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

[VNwalking]

Here we go! I've made an executive decision to add the bit on the Aragonés at the end, just because.

Basic resources:
Gronze:
https://www.gronze.com/camino-santiago-girona (Llançà - Montserrat)
https://www.gronze.com/camino-santiago-catalan (Montserrat - Santa Cilia de Jaca)

Camino Aragonés | Camino de Santiago | Gronze.com

El Camino Francés por Aragón o Camino Aragonés enlaza el puerto de Somport en la frontera hispano-francesa con la localidad navarra de Puente la Reina, donde se une al Camino Francés procedente de Roncesvalles. El Camino Francés por Aragón debe su origen al Camino de Arles (Vía Tolosana), una de...

www.gronze.com

(Santa Cilia de Jaca - Obanos)

There is a guide written by the Generalitat covering this Camino, not yet translated into English, but you can see it in Castellano here: http://www.camidesantjaume.cat/descargas/guia_port_selva-jonquera-montserrat_ESP.pdf
If nothing else, the maps and the symbols of places to eat and sleep will be immediately understandable

Just at random looking at what @peregrina2000 and @alansykes wrote this about the first part:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/com...-from-llançà-to-montserrat.36051/#post-342719

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/a-westerly-trend.68641/

Does anyone have recent wikiloc tracks? I found yours Laurie, but that was a while ago.

Transport
There are lots of transport options for getting to Llança from Barcelona. Trains leave Barcelona for Llançà 21 past the hour, 6 trains in the morning, 3 in the afternoon, and 1 in the evening. With a bonus train in evening rush hour at 51 past.

Rome2rio

Discover how to get anywhere by searching plane, train, bus, car and ferry routes

www.rome2rio.com

I've never been to Barcelona - so I wondered: how hard is it to get from the airport to the train station, and how much time to give?
Rome2rio comes to the rescue here too. It's a treasure for us tyros:

Rome2rio

Discover how to get anywhere by searching plane, train, bus, car and ferry routes

www.rome2rio.com

Accommodation
There are an overwhelming number of places to stay in Llançá, including one called La Vida Sin Limites, with a macaw tn the pic. I wonder if the bird comes with the room?

More grounded, perhaps, is @peregrina2000's recommendation of Pension Llançá.

Food options? @SabineP?

I have to admit to a LOT of confusion about the first part of this route and am not clear at all about the route to Montserrat, because there seem to be several variants. So before we set off, I could use some help with where the heck we're headed.
Gracias!

 

[peregrina2000]

I have written a couple of posts that might help with the question of how the route got there in the first place. I personally would highly recommend the ”fake” route, just because of how it maximizes the romanesque and gets you to both Vic and Girona, two cities that are very much worth visiting.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/list-of-useful-services-on-the-catalan-way-via-san-juan-de-la-peña.66068/#post-814989

And the confusion about getting to Montserrat (where the more traditional Camí Català begins) may have to do with your seeing discussions from people who walked from Barcelona. If you start up on the coast, you will not walk to Barcelona, but will reach Montserrat via Manresa (of Camino Ignaciano fame).

And not to jump the gun (but my participation will be sporadic for the next few days), but I think that the best way to start this trip is with a pre-walking visit up to San Pere. Sure, that means two ascents, but otherwise, it will make for a very inconvenient day walking from either Llançà or Port de la Selva. @Doughnut’s suggestion of walking from Llançà to Port de la Selva and then to San Pere is interesting, because it would get you to the monastery at a much better time for visiting (as opposed to starting in either place and going directly to the monastery), but then there is the issue of where you will sleep. With all our onlie google experts, though, I’m hopeful that something can be found that would not require going all the way to Figueres. So, what I did was take the train from Barcelona to Llançà early in the morning, drop my stuff off at the pensión (which is about 200 m from the start of the trail up to the monastery) and then go up that day for a monastery visit. I then went back down an alternative way, and wound up walking along the beach. Next day, leave from pensión, walk by San Pere in early morning, and continue on to Figueres.

 

[Albertagirl]

I have written a couple of posts that might help with the question of how the route got there in the first place. I personally would highly recommend the ”fake” route, just because of how it maximizes the romanesque and gets you to both Vic and Girona, two cities that are very much worth visiting.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/list-of-useful-services-on-the-catalan-way-via-san-juan-de-la-peña.66068/#post-814989

And the confusion about getting to Montserrat (where the more traditional Camí Català begins) may have to do with your seeing discussions from people who walked from Barcelona. If you start up on the coast, you will not walk to Barcelona, but will reach Montserrat via Manresa (of Camino Ignaciano fame).

And not to jump the gun (but my participation will be sporadic for the next few days), but I think that the best way to start this trip is with a pre-walking visit up to San Pere. Sure, that means two ascents, but otherwise, it will make for a very inconvenient day walking from either Llançà or Port de la Selva. @Doughnut’s suggestion of walking from Llançà to Port de la Selva and then to San Pere is interesting, because it would get you to the monastery at a much better time for visiting (as opposed to starting in either place and going directly to the monastery), but then there is the issue of where you will sleep. With all our onlie google experts, though, I’m hopeful that something can be found that would not require going all the way to Figueres. So, what I did was take the train from Barcelona to Llançà early in the morning, drop my stuff off at the pensión (which is about 200 m from the start of the trail up to the monastery) and then go up that day for a monastery visit. I then went back down an alternative way, and wound up walking along the beach. Next day, leave from pensión, walk by San Pere in early morning, and continue on to Figueres.

@peregrina2000
This sounds like a very interesting start to a camino, but my challenge at present is I cannot find it on my IGN map of all the caminos in Spain. The Cami de Sant Jaume, #24 on my map, begins in two locations north of Barcelona, splitting at Figueres, north of Girona, to go to the French border near Jonquera and to close to the Mediterrranean near Vilajuiga. But I cannot find Llanca on that map. Is it on either of those branches? Is it somewhere else entirely?

 

[VNwalking]

@Albertagirl, Laurie can help you with the complicated part. Here's an answer to your simpler question:
The pointer shows Llançá, just a bit S of the French border:

 

[Albertagirl]

Thank you. I have found LLanca on my IGN map, on the Mediterranean north of Vilajuiga, in the tiniest possible printing. It appears to be on an ocean front route southbound through El pont de la Selva, which is also on the IGN map, but neither is on any marked camino route on that map. This ocean-front route is close enough to the Cami San Jaume to be an alternative or revised version of that route, as both go through Girona. I shall follow along and see where it goes. So far, it seems to be the start of a good route for those of us who prefer our walks in Spain to approach the permitted 90 days. Thanks again.

 

[VNwalking]

Not jumping the gun at all, Laurie. We need to figure out where we're going before we start!

