people! Not much in the listing about their menu or prices though.

There is a camp ground, Camping Rupit, for those who are so inclined that has a swimming pool and cabin/permanent tent accommodation. A minimum stay of 7 days seems to apply but may be worth asking if they are flexible in the off season. See https://www.senia.es/en/campings-senia/camping-senia-rupit/accommodations/coco-sweet

http://www.ladevesarupit.com/allotjament-a-rupit/casa-de-colonies-la-devesa-rupit has accommodation in private rooms or an area with bunk beds but it looks like the bunk beds are for large groups, again, it may be worth asking when you contact them. They aren't showing prices on their website.

Anyone find any other accommodation in Rupit?

 

[VNwalking]

Thanks for that link for the rectory, @Doughnut NZ ! For some reason I couldn't find it.

There's a huge carpark right on the edge of town - clearky this area is a recreational mecca. Hence the places to stay.

I dug a little deeper into wikiloc and found this track for the route to l'Esquirol:
https://www.wikiloc.com/hiking-trails/rupit-lesquirol-46987679 (Rupit - L'Esquirol.)
It looks straightforward, and near the end takes us past some of the features I mentioned in the post about l'Esquirol.

However...correction. OSMand measured 12km, this track says it's 14. (I edited the post above to reflect that.)

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

In addition to the 17th c. Santa Magdalena, there's some romanesque as well, one of which (Sant Joan de Fabregues - Rupit) is basically in the center of town. It's been turned into a restaurant

Long description of the church here. Use Chrome, it is in Catalan.

Sant Joan de Fàbregues - Viquipèdia, l'enciclopèdia lliure

ca.wikipedia.org

It has quite a photogenic background.

Photos of nearby places:

Flickr: Everyone's photos taken near 42°0' 37" N, 2°28' 05" E

The safest and most inclusive global community of photography enthusiasts. The best place for inspiration, connection, and sharing!

www.flickr.com

 

[VNwalking]

What a gorgeous place, Rick! When @Doughnut and I were figuring an alternative way to the reservoir where there was accommodation, I just landed on Rupit because there were places to stay, not knowing a thing about it.

Now digging a bit deeper, first I noticed a striking tower in many of the photos.
It is the church tower of San Miguel, from the early 18th c.

It quickly became obvious that this place is a big tourist magnet because it is a 'quaint medieval village' a few hours drive from Barcelona. A distillery down there which makes liqueurs even has a 'Ratafia de Rupit' so you can take it home as a souvenir. Apparently it's very popular, flavored with green walnuts, herbs, and spices.
The things one learns on the Forum. (Has anyone tasted this?)

All the more reason to walk this way.
From https://www.barcelona-metropolitan.com/travel/weekend-away/rupit-solid-as-a-rock/ :

 

[VNwalking]

In the "not all who wander are lost" category:
Stop the presses, and hold onto your napolitanas.
I have a radical suggestion that may horrify the purists and anyone who is fond of Girona.
But here goes:
[Ducks, runs, and hides...]

If you want to come this way, after visiting Olot, there is a not-so-circuitous option.
Simply go direct from Figueres to Olot and then down to the d'En Bas Valley. It's 59.7 km from Figueres to Sant Esteve d'en Bas:
Figueres-Navata 10.5km
Navata-Pont de Besalu 16.8 km
Pont de Besalu-Castellfollit de la Roca 14.9 km
Castellfollit de la Roca-Olot 7.7 km
Olot-Sant Esteve d'en Bas 9.8 km

As opposed to Figueres-Girona-Sant Esteve-Olot-Sant Esteve, which weighs in at 117.5km

It takes you straight through all that magnigicent volcanic landscape, without backtracking. And holey-moley: you will walk over this!!

And through this!

Castellfollit de la Roca

Village situated on a narrow volcanic escarpment.

www.atlasobscura.com

That bridge photo came from a very nice article, and was the germ of this idea:

La Garrotxa: Land of Volcanoes

La Garrotxa is arguably one of the most beautiful regions in Catalunya. Located among the foothills of the Pyrenees in the province of Girona, this sparsely populated, fertile land is filled with high ridges, deep valleys, rivers and forests...

www.barcelona-metropolitan.com

Wow wow wow. I'm going.
Here are the maps:

 

[VNwalking]

And here is the geological map of the area between Olot and Castellfollit de la Roca for anyone who wants to really get into the subject:

http://info.igme.es/cartografiadigital/datos/magna50/jpgs/d2_G50/Editado_MAGNA50_257.jpg

It is a thing of beauty.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

In the "not all who wander are lost" category:
Stop the presses, and hold onto your napolitanas.
I have a radical suggestion that may horrify the purists and anyone who is fond of Girona.
But here goes:
[Ducks, runs, and hides...]

Solution is to stop in Girona on your way to Llançá.

 

[VNwalking]

Solution is to stop in Girona on your way to Llançá.

Snap! Brilliant. Why didn't I think of that?
Instead of getting over jetlag in Barcelona, this would be much more laid-back.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

In the "not all who wander are lost" category:
Stop the presses, and hold onto your napolitanas.
I have a radical suggestion that may horrify the purists and anyone who is fond of Girona.
But here goes:
[Ducks, runs, and hides...]

If you want to come this way, after visiting Olot, there is a not-so-circuitous option.
Simply go direct from Figueres to Olot and then down to the d'En Bas Valley. It's 59.7 km from Figueres to Sant Esteve d'en Bas:
Figueres-Navata 10.5km
Navata-Pont de Besalu 16.8 km
Pont de Besalu-Castellfollit de la Roca 14.9 km
Castellfollit de la Roca-Olot 7.7 km
Olot-Sant Esteve d'en Bas 9.8 km

As opposed to Figueres-Girona-Sant Esteve-Olot-Sant Esteve, which weighs in at 117.5km

It takes you straight through all that magnigicent volcanic landscape, without backtracking. And holey-moley: you will walk over this!!
View attachment 105792
And through this!
View attachment 105790

Castellfollit de la Roca

Village situated on a narrow volcanic escarpment.

www.atlasobscura.com

That bridge photo came from a very nice article, and was the germ of this idea:

La Garrotxa: Land of Volcanoes

La Garrotxa is arguably one of the most beautiful regions in Catalunya. Located among the foothills of the Pyrenees in the province of Girona, this sparsely populated, fertile land is filled with high ridges, deep valleys, rivers and forests...

www.barcelona-metropolitan.com

Wow wow wow. I'm going.
Here are the maps:
View attachment 105788
View attachment 105789

Hmm, when I was exploring a possible route last year and before I had any "official" maps I naturally explored (virtually) this route but became a bit lost without an overall destination and any idea of the routes that I would need to connect to. Now that you raise it again then I would certainly like to explore it.