@Doughnut’s suggestion of walking from Llançà to Port de la Selva and then to San Pere is interesting, because it would get you to the monastery at a much better time for visiting (as opposed to starting in either place and going directly to the monastery), but then there is the issue of where you will sleep

One possibility is to end up in Vilajugia, where my Googlemaps shows two CRs right next to each other. Here's the direct route (not via PdlS). It's 18.7kms. Via PdlS it's about 2 km farther. For those able to do a longer stage it's 14 more kms or so to Figueres.

Edit to add this. :

The 30 kms from Llançà can be broken into two 15 km stages, because there is a pensión in Villajuiga: Hostal Xavi** Carretera Roses, 17 Tel. 972 530 003

 

[SabsP]

@VNwalking thanks for mentioning me for the foodoptions.
I will follow this thread with interest and will chime in when I see a town appear that I visited. I travelled the area as a " regular tourist".

For walking one of these parts the Aragones appeals the most to me.

Thanks of course for starting this thread.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Getting from Barcelona airport into the city

This webpage

How To Travel From Barcelona Airport To Sants?

Ticket Prices and options for travelling from Barcelona airport to Sants

www.barcelona-tourist-guide.com

says

It is easy to travel from Barcelona Airport to Sants. Simply catch the RENFE train from Barcelona Airport and get off at Estació de Sants (Sants Estació also known as Barcelona Sants station) the journey is around 20 minutes.

The Barcelona airport has two terminals, numbered 1 & 2. #2 is the newer, bigger one with the most flights. If you land at #1 you can get a free shuttle bus to #2.

If you will be staying in Barcelona for awhile then read the webpage as I tells you about a discount on the metro.

 

[Felice]

I walked from Llanca to Montserrat in 2016 and loved the route. Here is my write up with suggestions for lodgings and how to split long stages.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/reporting-back-from-the-cami-st-jaume-from-llan%C3%A7%C3%A0-to-montserrat.41184/

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Here we go! I've made an executive decision to add the bit on the Aragonés at the end, just because.

Does anyone have recent wikiloc tracks? I found yours Laurie, but that was a while ago

I've never been to Barcelona

I have to admit to a LOT of confusion about the first part of this route and am not clear at all about the route to Montserrat, because there seem to be several variants. So before we set off, I could use some help with where the heck we're headed.
Gracias!

Excellent start but I think that I would prefer that we back up a little.

I have @David Tallan s excellent Google Maps overlay of various Camino routes loaded on my copy of Google Maps and it shows a route starting at Monasterio de Sant Pere de Rodes down to Montserrat and a trail up to Montserrat from the Nth Nth East that completely bypasses Barcelona. This seems to be a preferred approach to Montserrat.

I also have never been to Barcelona and so if we are going to bypass it while walking then I would like to spend a couple of days exploring Barcelona before we catch the train to Llanca please

It might also be useful to ask @David Tallan if his route for this Camino is from the Dutch source or if it is from someone like Laurie's Wikiloc. It definitely looks like it is an individual's track as there are places where the track wanders around a little until it finds the route and where there are deviations for pizza and nice views

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Wikiloc tracks

@peregrina2000, Laurie, knows her stuff but, forgive me Laurie, she gets lost. At least her Wikiloc tracks for the Catalan shows a bit of wandering. I examined some of her tracks prior to my Catalan and each night when I was on camino I would download a track for the next day. It would not be one of hers. Often it was one by Rocjumper and he never let me down. Actually he has all stages from Monserrat to the Aragonese combined into one track and downloading this one will save you a lot of trouble. Of course you could use this track or others in an app other than Wikiloc. He may have more tracks of interest to this thread on Wikiloc but right now I'm operating with just a smartphone and the app (as opposed to the website) isn't the best at searching for tracks.

As far as I know the Wikiloc app for following tracks only works with tracks that have been uploaded to wikiloc.com and so tracks you may have downloaded from, say the Dutch site, can't be followed. If you have a membership on Wikiloc you can download tracks that then be followed by other apps such as Maps.me or OSMand.

I did get help from Wikiloc that I wouldn't have from the other apps. You can follow the yellow arrows but if you miss one and go the wrong way it will notify you. This happened to me in the cities and suburbs when the arrow people didn't want to make things too graffiti-like and upset the residents. Going back I did find that there were arrows but not obvious enough for me. Also, going between Barcelona and Monserrat there would often be a yellow X painted too to indicate that you shouldn't go that way. Not always though.

 

[peregrina2000]

@peregrina2000, Laurie, knows her stuff but, forgive me Laurie, she gets lost. At least her Wikiloc tracks for the Catalan shows a bit of wandering.

Ha! You know, I am sure that I was following someone else’s tracks. I recorded mine, though, and posted them on wikiloc. But it is true that I only look at my GPS in one of two instances — if I am at an intersection, or when I’ve gone for a long long time without an arrow.

Rick, do you remember where some of the “best” examples of wandering/getting lost would be? Because, the funny thing is, I only have one memory of getting lost, and that was in the forest in the hills before I took the off-camino descent to Santa María d’Oló.

 

[VNwalking]

Excellent start but I think that I would prefer that we back up a little.

Fine with me! Laurie's busy right now anyway, so doing that will give her a chance to participate.

I also have never been to Barcelona and so if we are going to bypass it while walking then I would like to spend a couple of days exploring Barcelona before we catch the train to Llanca please

Sure!
Anyone who's been there have recommendations for shelter, food, and out of the way interesting things to explore?

Often it was one by Rocjumper and he never let me down. Actually he has all stages from Monserrat to the Aragonese combined into one track and downloading this one will save you a lot of

His tracks for the start of the Viejo are good too. Thanks for the info, Rick.
I couldn't easily search in wikiloc without paying, but I found this wonderful list of his camino tracks for future reference!:

Caminos de Santiago en Track GPS | RocJumper

Aquí adjunto la lista de tracks GPS de Caminos de Santiago que he realizado durante estos últimos años. 💡 Resumen Son todos verificados sobre el terreno. Cada año vamos ampliando la colección. RESEÑAS y/o TRACKS GPS Camino de Santiago del Norte o Camino de la Costa – Irún a Santiago 2009-2012...

www.rocjumper.com

He went through Huesca, the southern option.
Oh, well...

My confusion over the route has not abated much. I am thinking we can decide to follow someone's track WSW from Llançà, and once underway, we can discuss other alternatives that are relevant.

@alansykes walked this way as far as Montserrat last year and his posts were wonderful. If anyone has a paid version of wikiloc, it would be easier to find his tracks.
I did find Laurie's tracks, and will check out Rocjumper's.

If you have a membership on Wikiloc you can download tracks that then be followed by other apps such as Maps.me or OSMand.