In the meantime, I have re-drawn the alternates around Sant Esteves a bit better and added on the route that you suggested from Rupit to L'Esquirol (Green colour, 13klms), see map below. When I re-drew the Blue route properly, from Sant Esteve to Rupit I was able to get a better distance, it is just over 16klms (16.2). I can make this map available if anyone wants it.

@VNwalking To save me some time, would you please post your map so that I can import it into my mapping tool. GPX, KML or KMZ are all fine if emailing or KMZ if you use this thread (thanks).



@Rick of Rick and Peg read my mind, I was wondering how to incorporate Girona, now I know how!

 

[peregrina2000]

I think that this thread is showing us that the more you poke around looking at what Catalunya has to offer, you will realize that the beautiful places, historical places, and gorgeous walks are almost limitless. And don’t even think of crossing over the border to Aragón and the Parque Nacional de Ordesa in the Pyrenees or you will never get to Santiago.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I'm sorry I didn't remember to use this Flickr tool earlier.

Photos of places in L'Esquirol or nearby:

Flickr: Everyone's photos taken near 42°2' 14" N, 2°22' 10" E

The safest and most inclusive global community of photography enthusiasts. The best place for inspiration, connection, and sharing!

www.flickr.com

 

[VNwalking]

To save me some time, would you please post your map so that I can import it into my mapping tool. GPX, KML or KMZ are all fine if emailing or KMZ if you use this thread (thanks).

Sure! Happy to. But which one?

 

[VNwalking]

Day 7. l'Esquirol - Vic-Sau Parador (21.1 km) and Sant Pere de Casserres (8.4 km RT from the Parador)
Today is a fabulous, red-letter, five-star day, taking us up to the monastery of St Pere de Casserres, on its eyrie over the river.

Laurie's track: http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=setCurrentSpatialArtifact&id=10903645

Many people walk straight to Vic from l'Esquirol. But for us the Romanesque demands a stop here. If you don't want to stay at the Parador, but do want to visit Sant Pere, you can do what Laurie did, which was to call a taxi from the Parador at the end of the day to take you to Vic.
There are a few other options for places to stay nearby (see below).

We come very close to the monastery about 5 km after L'Esquirol, and it looks worth a short detour just after the industrial area at Teuleria del Pont to the mirador above the river - especially if you plan to go straight to Vic without visiting. It's a tad less than 300m as the eagle flies from the closest mirador, but unless you brought your jetpack, it will take some time get there from here!


The route for today is quite straightforward until we cross the bridge over the Riu Ter at Roda de Ter. It's at this point that we can first leave the camino to go up to the Parador and Monastery.
There are a bunch of ways to get there, the two main marked off-road routes being the local PR-C40 and the GR210. The GR is soon after the bridge, and the PR is quite a way farther along:

Laurie's track is the purple line. Either way will get you there. But the main thing to look for are the neolithic sites part way up. It would be easy to take another route and miss them altogether. They are the pointer on this map:

So above Tavernoles, make sure to take the right fork. It's longer, but who would want to miss this to save a few steps.

Here's Laurie's summary:

I walked on the Camí from L'Esquirol to a spot about 8 km before Vic. At that spot there was a sign for the PR-C40, which is a local trail to the monastery of Sant Pere. First, the route goes through the very nice little town of Tanyoles with its pretty romanesqe church.

In fact, it would be easy to slice a few kms off this walk, because there was a sign pointing the way to the center of Tanyoles long before I got on the PR-C40. But this was such a nice walk, I wouldn't work hard to shorten it. From Tanyoles, the trail was rugged and overgrown in some spots, but all in all it was amazing.

My first surprise was several neolithic sites from about 2500 BC. One was a sacrificial altar (Pedra del Sacrifici) and the other was a burial ground (you can see a human figure carved in the rock). They were just sitting there out in the open in the middle of the woods. I was impressed. A totally unexpected bonus.

If we visit the monastery first thing after spending the night at the Parador, there is the benefit of having the place to ourselves, as @alansykes did:

When @peregrina2000 suggests a detour it's usually worth the extra effort. So it was this year with Sant Pere de Casserres, a largely 11th century Benedictine monastery perched high up on a narrow peninsular over a loop where the Ter River turns into the Sau reservoir. It's not easy to get to (the path is narrow and sometimes steep and overgrown) and it's not near anywhere - ~10km off from Roda de Ter on the camino, and c20km back to it at Vic - but it is serenely lovely, both in its position and its architecture. And of course, arriving at opening time of 10am, I had the place entirely to myself, other than the custodian and an eagle overhead.

According to Google, Peak visiting time looks to be at noon, with the afternoon being equally quiet.
It looks fantastic:

Monestir de Sant Pere de Casserres – Monestir de Sant Pere de Casserres

www.santperedecasserres.cat

There is a restaurant there that made it into a Guardian article as one of the best restaurants in rural Spain, largely because of the view.

10 of the best restaurants in rural Spain: readers’ travel tips | Spain holidays | The Guardian

From the mountains of northern Spain to the beaches of Andalucía and across to the Balearics, our readers have discovered fantastic places to eat

amp.theguardian.com

If you are looking for other accommodation besides the parador, there are options, but limited ones, and neither as convenient as the parador:
Not far away is a CR, Fusimaniya, but it looks like you need to hire the whole house.

TURISME RURAL – Fussimanya

www.fussimanya.cat

Farther down, in Tavernoles, there is the El Nou Roquet Restaurant Hostal, which is quoted at 61€ on Booking.com.

 

[VNwalking]

Day 8. l'Esquirol - Vic-Sau Parador (21.1 km) and Sant Pere de Casserres (8.4 km RT from the Parador)
Today is a fabulous, red-letter, five-star day, taking us up to the monastery of St Pere de Casserres, on its eyrie over the river.

Laurie's track: http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=setCurrentSpatialArtifact&id=10903645

Many people walk straight to Vic from l'Esquirol. But for us the Romanesque demands a stop here. If you don't want to stay at the Parador, but do want to visit Sant Pere, you can do what Laurie did, which was to call a taxi from the Parador at the end of the day to take you to Vic.
There are a few other options for places to stay nearby (see below).

We come very close to the monastery about 5 km after L'Esquirol, and it looks worth a short detour just after the industrial area at Teuleria del Pont to the mirador above the river - especially if you plan to go straight to Vic without visiting. It's a tad less than 300m as the eagle flies from the closest mirador, but unless you brought your jetpack, it will take some time get there from here!
View attachment 105901

The route for today is quite straightforward until we cross the bridge over the Riu Ter at Roda de Ter. It's at this point that we can first leave the camino to go up to the Parador and Monastery.
There are a bunch of ways to get there, the two main marked off-road routes being the local PR-C40 and the GR210. The GR is soon after the bridge, and the PR is quite a way farther along:
View attachment 105896
Laurie's track is the purple line. Either way will get you there. But the main thing to look for are the neolithic sites part way up. It would be easy to take another route and miss them altogether. They are the pointer on this map:
View attachment 105897
So above Tavernoles, make sure to take the right fork. It's longer, but who would want to miss this to save a few steps.