This is what I do, with OSMand - which I like a whole lot. It works quite well.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Here is an overview of the track that I have from Monasterio de Sant Pere de Rodes to Monserrat. It shows up in the screen shots as a red line.

 

[VNwalking]

@Doughnut NZ , where/who/how?
(Where did you find that, whose track is it, how do we get it?)

 

[VNwalking]

Haha. Curiosity killed the cat. I have to admit overwhelm. I did a quick forum search and found a library's worth of threads that immediately look pertinent just for the part of the camino up tp Montserrat.
We'll need those days in Barcellona just to get our act in gear.@Doughnut NZ !

For example, in no particular order, and not having actually read many of these threads besides a quick skim:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/planning-possible-stages-from-port-de-la-selva-to-montserrat.30708/

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/catalan-route-guide-maps-audio-guide.8132/#post-589512

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/the-false-camino-from-llanca-or-port-de-la-selva.33763/#post-305863

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/sorting-out-the-caminos-north-of-montserrat.34078/#post-310500

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/where-to-start.48317/#post-519944

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/san-juan-de-la-pena.54344/#post-635847

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/reporting-back-from-the-cami-st-jaume-from-llan%C3%A7%C3%A0-to-montserrat.41184/#post-429889

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/2017-list-of-accommodation-and-services.46751/#post-498796

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/list-of-useful-services-on-the-catalan-way-via-san-juan-de-la-pe%C3%B1a.66068/#post-814989

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/has-anyone-been-to-vic.31183/#post-270747

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/my-cami-st-jaume-from-llan%C3%A7%C3%A0-to-montserrat.36051/#post-377494

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/a-westerly-trend.68641/

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/report-of-cami-catalan-may-to-june-2018-parts-1-and-2.56770/#post-641150

That was from a search.
Here's the mother lode:

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/forums/cami-catalan-cami-st-jaume.105/

Hoo boy....mixed feelings, but (mostly) good ones! We have no shortage of information.

I'm starting by reading Laurie's thread...

 

[DoughnutANZ]

@Doughnut NZ , where/who/how?
(Where did you find that, whose track is it, how do we get it?)

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1vf4iNGwIJhcsChA-pLk5uanLVshEB806&ll=39.8964276151992%2C-3.066492000000002&z=5

Courtesy of @David Tallan

Or

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/resources/gps-in-kmz-and-in-gpx-format-tracks-of-all-spanish-caminos-in-one-file.341/

@Thomas1962

or

Downloads - Santiago

Translate this page: Indeling – Per land vind je hier een overzicht van praktische downloads voor onderweg, ingedeeld in onderstaande drie categorieën. Handleiding – Wil je meer weten over hoe u deze bestanden samen met een geschikte app in je smartphone kunt installeren, lees dan deze...

www.santiago.nl

David's map has a lot of extra information for the well walked Caminos plus one of the earlier virtual planning threads but probably is identical for the Nuevo Camino Catalan.

I have started adding some items to my own copy of Google Maps and I can certainly make those things available to others once we flesh them out towards the end of this thread.

The route that we are interested in at the start is called Nuevo Camino Catalan - Sant Pere de Rodes to Montserrat: 235 km.

 

[peregrina2000]

He went through Huesca, the southern option.
Oh, well...

Without doubt, the better choice.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Without doubt, the better choice.

I understood that you quite liked the NNE version via Manresa??

 

[VNwalking]

Yeah, please tell us more, Laurie...
Oh, wait. Now I see on that nifty Dutch map. Manresa then Huesca. That is the way we want. (Facepalm)

 

[peregrina2000]

I understood that you quite liked the NNE version via Manresa??

Sorry, what I meant is that once you get to Montserrat (starting in Llançá), taking the variant through Huesca rather than through Lleida/Lérida is, IMO, the no-brainer better choice. Just my opinion though.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Not jumping the gun at all, Laurie. We need to figure out where we're going before we start!


One possibility is to end up in Vilajugia, where my Googlemaps shows two CRs right next to each other. Here's the direct route (not via PdlS). It's 18.7kms. Via PdlS it's about 2 km farther. For those able to do a longer stage it's 14 more kms or so to Figueres.
View attachment 104111
Edit to add this. :

Yes this is a possibility but I have since looked at a relief map of the area and the climb up from El Port de la Selva is VERY steep whereas the route that @peregrina2000 took from Llanca does not look anywhere near as steep so perhaps we need a variant here if there are any slow walkers in the pack.

 

[peregrina2000]

So you have three starting options.

1. Llançà to San Pere to Figueres (giving you the issue of arriving in San Pere very early in the morning and unable to visit without waiting around a long time, which makes a 32 km walk to Figueres problematic. But starting in Llançà has the advantage of being right on the train line (and with a morning train from Barcelona, a visit up and back to the monastery in the afternoon before starting the camino the next day is very doable).

2. Llançà to Port de la Selva to monastery. That would give you a much better arrival time for the monastery, but requires finding accommodation somewhere other than Figueres unless you want a monster day. The GR92 apparently goes along the coast and connects Llançà to Port de la Selva. It would add 12 km to the day.

3. Start at Port de la Selva, ascend to the monastery and continue to Figueres.
This circular route, which is a little different than the one I did, shows the way up to San Pere from Llançà and then down from San Pere to Port de la Selva. I’ve attached a screen shot with a picture of the two different ascents. @Doughnut, you may be a much better reader of elevation profiles, but to me, the two don’t look that different. The way up from Port de la Selva looks steeper, but not by much.

From Llançà, 600 m elevation gain over 4 km.
From Port de la Selva, it is condensed to about 3.5 km as far as I can tell. That doesn’t SEEM huge to me, but people with more familiarity may have a better sense.

 

[David Tallan]

It might also be useful to ask @David Tallan if his route for this Camino is from the Dutch source or if it is from someone like Laurie's Wikiloc. It definitely looks like it is an individual's track as there are places where the track wanders around a little until it finds the route and where there are deviations for pizza and nice views

I actually have two maps I'm trying to maintain, and I'm not sure which one you are using.

One is based on the CNIG tracks: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1kY-ZPBKbZuHddt5e9JBCqHmAwG93kFVP&usp=sharing

The other is based on the Dutch source (as downloaded last September) with a few additions that weren't in the Dutch site: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1vf4iNGwIJhcsChA-pLk5uanLVshEB806&usp=sharing

For the latter, the Camino Catalan tracks are from the Dutch site. Where they got them from is another matter.

 

[VNwalking]

Sorry for the silence, I was reading threads!
Some of which I had read when people were walking, but now the places mean a bit more.

I actually have two maps I'm trying to maintain, and I'm not sure which one you are using.