Here's Laurie's summary:

I walked on the Camí from L'Esquirol to a spot about 8 km before Vic. At that spot there was a sign for the PR-C40, which is a local trail to the monastery of Sant Pere. First, the route goes through the very nice little town of Tanyoles with its pretty romanesqe church.

In fact, it would be easy to slice a few kms off this walk, because there was a sign pointing the way to the center of Tanyoles long before I got on the PR-C40. But this was such a nice walk, I wouldn't work hard to shorten it. From Tanyoles, the trail was rugged and overgrown in some spots, but all in all it was amazing.

My first surprise was several neolithic sites from about 2500 BC. One was a sacrificial altar (Pedra del Sacrifici) and the other was a burial ground (you can see a human figure carved in the rock). They were just sitting there out in the open in the middle of the woods. I was impressed. A totally unexpected bonus.

If we visit the monastery first thing after spending the night at the Parador, there is the benefit of having the place to ourselves, as @alansykes did:

When @peregrina2000 suggests a detour it's usually worth the extra effort. So it was this year with Sant Pere de Casserres, a largely 11th century Benedictine monastery perched high up on a narrow peninsular over a loop where the Ter River turns into the Sau reservoir. It's not easy to get to (the path is narrow and sometimes steep and overgrown) and it's not near anywhere - ~10km off from Roda de Ter on the camino, and c20km back to it at Vic - but it is serenely lovely, both in its position and its architecture. And of course, arriving at opening time of 10am, I had the place entirely to myself, other than the custodian and an eagle overhead.

According to Google, Peak visiting time looks to be at noon, with the afternoon being equally quiet.
It looks fantastic:

Monestir de Sant Pere de Casserres – Monestir de Sant Pere de Casserres

www.santperedecasserres.cat

There is a restaurant there that made it into a Guardian article as one of the best restaurants in rural Spain, largely because of the view.

10 of the best restaurants in rural Spain: readers’ travel tips | Spain holidays | The Guardian

From the mountains of northern Spain to the beaches of Andalucía and across to the Balearics, our readers have discovered fantastic places to eat

amp.theguardian.com

If you are looking for other accommodation besides the parador, there are options, but limited ones, and neither as convenient as the parador:
Not far away is a CR, Fusimaniya, but it looks like you need to hire the whole house.

TURISME RURAL – Fussimanya

www.fussimanya.cat

Farther down, in Tavernoles, there is the El Nou Roquet Restaurant Hostal, which is quoted at 61€ on Booking.com.

 

[VNwalking]

Alternate Route to Vic Parador from Vilanova de Sau (6.26 km)
(For those taking the route South of the reservoir)

This route is completely off road except for the last half-km or so, first following SL-G122 then the GR151.
If you intend not to spend the night at the parador, you can just continue to to the monastery on the GR151 without stopping there.

At the Parador, those of us who've walked south of the reservoir are reunited with those us who've walked via l'Esquirol. Time for a party.

It would be quite doable to walk all the way to Vic in one go from Villanova de Sau via the monastery if you don't want to spend the night luxuriating around the pool up there., all told it's 21.6 km from VdS to Vic via the Parador, with an extra 8.4 km to the monastery and back. If you're not spending the night, you can bypass the parador completely, which shaves of a bit fromn the total for the day. Just continue straight ahead on the GR210 when it crosses the road at the mirador.
(@Doughnut NZ, I have a track ready to send you when you want it.)

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Woohoo! Thanks for the map offer. I got a chance to look at the Figurese to Olot map and it looks good. I found two places to stay on that route to break up the 66klms into three sections.

Can Genassa, a riding school (again). On G Maps they don't mention accommodation but I then found them on AirBnB http://www.cangenassa.com/ or https://www.airbnb.co.nz/rooms/24270904 This is about 2.5klms off the track.

Les Magranes Bed & Breakfast, Ctra. d'Olot, 13, 17853 Argelaguer. Right on the route. See: https://les-magranes-bed-breakfast.negocio.site/

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Places to see in Besalú, there is Circusland, a circus museum at Plaça del Prat de Sant Pere, 15, 17850 and on the web at https://circusland.org/ , this gets great reviews.

Of course, as @VNwalking already pictured and also in Besalú is the stunning Pont de Besalú. There is also a restored Ritual Jewish Bath and a (unrestored) medieval synagogue, both at Sinagoga de Besalú.

@VNwalking and others will undoubtedly be visiting the Romanesque, Gothic Sant Vincenç de Besalú as it is rated as a national treasure. Nearby is the monastery Sant Pere founded in 977 by Count Besalú (Wilfred the Hairy).

 

[AJGuillaume]

@VNwalking and others will undoubtedly be visiting the Romanesque, Gothic Sant Vincenç de Besalú as it is rated as a national treasure.

Count us in!

 

[VNwalking]

Count us in!

Yay!

⁹Places to see in Besalú, there is Circusland, a circus museum at Plaça del Prat de Sant Pere, 15, 17850 and on the web at https://circusland.org/ , this gets great reviews.

Of course, as @VNwalking already pictured and also in Besalú is the stunning Pont de Besalú. There is also a restored Ritual Jewish Bath and a (unrestored) medieval synagogue, both at Sinagoga de Besalú.

@VNwalking and others will undoubtedly be visiting the Romanesque, Gothic Sant Vincenç de Besalú as it is rated as a national treasure. Nearby is the monastery Sant Pere founded in 977 by Count Besalú (Wilfred the Hairy).

It is astonishing what surprises this thread is uncovering.

I mean...Circusland?
How...not sure what. To be sure surprising, funny, and unexpected. Adding that to my growing list of quirky little Spanish museums.

Does anyone know whether this more direct route would have been a pilgrimage route, in spite of missing Girona? It certainly saves at least a couple of days.

Laurie spent a lot of time puzzling over the various routes before Vic, but none of them seem to go this way. It's puzzling, because Olot is not an insignificant place.

Here's what I could find, but may be missing something:

All of the routes I describe here join at Montserrat, and from there you can follow the Camino Catalán, which itself has two options, one through Zaragoza (which joins the Frencés in Logroño, I believe) and one more northerly through Huesca and San Juan de la Peña (which joins the Aragonés in Santa Cilia de Jaca).

First, the Cami de Rodes. It begins in the Monastery of Sant Quirze de Colera and comes over the French border at Coll de Banyuls. It continues on to the Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes. It continues through Paul, Vilajuiga and Vilabertran. There it joins up with the so-called Via Augusta. This route, the Via Agusta continues till Girona.