I downloaded the Dutch one you shared, @Doughnut NZ , and am using that now. It has the whole route, which is more convenient for planning than a day by day track.

once you get to Montserrat (starting in Llançá), taking the variant through Huesca rather than through Lleida/Lérida is, IMO, the no-brainer better choice

So I agree with you, Laurie. After reading your thread, and a few others...it is a no-brainer. Definitely.

I will post a first stage tomorrow if everyone's here. @Doughnut NZ are you still in Barcelona?

 

[AJGuillaume]

I will post a first stage tomorrow if everyone's here.

We're tagging along, but as my plan would be to come down from France, I'm still studying the maps to join you at some appropriate point.

It looks like we could be walking through Perpignan (actually probably from Montpellier), crossing into Spain at the Coll de Panissars (altitude 325 m), down to La Jonquera, Biure, and joining you either at Vilabertran or in Figueres.

The profiles of the last 20 km to the Spanish border in the diagram below shows how this would be a much better crossing for my darling.

 

[peregrina2000]

as my plan would be to come down from France, I'm still studying the maps to join you at some appropriate point.

These routes may not be as far southeast as you are looking for, but maybe it’s helpful.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/20-ways-to-cross-the-pyrenees-on-a-camino.35668/

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Barcelona Tips

A rewrite, the upgrade destroyed the first one before I could post.

The tapas street to visit is Carrer de Blai.

If you don't have much time then pass on visiting these two Gaudií places, his own home in Parc Güell and Palau Güell. Save them for a future trip. We did like the park, even the paths above the main Gaudí designed area.

On my last Barcelona trip I visited the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya twice, the first time to view the romanesque section and the second time the gothic one. There was still a lot more to see. Older folks get in free (or at least cheaper) so bring ID.

I used the beach at Barceloneta as the early morning start of my Camino Catalan and on the way out of town I touched the churches that I had visited earlier on my visit. @Steven Dwyer and I had spent an afternoon gathering credential stamps. Credentials can be bought at the romanesque Sant Pau del Camp. This used to be outside the city and actually I passed this church on camino day one on the way to the beach. It is located near the Parallel Metro stop. The other ones I passed and touched were Santa Maria del Mar, in the Catalan gothic style (and the "star" of a Spanish telenovela that Peg watched. I visited it twice, with Steven and again with Peg), Sant Jaume (St. James), and Barcelona's cathedral. While we had gone to Gaudí's Sagrada Familia it was too far away for a camino day one touch.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Rick, do you remember where some of the “best” examples of wandering/getting lost would be? Because, the funny thing is, I only have one memory of getting lost, and that was in the forest in the hills before I took the off-camino descent to Santa María d’Oló.

Oh, that view was about two years ago, I don't remember. I do remember downloading your daily tracks and others too and viewing up to three tracks at the the same time over the same basemap. Your tracks were generally longer over the identical start and end points. At least one was way off.

I just serendipitously visited a thread you started. Maybe the track for this stage was the one that was off so much from the others.

Just for an overview, here are our stages and the kms:
. . .
Day 8 -- Huesca (17) (we decided that since it was such a short day we would get lost and add on about 4-5 kms )

 

[VNwalking]

Thanks, Rick, for the Barcelona tips!
Anyone have others before we take the train to Llançá?

 

[SabsP]

Thanks, Rick, for the Barcelona tips!
Anyone have others before we take the train to Llançá?

May I recommend this stunning church?
Pure Gothic Catalan architecture.

Inici | Basílica Santa Maria del Mar

Benvinguts al web de Santa Maria del Mar, el millor exemple del Gòtic Català que podeu trobar a Barcelona.…

www.santamariadelmarbarcelona.org

Gorgeous area too. Tapasplaces in abundance!

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Thanks, Rick, for the Barcelona tips!
Anyone have others before we take the train to Llançá?

This looks like the best time to add how I got from Barceloneta to Monserrat.

Barcelona to Monserrat

As I wrote earlier I started from the beach at Barceloneta. I intended a sea to sea hike to the beach at San Sebastián (though I had bad weather toward the end and decided on a safe end at Pamplona). There are a few ways to go but I decided to go through Sant Cugat partly to see the romanesque monastery there.

After touching the churches I headed to the avenue Passeig de Gràcia and headed up to the hills. I also touched a couple of Gaudí buildings I had visited in 2015. At the end of the avenue I veered right and headed to the Velodrome de Horta near the Mundet Metro station. The yellow arrows start neaby and head up the wooded trails in the hills.

There isn't much cheap accommodation along this way. I stayed at an AirBnB in a residential area of Sant Cugat for two nights in a room off the kitchen in a house shared by three software engineers. The next day I walked to Terrasa and then took the Metro back to Sant Cugat. The following day I took the Metro back to Terrasa to walk to Monserrat. You could be staying anywhere you wanted (like back in Barcelona with your family or friends) and train to your walking points.

See the thread "Information on Barcelona to Montserrat". The URL below is to my post there with a picture of the first arrow and a map of the area so you can find it.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/information-on-barcelona-to-montserrat.70120/#post-924704

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I've got to announce on this thread that I'm grateful for the laughing "likes" Laurie has given to a couple of my posts. Although directionally challenged she's a good sport.

I'll also mention the time that I turned myself around on a trail while backpacking with a probably 20 kg pack and proceeded to walk a mile up a hill that I had just come down.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Sorry for the silence, I was reading threads!
Some of which I had read when people were walking, but now the places mean a bit more.

@Doughnut NZ are you still in Barcelona?

Yes but I have spent all my time wandering around checking out cheap places to stay and so I have missed all the real highlights and the fabulous food that I am hoping someone else can point out for me.

I have gathered the fruit of my labour into a Public Google Map List, see https://goo.gl/maps/1k2NEKVnpYczuw9i7 The picks seem to be Itaca Hostel, close to Cathedral and Hostal LIWI (real beds) a bit more expensive and not in the central area but great transport. Just avoid LIWI if there is a football game scheduled as it is close to the stadium!

I also needed a Metro map and so I used this https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipe...ro_Map.svg/2764px-Barcelona_Metro_Map.svg.png

Having done all that I have jumped onto the train to Llanca. I will catch up!

 

[VNwalking]

Day 1. Llançá-Figueres via Santa Creu de Rodes (35.5km).
With possible shorter stages: Ending at either
Vilajugia (20.8km) or Peralada (28.8km)

Part 1. Llanca-Sant Pere vicinty and overview
The overview:

I am using the Dutch track mentioned above, but here is a link to Laurie's track:

Cami St. Jaume -- Llanca to Figueres

Cami St. Jaume -- Llanca to Figueres Hiking trail in Setcases, Catalunya (España). Download its GPS track and follow the route on a map. Record your own itinerary from the Wikiloc app, upload the trail and share it with the community.

www.wikiloc.com

Some of us can easily cover this kind of distance in a day, while others prefer shorter stages.
So I'm putting the whole thing up, and we can discuss all the parts of the route at leisure and to our hearts content. Today we can focus on the very first part, taking up the rest and accommodation details in the next post in a few days.

Personally, I would probably opt for Llançá-Vilajugia-Fugueres in two days for two reasons. First, it's Day One (drumroll), and I see no sense shocking the system too much. There's a not insignificant hill to climb right off the bat, which is no small consideration. Second, there's a whole bunch of very interesting stuff up on that hill and I would hate to just walk on by without taking the time to poke around.

Sant Pere and vicinity
Here is as close up of the way up to Sant Pere:

I've routed us first through La Vall de Santa Creu, the closest village to Sant Pere de Rodes. There is a more direct route to the village from Llanca, but it is much more up and down - the route that goes along the coast and then up only goes up once!.

So, the interesting stuff:
First La Vall de Santa Creu~
The present church is relatively modern, XVI century or XVII century.

La Vall de Santa Creu

www.elportdelaselva.cat

Sant Fruitó's church (La Vall de Santa Creu)

www.elportdelaselva.cat

There used to be a closer village up on the mountain (more about that anon) but it was depopulated, and people from there came down here.

So after the village there's a pretty steep climb, and OSM stubbornly routes me via a long switchback right before the monastery, even though there looks to be a much shorter footpath.
It may be blocked by a monastery wall but that's not clear from the map - anyone who's been there know?

Sant Pere de Rodes is a Romanesque jewel and looks like an astonishing place.

Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes

patrimoni.gencat.cat

Sant Pere de Rodes monumental complex

patrimoni.gencat.cat

Opening times per the last website:

From Tuesday to Sunday, including public holidays.

• From 1 October to 31 May: from 10 a.m. to 5.30 p.m.
• From 1 June to 30 September: from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Closed on Mondays except public holidays, 25 and 26 December and 1 and 6 January.

That 10AM opening is a real drag if you want to cover any distance at all, so if you want to go all the way to Figueres, then do as Laurie did and visit the day before, fresh off the train from Barcelona:

I dropped my pack and quickly headed out to find the Camino, which is well marked and leaves from the tourist office. [...] From there it was about a 6 1/2 km walk up to San Pere de Rodes, an amazing romanesque monastery that is perched high up in the hills and with a great view over the Mediterranean. I knew that this was a place where I wanted to spend some time, so the best way to do that was to visit it before I actually started walking. I am SO glad I did this, because visiting San Pere as part of a 30 km walk to Figueres would not have been fun

You need a ticket, 4 or 6 Euros, depending on age or student status.

If you have spring in your step, a detour from the camino goes up to the castle above the monastery; it took @alansykes 15 minutes to get there.

Leaving the monastery on the camino, about a km away we encounter first the church of Santa Helena, and then the remains of the village of Santa Creu de Rodes

Santa Helena de Rodes - Viquipèdia, l'enciclopèdia lliure

ca.m.wikipedia.org

Santa Creu de Rodes - Viquipèdia, l'enciclopèdia lliure

ca.m.wikipedia.org

Historia de Sant Pere y Santa Creu de Rodes - ARBAR

www.arbar.cat

Pandemics do change things - it is long abandoned:

its decline may have had a beginning, or at least a precedent, in the great black plague of 1345 , when we know that 24 monks from the nearby monastery died.

The church dates from the IX century, and is the only building in the village that is still standing. It musst have been a bustling place up here at one point with the village and the monastery inextricably linked.
From https://www.arbar.cat/es/historia-de-rodes/historia-de-sant-pere-y-santa-creu-de-rodes/ :

Despite the fact that it was razed by privateers in 1330, Santa Creu, between the 12th and 14th centuries, lived through a time of prosperity and had 250 inhabitants. All this was possible thanks, on the one hand, to the prosperity of the crops and, on the other, by the influx of pilgrims who went to the monastery. The people of the town were basically dedicated to the cultivation of vineyards and olive groves, to the artisan production derived from the needs of the monastery and to the trade of all these products.

From even earlier times, there is a (fallen) menhir up there as well, quite close to the village, that was discovered in 2008. It's about 100m SSE of the ruined village, and there is a path that will take you there.

Menhir de Santa Helena - Alt Empordà

Nº 573, Abril 2016. UTM(ETRS89): 5...

dolmensmenhirs.blogspot.com

A little farther along the camino, quite close to the road are two other sites, the Dolmen La Pallera, and the Paradolmen de la Pallera/Roca Galera:

Dòlmens i Menhirs Pilar

Tots els dòlmens i menhirs que he visitat.

dolmensmenhirs.blogspot.com

Lots to keep us busy up here. Hence for me the 20km day.
I haven't looked but assume that bringing a snack and plenty of water is essential - the next village along is 10km away. Feedback from those in the know?
To be continued!

​

 

[SabsP]

I do not know if it is ok to post something already about Peralada?
@VNwalking : feel free to delete this post if not.

I recommend a visit , probably in the late afteroon to Peralada. In normal years a bus excursion for those staying in Barcelona so if you time the visit well you have the town to yourself.

Claustro Románico y Museo de la Villa - Ajuntament de Peralada

es.visitperalada.cat

Ruta histórica - Ajuntament de Peralada

es.visitperalada.cat

To some it might be too well kept but nevertheless a nice small town.

 

[VNwalking]

I do not know if it is ok to post something already about Peralada?

Thank you @SabineP! That's jumping ahead a bit so we can talk about it later, please: next post, coming up...

 

[peregrina2000]

Sant Pere de Rodes is a Romanesque jewel and looks like an astonishing place.

The only disappointment is the cloister, with very few capitals remaining. You can see some in Barcelona at the museum, and maybe a few in Figueres, if I remember correctly

AH, the museum!!!! Why did I not mention it as a must-see stop for anyone who loves Romanesque? The government made the controversial decision to strip the paintings from many of the small romanesque churches in Catalunya (Boí and Tahull are two I remember). But they are now displayed brilliantly in the museum in separate well lighted apses. It is really something. (And I remember getting in free with my university ID, free for educators!).

Medieval Romanesque Art

The collection of Romanesque Art, 11th to 13th centuries, is made up of an exceptional set of mural paintings and a rich collection of panel paintings, the biggest and oldest in Europe. The outstanding metalwork is also noteworthy, as well as the sculptures in wood and stone, in which it is...

www.museunacional.cat

A few more comments on the stage to Figueres:

I saw a sign for a dolmen and took a very overgrown path… (from my 2015 blog, I hope it doesn’t show too much ignorance on my part).
At one point I took a couple hundred meter detour to see a dolmen, beating my way through the overgrowth. When I got there, I realized the only difference between the dolmen and the huge rocks I was carefully navigating was that the dolmen was in a vertical position.