Then there is the Camino de Coll de Banyuls. This camino is not marked between from Coll de Banyuls to the monastery of Sant Quirze de Colera. But from Sant Quirze de Colera this route is marked until Rabós de l'Empordá and Perelada. At that spot it joins with the Cami de Rodes, and the two continue as one towards Vilabertran and Girona.

So, the Cami de Rodes and the Camino de Coll de Banyuls take slightly different routes, and join up in Perelada and then both go to Girona.

In Girona, the Via Agusta continues towards Fornells de la Selva, Riudellots, Mallorquines, until reaching Sant Celoni, Granolleres, Sabadell, Terrasa, and finally Montserrat. This route is not yet marked.

Third is the Ruta del Ripollés. This camino begins in Coll d'Ares which is on the French border. It continues towards Molló, Camprodón, Ripoll, Roda de Ter, and Vic. From Vic, the route reaches Montserrat going through L'Estany and Navarcles. No guide yet and marking is needed before Vic.

Fourth, the Generalitat (the Catalan regional government) has picked bits and pieces of those routes to come up with what it called the Cami St. Jaume. It starts on the coast near the border, in Port de la Selva/Llanca, and then goes to Sant Pery de Rodes. It goes then to Girona (tracking the Cami de Rodes), where it gets to the Via Augusta. But, instead of continuing on the Via Augusta, it hooks up back to the north, on a route it has invented, until it gets to Roda de Ter, which is on the Ruta de Ripollés. It then stays with that historic route through L'Estany, Navarcles, Manresa, till it reaches Montserrat.

But one thing I can say is that any route that goes through Girona AND Vic is apparently not a historical camino (not that the FRRP book would be) but rather a concoction that puts together two nice destinations!

According to my friend there are four historical routes going through Perpignan and into Catalunya. Here they are:

Font Romeu going through Puigcerda
Coll d'Ares-Mollo (which is what I described above as the Ruta del Ripolles)
Coll de Panissars - La Jonquera (called the Via Augusta)
Coll de Banyuls (Via Heraclea and Cami de Rodes)

But now I am even more confused because this Coll de Panissars route is yet another one I hadn't talked about in my first post.

Laurie, I know you eventually threw your hands up in despair of finding any clarity about the spaghetti of routes hereabouts. And I actually don't mean to start a discussion of the merits of each of these routes again - but it puzzles me that our direct route from Figueres to Olot does not seem to figure in any of the historic ones. The Ruta del Ripollés (in bold above in the first quote) is close, and goes through Vic, but from another direction altogether.

 

[VNwalking]

Can Genassa, a riding school (again).

With all these riding schools, maybe we could actually ride this camino? Places to board horses for the night are usually much scarcer than they seem to be hereabouts. Joking, but it would be nice to be able to do. (Very off topic, but I went down an equine-sized rabbit hole and found this wonderful option of a roundtrip on horseback from Covarrubias on the Ruta El Cid. A nice side trip from Burgos...)

 

[AJGuillaume]

With all these riding schools, maybe we could actually ride this camino?

Having seen pilgrims walking with a donkey carrying their gear, I had thought of getting one so that my darling could walk longer stages without a backpack (which we did in 2018 on five stages of the Norte thanks to Correos and their paq mochila). And on the really long stages, she could ride the donkey.
I know how to organise it in France, but I wouldn't know in Spain.

 

[mspath]

Having seen pilgrims walking with a donkey carrying their gear, I had thought of getting one so that my darling could walk longer stages without a backpack (which we did in 2018 on five stages of the Norte thanks to Correos and their paq mochila). And on the really long stages, she could ride the donkey.
I know how to organise it in France, but I wouldn't know in Spain.

AJGuillaume,
Perhaps this place may help you.

Our donkeys | BurroTrek

www.burrotrek.com

Good luck and Buen camino

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Having seen pilgrims walking with a donkey carrying their gear, I had thought of getting one so that my darling could walk longer stages without a backpack (which we did in 2018 on five stages of the Norte thanks to Correos and their paq mochila). And on the really long stages, she could ride the donkey.
I know how to organise it in France, but I wouldn't know in Spain.

There is another thread where two pilgrims from outside Europe with one weeks experience of being with a donkey were asking about buying or hiring a donkey to walk the Camino Frances. There is some information there.

I have resisted all my urges to comment on that thread.

You haven't mentioned if you or your wife have any experience with Equidae. If you have strong experience then this is a possibility. Without strong experience of working with and caring for horses/donkeys then I suspect that a donkey over any real distance would add more problems than it solved.

From a personal perspective, I would never rent or sell an animal in my care to someone with no or limited experience for that person to use over a long period and out of my sight. The only possible option that I would consider would be if I accompanied the animal to ensure that it was properly cared for. That would end up being very expensive. I believe that there are people and companies that do operate on this basis and they are expensive to use.

Possibly a simpler option would be a hiking cart that you could pull (you become the donkey) for your backpacks.

 

[AJGuillaume]

You haven't mentioned if you or your wife have any experience with Equidae. If you have strong experience then this is a possibility. Without strong experience of working with and caring for horses/donkeys then I suspect that a donkey over any real distance would add more problems than it solved.

We have no experience whatsoever with equidae, @Doughnut NZ . Which is why I wouldn't venture out there with a donkey unless I had proper tutoring.

Possibly a simpler option would be a hiking cart that you could pull (you become the donkey) for your backpacks.

With or without a hiking cart, I have -sometimes- been a donkey

 

[DoughnutANZ]

With all these riding schools, maybe we could actually ride this camino? Places to board horses for the night are usually much scarcer than they seem to be hereabouts. Joking, but it would be nice to be able to do. (Very off topic, but I went down an equine-sized rabbit hole and found this wonderful option of a roundtrip on horseback from Covarrubias on the Ruta El Cid. A nice side trip from Burgos...)

That earliest riding school/accommodation place I mentioned (the one on the way to Vic http://www.panorama-trails.com/) has a number of 6-7+ day treks on offer in this region, both guided and self guided. If they don't already have a trek along this route then they may be prepared to put one together but it probably won't be cheap.

 

[VNwalking]

If they don't already have a trek along this route then they may be prepared to put one together but it probably won't be cheap.

Yup. No doubt. This wouldn't be either; it turns out that while some of us repeatedly go to Spain to walk, others are repeatedly going to ride! Who knew? My dressage days are many decades in the rear view mirror, but I can very well imagine how much fun this would be.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Yup. No doubt. This wouldn't be either; it turns out that while some of us repeatedly go to Spain to walk, others are repeatedly going to ride! Who knew? My dressage days are many decades in the rear view mirror, but I can very well imagine how much fun this would be.