I have comments about Peralada and Villabertrán, but VN says that would be jumping the gun so I will hold off till I get the green light.

 

[VNwalking]

I have comments about Peralada and Villabertrán, but VN says that would be jumping the gun so I will hold off till I get the green light.

Thank you, Laurie. As soon as we have talked ourselves out about this part, we can go on to the delights awaiting us there - which look considerable.

And I'm curious: the way you took to go back down to the coast that first day? Was that the way through La Vall de Santa Creu,or another way?

At one point I took a couple hundred meter detour to see a dolmen, beating my way through the overgrowth. When I got there, I realized the only difference between the dolmen and the huge rocks I was carefully navigating was that the dolmen was in a vertical position.

There are two in that same area. It might take some bush bashing, from the sound of it.

(Hmmm. That museum really sounds worth visiting....)

 

[AJGuillaume]

So if we're coming down from the French border, it looks like we need to head to Llançá, rather than meeting you at Villabertrán or Figueres, as otherwise we would miss out on Sant Pere...

Lots to keep us busy up here. Hence for me the 20km day.

And that looks like a decent day for slow walkers.

 

[peregrina2000]

And I'm curious: the way you took to go back down to the coast that first day? Was that the way through La Vall de Santa Creu,or another way?

I don’t have tracks for that walk, it was kind of spontaneous. I just decided that I would head towards the water directly rather than the off-coast route from Llançà. There are many paths, as I remember, and I got down to the coast easily and then turned left. It took me to Llançà’s beach and then getting to the pensión (which is close to the train station but not the beach) was easy.

BTW, in terms of lodging in Llançà, I found the Pensión Llançà to be the best option, right near the train station and the start of the trail. But I can’t find it on google anymore, and since its name is “Pensión Llançà” it is hard to search for since I just get all the pensiones in Llançà. Maybe @Doughnut NZ, google maps expert in residence, will be able to help.

 

[VNwalking]

. But I can’t find it on google anymore, and since its name is “Pensión Llançà” it is hard to search for since I just get all the pensiones in Llançà.

Google here seems to work better than Google there.

Pensio Llanca – hostal restaurant habitacions allotjaments llança – Girona – Pensió Llançà – Restaurant, hostal, habitacions y allotjament a Llançà, és un negoci familiar que va obrir el 14 de febrer de 1984.

www.pensionllanca.com

 

[SabsP]

Google here seems to work better than Google there.

Pensio Llanca – hostal restaurant habitacions allotjaments llança – Girona – Pensió Llançà – Restaurant, hostal, habitacions y allotjament a Llançà, és un negoci familiar que va obrir el 14 de febrer de 1984.

www.pensionllanca.com

Another option. Only 200 metres from the Pension.

Contact - albergcostabrava

www.albergcostabrava.com

 

[DoughnutANZ]

The museum!!!! Why did I not mention it as a must-see stop for anyone who loves Romanesque? The government made the controversial decision to strip the paintings from many of the small romanesque churches in Catalunya (Boí and Tahull are two I remember). But they are now displayed brilliantly in the museum in separate well lighted apses. It is really something.

Medieval Romanesque Art

The collection of Romanesque Art, 11th to 13th centuries, is made up of an exceptional set of mural paintings and a rich collection of panel paintings, the biggest and oldest in Europe. The outstanding metalwork is also noteworthy, as well as the sculptures in wood and stone, in which it is...

www.museunacional.cat

This is a 34 minute walk from Ítaca Hostel or 40 minutes from Hostal LIWI. Both in the Barcelona accommodation list and recommended.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Google here seems to work better than Google there.

Pensio Llanca – hostal restaurant habitacions allotjaments llança – Girona – Pensió Llançà – Restaurant, hostal, habitacions y allotjament a Llançà, és un negoci familiar que va obrir el 14 de febrer de 1984.

www.pensionllanca.com

Llançà Pension Rates
Simple room€ 21.00
Double room€ 37.00
Triple room€ 43.00
Room with toilet€ 47.00
Full board€ 39.00
Half board€ 35.00
To have breakfast€ 4.90

I will present this a bit better, see https://maps.app.goo.gl/aJg1p2ei5HiZYjSF8 I will update this as we go. At the moment it just has some stuff that I dug up.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Day 1. Llançá-Figueres via Santa Creu de Rodes (35.5km).
With possible shorter stages: Ending at either
Vilajugia (20.8km) or Peralada (28.8km)

Part 1. Llanca-Sant Pere vicinty and overview
The overview:
View attachment 104364View attachment 104365
I am using the Dutch track mentioned above, but here is a link to Laurie's track:

Cami St. Jaume -- Llanca to Figueres

Cami St. Jaume -- Llanca to Figueres Hiking trail in Setcases, Catalunya (España). Download its GPS track and follow the route on a map. Record your own itinerary from the Wikiloc app, upload the trail and share it with the community.

www.wikiloc.com

Some of us can easily cover this kind of distance in a day, while others prefer shorter stages.
So I'm putting the whole thing up, and we can discuss all the parts of the route at leisure and to our hearts content. Today we can focus on the very first part, taking up the rest and accommodation details in the next post in a few days.

Personally, I would probably opt for Llançá-Vilajugia-Fugueres in two days for two reasons. First, it's Day One (drumroll), and I see no sense shocking the system too much. There's a not insignificant hill to climb right off the bat, which is no small consideration. Second, there's a whole bunch of very interesting stuff up on that hill and I would hate to just walk on by without taking the time to poke around.

Sant Pere and vicinity
Here is as close up of the way up to Sant Pere:
View attachment 104368
I've routed us first through La Vall de Santa Creu, the closest village to Sant Pere de Rodes. There is a more direct route to the village from Llanca, but it is much more up and down - the route that goes along the coast and then up only goes up once!.

So, the interesting stuff:
First La Vall de Santa Creu~
The present church is relatively modern, XVI century or XVII century.

La Vall de Santa Creu

www.elportdelaselva.cat

Sant Fruitó's church (La Vall de Santa Creu)

www.elportdelaselva.cat

There used to be a closer village up on the mountain (more about that anon) but it was depopulated, and people from there came down here.

So after the village there's a pretty steep climb, and OSM stubbornly routes me via a long switchback right before the monastery, even though there looks to be a much shorter footpath.
It may be blocked by a monastery wall but that's not clear from the map - anyone who's been there know?

Sant Pere de Rodes is a Romanesque jewel and looks like an astonishing place.

Monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes

patrimoni.gencat.cat

Sant Pere de Rodes monumental complex

patrimoni.gencat.cat

View attachment 104372

Opening times per the last website:

That 10AM opening is a real drag if you want to cover any distance at all, so if you want to go all the way to Figueres, then do as Laurie did and visit the day before, fresh off the train from Barcelona:

You need a ticket, 4 or 6 Euros, depending on age or student status.