Mucho dinero!

 

[VNwalking]

Mucho dinero!

Yeah. I didn't even get curious enough to check, assuming it'd be several caminos-worth of dinero, flights and all.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Mucho dinero!

Yesterday we got a "Welcome Back to the World" catalog for Viking's river cruises. 10 days for "Portugal's River of Gold". Two days in Lisbon, transport to Porto and a day there, then cruising up and then down the Douro with some land excursions. You can extend your tour by two nights to visit Braga and SdC.

10 days from $3,300 US and SdC extension from $650. So something like $300/day.

I'll walk, thank you.

 

[VNwalking]

Before we move on, here is something of interest at the very beginning.

Fragrance Maker Dares to Sniff ‘What Life Really Smells Like’

Crafting scents that demand a brave nose, and leading smelling tours through a landscape in Catalonia painted by Dalí, an evangelist of odor urges people to catch a whiff of the “sublime.”

www.nytimes.com

So if you want to take a day or so in Llança to get over jetlag, this would be a fun diversion that would fully ground you in a vivid experience of place.

 

[mspath]

Before we move on, here is something of interest at the very beginning.

Fragrance Maker Dares to Sniff ‘What Life Really Smells Like’

Crafting scents that demand a brave nose, and leading smelling tours through a landscape in Catalonia painted by Dalí, an evangelist of odor urges people to catch a whiff of the “sublime.”

www.nytimes.com

So if you want to take a day or so in Llança to get over jetlag, this would be a fun diversion that would fully ground you in a vivid experience of place.

VN,
Within this NYT account the flavor of the tea favored at the nearby monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes is mentioned; thus another link in your ever growing virtual chain.

 

[VNwalking]

Within this NYT account the flavor of the tea favored at the nearby monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes is mentioned; thus another link in your ever growing virtual chain.

Yes, exactly. Which is why I thought it would be a very nice camino warm-up.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Vic accommodation
The youth hostel, see: https://xanascat.gencat.cat/ca/albergs/albergs/vic-xanascat address: Avinguda d'Olímpia, 4, 08500 Vic, Barcelona Informació i reserves: 93 483 83 63

Seemingly in the same building with the same contact information is Alberg Canonge Collell

Seminari de Vic offers temporary accommodation and student accommodation with heaps of facilities including a Gym, see: https://seminarivic.cat/portfolio/allotjament/ I can't find a price and there is a bus stop just outside.

HOSTAL OSONA VIC S.C P gets very mixed reviews on G Maps, some people love it and others hate it. Around E20 a night in individual rooms. website is: https://hostal-osona-vic-sc-p.negocio.site/ Address is: Carrer del Remei, Nº3, 08500 Vic

Hotel Can Pamplona in the same vicinity as Hostal Osana, around E56 a night single in own room, own bathroom. See: https://canpamplona.com/

Hotel Estació Del Nord, above the railway station. Tel: 93 516 62 92, address: Plaça de l'Estació, 4
08500 Vic, email: info@estaciodelnord.com website: nwww.estaciodelnord.com Around E51, breakfast E7.

Hotel J. Balmes Vic, 5% discount for web reservations, E50 single, own room, own bathroom. E57 with breakfast. On the outskirts of the old city, close to the Seminari. See: https://www.hoteljbalmes.com/EN/hotel.html very slow website, wait for it to looooooad. Looks nice though. Phone: +34938891272 Address: Carrer de Francesc Pla el Vigatà, 6, 08500 Vic

Most of the cheaper places seem to be clustered around the old city.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Vic places to eat
Very highly rated on G Maps is the Portuguese restaurant Ca La Nuri, reasonably priced. Combination Plate for E11 through E14 with vegetarian options. See menu: http://aehtosona.hexderp.com/uploads/ca-la-nuri-complert.pdf Phone: +34664378920 Address: Carrer de Francesc Pla el Vigatà, 2, 08500 Vic located close to the Seminari

More upmarket (expensive) is El Xic, seem to specialise in seafood. No obvious vegetarian options. A couple of blocks away from Ca La Nuri at Carrer de Gurb, 103, 08500 Vic. High ratings by lots of people on G maps.

Right in the middle of the old city is QuiQuiriCuit, not expensive with high ratings on G Maps from lots of people. Address: Plaça Major, 35, 08500 Vic.

Close by is LA CREPERIA, pancake place. Reasonably priced and highly rated. Plaça de Sant Felip, 9, 08500 Vic.

A couple of blocks out from the Placa is El Manubri Gastro-Bar, highly rated and reasonably priced. Carrer de Santa Joaquima de Vedruna, 3, 08500 Vic. Expect great presentation but smaller quantities.

El Cafè de l’Orfeó is a little bit further out and this is probably reflected in its prices although it gets very good reviews. Address: Plaça de Sta. Cecília, 9, 08500 Vic. Close to the hospital and arts school.

Across the river most of the restaurants seem cheaper with good reviews including this bakery - Fleca Can Julià Address: Carrer de Menéndez i Pelayo, 6, 08500 Vic.

Also Pastisseria Lladó at Av. de l'Estadi, 21, 08500 Vic.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Doug, thanks for making these lists. You are going above and beyond. IT'S 1:30 AM IN AUCKLAND. Go to bed.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

On the camino on the way out of Vic is a Lidl at Ctra. de la Guixa, 41, s/n 08500 Vic.

A little bit further, 2.2klms is a bakery that may suffice for breakfast. See Forn de La Guixa at C. Major 8, 08505 Sentfores. Looks great but slightly higher prices.

Nothing else until Forn De Pa (another bakery) in another 3.8 klms at 08505 Santa Eulalia de Riuprimer or Can Ton (highly rated) just down the road or Bar Can Miquel, also just down the road.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Doug, thanks for making these lists. You are going above and beyond. IT'S 1:30 AM IN AUCKLAND. Go to bed.

I am an old IBM Systems programmer, I grew up on overnights and strong coffee. Thanks for your concern though. I wanted to get this thread moving again so we can finish it and move on.

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

Yesterday we got a "Welcome Back to the World" catalog for Viking's river cruises. 10 days for "Portugal's River of Gold". Two days in Lisbon, transport to Porto and a day there, then cruising up and then down the Douro with some land excursions. You can extend your tour by two nights to visit Braga and SdC.

10 days from $3,300 US and SdC extension from $650. So something like $300/day.

I'll walk, thank you.

View attachment 106302

I’ll admit I always thought cruises were silly. Then during a tour of Egypt part of the trip was an Ambercrombie and Kent cruise, small ship with about a dozen cabins but because of terrorism, there were less than a dozen passengers including our tour guide. Something to be said for chilled hibiscus tea and an ice cold wash cloth handed to you as you reboard, and towels turned into swans in your cabin
I could never afford it again (unless another spate of blowing up tourists drives prices down)…but it was fun.

let he who’s never stayed in a parador cast the first bocadillo

 

[VNwalking]

et he who’s never stayed in a parador cast the first bocadillo

I haven't, but hey - I'm not throwing any bocadillos at anyone.

Apologies for the pause; I've been a slacker, lounging around up at the Parador while @Doughnut NZ has already fihured out where to stay down in Vic.

Day 9. Vic-Sau Parador - Vic (14.7 km)
This could easily be done as the last half of the day if you are walking the route along the reservoir from Vilanova de Sau, with a deviation to go up to Sant Pere, or if you visit it in the morning from the Parador.

It is an easy and straightforward walk, with a couple of places to stop along the way. If you missed the neolithic sites on the way up, it's not a big detour to check them out today.

If you don't want to retrace your steps to Tavernoles from the way up he simplest way down is along the road (BV-5213) as far as Tavernoles, then you can go off road much of the way into Vic on the local route PR-C-40. This merges with the regular Camino route that followed the reservoir a couple of kms outside of Vic.

@alansykes walked into a covid-subdued Vic, but it still sounds like a lovely town, with the Episcopal Museum being a highlight:

The road down to Vic from Sant Pere de Casserres was not exciting, but once down in the fertile plain it was fun to see the farmers putting the land to bed for winter, with one or two late harvests - a field of maize, and some sunflowers - still being gathered in.

Vic must be a fun town usually, but Saturday night's paseo, with all the bars and restaurants closed, was a very subdued affair.

The episcopal museum is such a treat, with the soaring romanesque Tower of the cathedral to guide you there. Relatively small, so you have a chance to look at the masterpieces thoroughly, rather than rushing past and getting what I call "museum fatigue" when you see so much stuff you can't really absorb it.

With a short day we have time to explore. Any other recommendations?

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

I haven't, but hey - I'm not throwing any bocadillos at anyone.

Really? Were I to judge by recent popular threads the average pilgrim is looking to book a parador while walking from the shower naked except a small towel over their head and toe socks, while next to a backpack filled with sleep sack, edibles, and a frying pan.

monastery? Hot air balloon? (Providing I know where we are which if I’m along for the walk, we are lost, completely lost)

edit: skip the monastery suggestion, we just came from there (this is why no one should follow me, I’ve been known to circle)

The Top 10 Things To See And Do In Vic Spain

Read our guide to what to do and see in Vic the Catalan town renowned for its cured meats.

theculturetrip.com

 

[VNwalking]

Oh! A Roman Temple! Nice find, @Smallest_Sparrow .

One thing I wonder about is the sand surface of the Plaza. Is it used for horses? Dr. Google is not much help, but I don't have the time to go down a rabbit hole.

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

Oh! A Roman Temple! Nice find, @Smallest_Sparrow .

One thing I wonder about is the sand surface of the Plaza. Is it used for horses? Dr. Google is not much help, but I don't have the time to go down a rabbit hole.

I detour for every giant ball of string on Route 66, and pretty much anything old, spiritual, or funny off the Camino. Could we see the temple and ride in a balloon? I occasionally see them flying overhead here but never land, although a British Special Forces sgt fell though a neighbor’s roof a month or so ago when his parachute failed to open

 

[VNwalking]

Why not?
And there is a market in the plaza once a week for those more cautious types.

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

One thing I wonder about is the sand surface of the Plaza. Is it used for horses?

That would make sense, I’ll try to find out. Of course my first thought wasn’t horses, it was beach volleyball tournaments. My SoCal childhood is showing

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

That would make sense, I’ll try to find out. Of course my first thought wasn’t horses, it was beach volleyball tournaments. My SoCal childhood is showing

Most popular answer on the internet is “playground for children”; some mentioned the market but stalls can be set up on stone as well as sand;the one I found most reasonable was “holdover from when live animals were in the market”.

just going to add I found several pictures of balloons tethered in the plaza…

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

One thing I wonder about is the sand surface of the Plaza. Is it used for horses? Dr. Google is not much help, but I don't have the time to go down a rabbit hole.

If I were to invent a story for this I would say that the sand was there from the old days before they started using bull rings. Bull fighting is now illegal in Catalonia.

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

If I were to invent a story for this I would say that the sand was there from the old days before they started using bull rings. Bull fighting is now illegal in Catalonia.

This makes an interesting Rorschach.

 

[peregrina2000]

Straight from the official site of turismedevic. Translated by the unofficial peregrina2000.

Why is there sand in the Plaza Mayor?

The central part of the Plaza Mayor has never been asphalted. The reasons may be serveral, because in this space and over time a large number of activities has taken place — bullfights, spectacles, races, concerts. Probably the most unlikely reason given is that it’s because the market has taken place here since medieval times. Whatever the reason, today we maintain the plaza’s condition because of the tradition, because it is one of its most typical features.



And yes, whoever mentioned the Roman temple. After a wonderful visit to the medieval art museum — do not miss this — I had a long rest in a café right next to the columns. Very nice.

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

4 min walk from the Placa Major (where hopefully we find a market or HOT AIR BALLOONS!!!) to the temple. Several restaurants around there…until we hear which one @peregrina2000 recommends I vote Mediterranean

 

[peregrina2000]

4 min walk from the Placa Major (where hopefully we find a market or HOT AIR BALLOONS!!!) to the temple. Several restaurants around there…until we hear which one @peregrina2000 recommends I vote Mediterranean View attachment 106824

Based on the location of the temple, I was either at the El Temple Coffee and Bar or the 80s Spirit Vic. I am not sure if their names are in English or if Googlemaps translates them. I am sorry not to be able to help with a restaurant recommendation. I had a few tapas at the outdoor table with wine served from what is probably my favorite wine bottle label ever. It is priorat, which is a very strong, high alcohol Catalán wine, so be careful.



And as I was scrolling through my Vic pictures, I saw this picture of the San Pere monastery— how gorgeous is that site?

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

Using google earth I think we’re having tapas,
and some will be getting drunk at el temple cafe and bar.

But I discovered something fun and I’m too unskilled to link it (where’s @Rick of Rick and Peg when I need him): if you put Vic on google earth and go to the museum you can walk around in it. So that’s where I will be for awhile.

edit: actually I think I was in google maps but I just went to google earth and there also. Free admission

 

[DoughnutANZ]

The Top 10 Things To See And Do In Vic Spain

Read our guide to what to do and see in Vic the Catalan town renowned for its cured meats.

theculturetrip.com

Some of these suggestions sound great, unfortunately, according to Google the restaurant Moira is permanently closed.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Straight from the official site of turismedevic. Translated by the unofficial peregrina2000.