If you have spring in your step, a detour from the camino goes up to the castle above the monastery; it took @alansykes 15 minutes to get there.

Leaving the monastery on the camino, about a km away we encounter first the church of Santa Helena, and then the remains of the village of Santa Creu de Rodes

Santa Helena de Rodes - Viquipèdia, l'enciclopèdia lliure

ca.m.wikipedia.org

Santa Creu de Rodes - Viquipèdia, l'enciclopèdia lliure

ca.m.wikipedia.org

Historia de Sant Pere y Santa Creu de Rodes - ARBAR

www.arbar.cat

Pandemics do change things - it is long abandoned:

View attachment 104367
The church dates from the IX century, and is the only building in the village that is still standing. It musst have been a bustling place up here at one point with the village and the monastery inextricably linked.
From https://www.arbar.cat/es/historia-de-rodes/historia-de-sant-pere-y-santa-creu-de-rodes/ :


From even earlier times, there is a (fallen) menhir up there as well, quite close to the village, that was discovered in 2008. It's about 100m SSE of the ruined village, and there is a path that will take you there.

Menhir de Santa Helena - Alt Empordà

Nº 573, Abril 2016. UTM(ETRS89): 5...

dolmensmenhirs.blogspot.com

A little farther along the camino, quite close to the road are two other sites, the Dolmen La Pallera, and the Paradolmen de la Pallera/Roca Galera:

Dòlmens i Menhirs Pilar

Tots els dòlmens i menhirs que he visitat.

dolmensmenhirs.blogspot.com

Lots to keep us busy up here. Hence for me the 20km day.
I haven't looked but assume that bringing a snack and plenty of water is essential - the next village along is 10km away. Feedback from those in the know?
To be continued!

I will walk the shorter day, don't fancy 35k first day.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

The only disappointment is the cloister, with very few capitals remaining. You can see some in Barcelona at the museum, and maybe a few in Figueres, if I remember correctly

AH, the museum!!!! Why did I not mention it as a must-see stop for anyone who loves Romanesque? The government made the controversial decision to strip the paintings from many of the small romanesque churches in Catalunya (Boí and Tahull are two I remember). But they are now displayed brilliantly in the museum in separate well lighted apses. It is really something. (And I remember getting in free with my university ID, free for educators!).

Medieval Romanesque Art

The collection of Romanesque Art, 11th to 13th centuries, is made up of an exceptional set of mural paintings and a rich collection of panel paintings, the biggest and oldest in Europe. The outstanding metalwork is also noteworthy, as well as the sculptures in wood and stone, in which it is...

www.museunacional.cat

A few more comments on the stage to Figueres:

I saw a sign for a dolmen and took a very overgrown path… (from my 2015 blog, I hope it doesn’t show too much ignorance on my part).
At one point I took a couple hundred meter detour to see a dolmen, beating my way through the overgrowth. When I got there, I realized the only difference between the dolmen and the huge rocks I was carefully navigating was that the dolmen was in a vertical position.

I have comments about Peralada and Villabertrán, but VN says that would be jumping the gun so I will hold off till I get the green light.

I am also starting a list of things to do in Barcelona and places to eat, very raw at the moment but I will add to it. See https://maps.app.goo.gl/9AUjBJTHB78B5MRp9

 

[Albertagirl]

AH, the museum!!!! Why did I not mention it as a must-see stop for anyone who loves Romanesque? The government made the controversial decision to strip the paintings from many of the small romanesque churches in Catalunya (Boí and Tahull are two I remember). But they are now displayed brilliantly in the museum

I remember the museum at the cathedral in Jaca, which is popular to so many. All that religious art felt so out of place for me and made me feel so sad: taken from local churches and gathered together in a museum, where it couild never again fulfill the function which it had been designed for in places of worship.

 

[VNwalking]

I am also starting a list of things to do in Barcelona and places to eat, very raw at the moment but I will add to it. See https://maps.app.goo.gl/9AUjBJTHB78B5MRp9

That's super, thanks, @Doughnut NZ .
When the journey is done I hope we can re-arrange the posts so it is up there with other Barcelona tips.

 

[VNwalking]

Day 1, Llançá-Figueres, part 2.
Onwards from Santa Creu de Rodes to Figueres (35.5km from Lançá); shorter stages ending at either Vilajugia (20.8km from Lançá) or Peralada (28.8km from Lançá)

After our bush-bashing in search of menhirs, the camino heads down and away from the sea eventually into flatter alluvial terrain beyond. We're leaving the coast and heading into another microclimate, as the plants tell us:

Then there is quite a change in vegetation as you go over the summit ridge.

According to @peregrina2000 the way is well-marked, but with rocky sections.

Speaking of rocks...
Here is the overview of what our feet meet, for the small subset of rock nerds among us like @Peregrinopaul . From

http://info.igme.es/cartografiadigital/datos/magna50/jpgs/d2_G50/Editado_MAGNA50_258.jpg

Suffice it to say that the hills above Llançá are old (on either side of 488mybp), but we come down into newer alluvial rocks once past Vilajugia.


Vilajugia
The first town we come to, Vilajugia, has a number of bars, and a hostal shown on my OSMand map:
Hostal Xavi

hostal-xavi17-13001-2639

www.catalunya.com

There's also very upmarket accomodation:
Caves Gelama

Celler Gelamà | Vilajuiga

Celler Gelamà, Vilajuïga, Cataluna, Spain. 1,116 likes · 190 were here. Mas i celler Gelamà: vins, activitats eno-gastronòmiques i allotjament. Country house & cellar Gelamà: wines, gastronomy,...

www.facebook.com

Peralada
This is the next possibility for a place to stay or eat before Figueres. There is no shortage of both tourists and history here:

I recommend a visit , probably in the late afteroon to Peralada. In normal years a bus excursion for those staying in Barcelona so if you time the visit well you have the town to yourself.

Claustro Románico y Museo de la Villa - Ajuntament de Peralada

es.visitperalada.cat

Ruta histórica - Ajuntament de Peralada

es.visitperalada.cat

To some it might be too well kept but nevertheless a nice small town.