Why is there sand in the Plaza Mayor?

The central part of the Plaza Mayor has never been asphalted. The reasons may be serveral, because in this space and over time a large number of activities has taken place — bullfights, spectacles, races, concerts. Probably the most unlikely reason given is that it’s because the market has taken place here since medieval times. Whatever the reason, today we maintain the plaza’s condition because of the tradition, because it is one of its most typical features.

View attachment 106822

And yes, whoever mentioned the Roman temple. After a wonderful visit to the medieval art museum — do not miss this — I had a long rest in a café right next to the columns. Very nice.
View attachment 106821

In the immediate vicinity of the Roman Temple is Cerveseria Dickens. Any pub named after Dickens that also serves Guinness is a must visit for me.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

4 min walk from the Placa Major (where hopefully we find a market or HOT AIR BALLOONS!!!) to the temple. Several restaurants around there…until we hear which one @peregrina2000 recommends I vote Mediterranean View attachment 106824

My vote is LA CREPERIA and QuiQuiriCuit

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

My vote is LA CREPERIA

It’s beginning to look like we may not be catching that hot air balloon ride…oh well, next time …back to the food and drink!

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Just off the town square is a bakery that specializes in "baby" cupcakes that are large and look more like muffins called Cal Tuset. See https://www.caltuset.com/ that gets a good rating on G Maps.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

There is a children's sandpit in one corner of the Plaça Mayo. Unfortunately I couldn't find any cafes bordering the square with a decent rating on G Maps, best get our coffee elsewhere.

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

Just off the town square is a bakery that specializes in "baby" cupcakes that are large and look more like muffins called Cal Tuset. See https://www.caltuset.com/ that gets a good rating on G Maps.

It’s a good thing I spent so much time walking around the museum

 

[DoughnutANZ]

As I mentioned in an earlier post, most of the reasonably priced and highly rated places seem to be outside of the touristic square and across the other side of that fabulous bridge to the south.

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

There is a children's sandpit in one corner of the Plaça Mayo. Unfortunately I couldn't find any cafes bordering the square with a decent rating on G Maps, best get our coffee elsewhere.

What about cafeteria el centre?

 

[DoughnutANZ]

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/virtual-planning-thread-caminos-girona-catal%C3%A1n-and-aragon%C3%A9s-llan%C3%A7%C3%A0-to-oba%C3%B1os.70634/post-945843

 

[DoughnutANZ]

What about cafeteria el centre?

Well spotted, I missed that in my rush to the bridge, well worth a stop. Although one of the reviews mentions that it is expensive.

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

Just a heads up, the Feast of the Assumption is the 15th and a Sunday so things might be closed unexpectedly…and maybe crowds. I’m not good in crowds so expect me to be out of sorts

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

Well spotted, I missed that in my rush to the bridge, well worth a stop. Although one of the reviews mentions that it is expensive.

I’ll follow you. It took me two weeks to figure out how to get what I wanted to eat.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

There is a very well regarded vegetarian restaurant on the way into Vic called Restaurant Àgape. Very close to the Camino route. A block or two further on is La Caseina, a cheese store that gets 5 stars on G Maps, something quite rare. It seems that the cheese store also serves craft beer!

 

[VNwalking]

Vegetarian!? Oh boy!

I vote Mediterranean

Me too. I'm hoping @SabineP can join us, as she is the fabulousfoodwhisperer.

And of course, anything from a bakery. We can pick up some bread for a quick getaway in the morning if nothing else.

I’m not good in crowds so expect me to be out of sorts

Likewise. No worties. We can make ourselves scarce.

I saw this picture of the San Pere monastery— how gorgeous is that site?

Spectacular. Those monks knew a good spot when they saw it. Thank God no-one has figured out how to construct a zipline over the river.

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

Spectacular. Those monks knew a good spot when they saw it. Thank God no-one has figured out how to construct a zipline over the river.

yet.

 

[VNwalking]

I reacted with a but it could as easily be .
Well, may it be a long long time before shrieking mamils and mawils on ziplines invade the quiet of Sant Pere.

 

[SabsP]

Vegetarian!? Oh boy!

Me too. I'm hoping @SabineP can join us, as she is the fabulousfoodwhisperer.

And of course, anything from a bakery. We can pick up some bread for a quick getaway in the morning if nothing else.

Likewise. No worties. We can make ourselves scarce.

Spectacular. Those monks knew a good spot when they saw it. Thank God no-one has figured out how to construct a zipline over the river.

I believe I already wrote here or in a pm that when I travelled as a "regular tourist" (by car ) that I did not particular liked Vic. A certain cold vibe...

Now about restos.

El Gravat : Veggies and mushroom risotto.

Carta - El Gravat Vic

El Gravat Vic, Cuina de tapes i copes

elgravatvic.com

La Flama?

La Flama in Vic - Restaurant menu and reviews

I recommend you to visit the restaurant La Flama. Find more about this place with Restaurant Guru App.

restaurantguru.com

Who can resist a decent pizza?

Sorry if these links are already given here, I must read up on this thread!

Regarding breakfasts: on a Camino I always follow the local workers when they go for their coffee. Most likely also a hearty pan tostada will be served.

 

[VNwalking]

Who can resist a decent pizza?

Heck, I even like bad ones. (Just so long as there is no pineapple. )
Thanks, Sabine!
So I'm headed for La Flama.

Here's our task for tomorrow (assuming @Smallest_Sparrow is back from ballooning).
So Vic-Manresa can be done in 2 long or 3 shorter days. I'll post the longer days, but you should know shorter is completely possible!

Day 10 Vic - Santa María d'Oló (30.5 km)
Santa Eulalia de Riuprimer (7.5km) is the first potential breakfast stop for early risers.
L'Estany is a good stopping place for a shorter day, at 19.9 km. It sounds like a very nice stopping place, but seems to have limited options for accommodation:

L'Estany has one reportedly fabulous restaurant, Ca La Tona, where I had a long cold drink sitting outside on the patio, and one beautiful little romanesque church and cloister, Santa María L'Estany

There is an apt. available for rent, it's pricey for one but would be great for a group of four. http://www.monestirestany.cat/castellano/alojamiento-monestir-santa-maria-estany.htm

I have to say, Laurie's photos look really special.

Santa María d'Oló is a few km off the camino, 8.3km farther on. It significantly shortens what would otherwise be a monster day into Manresa, if you are walking between Vic and Manresa in 2 days.

For anyone of wandering temperament, this caught my eye.

Coves del Toll-Teixoneres | Iphes

www.iphes.cat

It's nearby, but too much of a detour (12.5 circuitous km one way from the camino a bit before l'Estany) to be easily walked, but a taxi from l'Estany would be fast. If you are interested in prehistory or hominid evolution, this looks like a place worth seeing.

 

[peregrina2000]

I was curious to see if the apartment owned by the church in L’Estany was still operating. The link VN posted above is dead, but there is a new link.

Allotjament - Monestir Santa Maria de l'Estany

www.monestirestany.cat

And I checked on the restaurant. No tripadvisor reviews since 2018, but googlemaps says it is open. I wouldn’t count on it though.

 

[AJGuillaume]

So Vic-Manresa can be done in 2 long or 3 shorter days. I'll post the longer days, but you should know shorter is completely possible!

You have the gratitude of slow walkers, @VNwalking !

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Using google earth I think we’re having tapas,
and some will be getting drunk at el temple cafe and bar.

But I discovered something fun and I’m too unskilled to link it (where’s @Rick of Rick and Peg when I need him): if you put Vic on google earth and go to the museum you can walk around in it. So that’s where I will be for awhile.

edit: actually I think I was in google maps but I just went to google earth and there also. Free admission

I haven't been contributing to this as much as I would like because for most of the year my gateway to the WWW has been only my smartphone.

However, to get to and share streetmap tours of selected museums (or even some albergues) this is what to do.

First use Google Streetview to get to the point of interest. One way is to search for placename,city,region-name,country in the app. Or just get the map to the area of interest, look for the pin for the more specific place and click on the link. Here is what I got.


At the bottom right is a "Share" button. Clicking that gives you several ways to share the location. I selected the "Copy to clipboard" method and the following is what I got.

Museu Episcopal de Vic
+34 938 86 93 60
https://maps.app.goo.gl/Gp5Fvzfj7Fnv48t19

Clicking the link above should get you something like the following (probably browser dependent).


Click on the name of the place in bottom box to get rid of the map and bring up more information about the place (like its website). Search around a bit and look for photos. Here the place to click is "2704 photos".


The resulting page shows the photos but look up at the top and you can see that you can select images by type. Choose "Streetview & 360" (scrolling may be needed).

Select an interior view. Some may just give you
a 360 of a room. Others may actually have streetview-like arrows to wander from room to room. The room only option isn't bad though as you may see some things highlighted by dots. Click them to get a caption.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Commenting further on my post just above, I did do some checking to see if I, or anyone, could post a URL directly to one of the pictures shown in the "Streetview & 360" category shown by Google Maps. It is much more difficult for me to explore this in depth on my smartphone than a PC but after doing my half-hearted check I think that you cannot. Once you get to a place via the maps.app.goo.gl link I think the rest of the clicking is handed by JavaScript.

So it would have been nice if I could have posted a link to the 360 degree streetview-like tour of the museum the @Smallest_Sparrowentioned I don't think it is possible. You've got to supply an awful amount of instructions and directions.


As an aside, Google has an interface to Streetview that allows someone to create a link to show a picture that their streetview cameras has gathered. You can supply location coordinates, direction and such in a URL to link to or display the picture. I used this in the past on the forum but Google now requires that what amounts to a license be included also. Essentially this keeps the picture from being free, the license holder may have to pay for the view. I don't like this but I can't say it isn't fair.

The first couple of paragraphs in the introduction in this article, the picture and its caption shows how this Streetview feature works.

Street View Static API overview | Google for Developers

developers.google.com

 

[Smallest_Sparrow]

Commenting further on my post just above, I did do some checking to see if I, or anyone, could post a URL directly to one of the pictures shown in the "Streetview & 360" category shown by Google Maps. It is much more difficult for me to explore this in depth on my smartphone than a PC but after doing my half-hearted check I think that you cannot. Once you get to a place via the maps.app.goo.gl link I think the rest of the clicking is handed by JavaScript.

So it would have been nice if I could have posted a link to the 360 degree streetview-like tour of the museum the @Smallest_Sparrowentioned I don't think it is possible. You've got to supply an awful amount of instructions and directions.


As an aside, Google has an interface to Streetview that allows someone to create a link to show a picture that their streetview cameras has gathered. You can supply location coordinates, direction and such in a URL to link to or display the picture. I used this in the past on the forum but Google now requires that what amounts to a license be included also. Essentially this keeps the picture from being free, the license holder may have to pay for the view. I don't like this but I can't say it isn't fair.

The first couple of paragraphs in the introduction in this article, the picture and its caption shows how this Streetview feature works.

Street View Static API overview | Google for Developers

developers.google.com

Well if I could stumble into it I imagine everyone else has managed. I thought google maps had a better tour than google earth but I had fun with both even if I couldn’t find the dot to tell me what was in front of me. I had fun guessing the saints based on emblems and without a legend I graded myself 100%. I’m really glad I did all that virtual walking in the museum before @Doughnut NZ took us through so many excellent restaurants, bars, and cafes. .

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Day 10 Vic - Santa María d'Oló (30.5 km)
Santa Eulalia de Riuprimer (7.5km) is the first potential breakfast stop for early risers.

Bar Can Miquel - https://goo.gl/maps/3SKUMmXJGaMYrP7D6
RESTAURANT CAL XORIGUER (more expensive) - https://g.page/calxoriguer?share
Ubiquitous bakery with good reviews, Forn De Pa - https://goo.gl/maps/LkFTdpqFeaMi1PDw5
Best reviews in town is Can Ton, a block or two back from the camino, see: https://goo.gl/maps/UGfEsiv7VtcBSkcW7

L'Estany is a good stopping place for a shorter day, at 19.9 km. It sounds like a very nice stopping place, but seems to have limited options for accommodation:

Cal Sabata http://calsabata.com/ca/casa-rural-preu is another possibility in L'Estany. It consists of three houses, one house is for two people only. One double bed with own bathroom. They advertise a weekend rate of E100 or E250 for a week and so they are not geared for overnight stays but they are worth a try, especially out of season and during the week.

Restaurant Hostal Grau looks like a good place to eat https://goo.gl/maps/283Kw4ZbFmfiXDjF9
or Bar Monestir, https://goo.gl/maps/9TrzVAW147feTYSq9

Santa María d'Oló is a few km off the camino, 8.3km farther on. It significantly shortens what would otherwise be a monster day into Manresa, if you are walking between Vic and Manresa in 2 days.

Where do we stay here?

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Only 9 klms from Vic on the camino is Mas L'Aliberch casa de colònies (https://casacolonies.com/Serveis.html). It looks like a school or group camp with 106 beds. There is one smaller room with 8 beds. They charge E17.50 per bed per night but they probably don't normally do singles or couples but it may be worth asking especially if you want to break the longer journey on the next day.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Closest I could find to Santa María d'Oló is Mas Torigues (http://www.mastorigues.com/en), E35 per person per night. It looks very nice but I am not sure if they do one night only stays or if they do less than the whole farm house. Very close to the camino and around 28 klms from Vic.