With a nice place to eat, even for us vegetarians:

Restaurant El Centre | Peralada :: Lunch menu

Every lunchtime menu of the day. Also on weekends and holidays. Varied day dishes according to day of the week.

www.restaurantcafedelcentre.com

Possible accomodation (not necessarily inexpensive!):
Hostal Can Palol, Carrer Nou de Sant Joan, 6, 17491 Peralada, Girona
972 53 80 74

Hotel de la Font
Bajada Font, 15 - 19, 17491 Peralada, Girona

Inicio - Hotel de la Font** | En el Corazón del Alt Empordà

Disfrute de nuestro HotelEn el corazón del Alt EmpordàVer Hotel Hotel de la Font ** Ubicado en el tranquilo paraje medieval de Perelada, en el corazón del Alt Empordà Obtenga el mejor precio garantizado reservando en esta web. Las instalaciones de nuestro hotel se diseñaron para satisfacer a...

www.hoteldelafont.com

Turisme rural Can Genís
Carrer Vilella, 25, 17491 Peralada, Girona

Vilabertrán
Continuing on, we come to this little 'sleeper' of a town, hiding the gem that is the Colegiata of Santa María:

Shortly before Figueres, Dalí Central, the Camino passes the small town/large village of Vilabertrán.

The trail has been pretty much flat for the last 10 or more km since coming out of the hills near Vilajuiga.

At first sight Vilabertrán doesn't look especially exciting: another former agricultural village now acting as a dormitory for workers in Girona and Figueres. It's only when you get inside the colegiata of Santa María that you realise quite how special the complex is. Here is a virtually intact, virtually undamaged Romanesque monastery mostly dating from the 12th century. Gloriously simple unspoiled church, monks' dormitory, cellars, refectory, cloisters, bell tower, chapter house, abbot's palace, prior's vegetable garden, everything. Other than a very modest gothic chapel for the local vicounts (complete with astonishing solid silver 14th century crozier 6 foot tall) nothing has been messed about.

Nothing individually is all that exceptional, but the combination is a series of delights that gives far more famous places a run for their money. Perhaps its relative modesty is what saved it? - several otherwise glorious Romanesque cloisters I'd enjoyed in the previous week had had their best pieces removed to the Bronx, but nobody bothered with what was here.

I found this BnB:
Ca La Gloria
Carrer Josep Reig i Palau, 2, Casa D, 17760 Vilabertran, Girona

Ca la Glòria

Vilabertran Figueres Dalí Skidive Empuriabrava Roses Girona Ca la Glòria

calagloriavilabertran.blogspot.com

And
Can Caulas
Carrer de l'Abat Rigau, 9, 17760 Vilabertran, Girona
972 54 70 18

From here it's not far to our final destination, for the striders amongst us:

Figueres

Figueres: Hostal Figueres tel + 34 630 68 05 75 (hostelworld.com)

Laurie stayed in Hostal Sanmar, I'll let her say more from first-hand experience.

Apparently, there is now an albergue:

Figures alberge €25

Figueres is famous for Dali, of course, and if that is your thing, plan ahead to be in town with plenty of time to visit the museum:

Dalí Theatre-Museum | Figueres | Fundació Gala - Salvador Dalí

Dalí's Theatre-Museum in Figueres. Practical information about timetables, how to arrive, services and activities you can do.

www.salvador-dali.org

There is also a gothic church, recently ruined and then restored at great cost:

The large Gothic church there was heavily bombed during the civil war by the nationalists, and then rebuilt afterwards using the slave labour of the prisoners of war.

And I'm sure much more.
Any veterans of this route please fill in the many gaps I've left!! And have at, @peregrina2000 ! I have finally caught up with you.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

In Figueres, besides the Dalí museum, there is the art museum Museu de l’Empordà. Cheap admission especially if you show your Dalí musuem admission ticket which gets you in free. The museums are just a short walk apart.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attract...um-Figueres_Province_of_Girona_Catalonia.html

 

[peregrina2000]

I had no idea there were so many accommodation options, VN. That will make it easy for those who want to visit San Pere on a walking day.

In Peralada, the 12C cloister stands alone, everything else has been destroyed. When I was there it was closed because of construction to improve the museum/entrance, but I did catch a glimpse from afar. There is also a castle, but it’s not placed in any sort of strategic position so it may have been more for show than for defense. I think it was totally remodeled in a later century and has some perfect crenellated towers. It’s now a meeting/events place.

I got to Villabertrán after morning hours and before afternoon hours, so I didn’t see the inside, but I walked around the outside, which is pretty massive. I had not remembered that it was a Cistercian monastery. Alan’s description, as always, makes me wish I could have seen it.

Figueres is a lively town, due to the Dalí museum. I am not a big fan, so I was not distraught when, after lunch, I went over to the entrance to see there were no post-lunch opening hours. Hours are straight through the day with last entry around 5 or so. So I went to the museum Rick mentioned above, which had some of the San Pere de Rodes capitals and some other religious art. I think there is also a smattering of painting from medieval up to modern. But I loved the capitals the best.

Good restaurants, nice plazas with outdoor cafés (my notes say sitting in the Plaza das Patatas was enjoyable). The Dalí museum building itself is a novelty, so at least walk around it.

I am sure I chose my hostal because it was the least expensive game in town. Catalunya is not cheap. It was fine, like hundreds of others on caminos offering clean basic rooms, just at a higher price point. It was in a modern building, but very close to the old center and the museum. No complaints.

 

[peregrina2000]

there is the art museum Museu de l’Empordà. Cheap admission especially if you show your Dalí musuem admission ticket which gets you in free.

I remember that in Catalunya particularly, educators get into many museums for free. I am not sure why I had my ID with me, but I did and found that it opened many doors for me.

Also, Rick, here are the notes from my walk of the day:

I'm trying to use my GPS but I somehow messed everything up right before I left. Luckily the camino is extremely well marked so it hasn't been a problem. I did try to record today's walk but the GPS told me I had walked 9,317 miles, so I am clearly not getting the hang of things.

This camino was the second year I used a GPS. The first year, on the Olvidado, Gunnar from Belgium used to call me and talk me through the issues. The second year I was on my own.

 

[VNwalking]

I had no idea there were so many accommodation options, VN. That will make it easy for those who want to visit San Pere on a walking day.

Provided they have dineros. A lot of those places were not cheep, to say it mildly.

Looking ahead, I am reconsidering that 20km day out of Llanca.
Stopping in Villabertrán instead of Figueres. would balance out the 20km day the next day a bit, making it a that much longer. (Oddly, though, when I measure it - following the track - the distance is only 19km, even with the extra distance in the beginning. Confusing.)
I have approximately zero interest in Dali, and a lot in seeing that monastery.

 

[VNwalking]

I did try to record today's walk but the GPS told me I had walked 9,317 miles, so I am clearly not getting the hang of things.

Bwahahahaha!

I knew you were fast, Laurie, but that's a bit over the top.
What, did it measure your distance from home?

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

I should have also mentioned that around the corner from the Dalí musuem is another museum that he did not create that contains Dalí designed jewelry and jewelry-like sculpture. I think this is also free with the Dalí musuem ticket.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

We miss a 15th century castle ruin on the way down from the Cathedral, Castell Quermanco. There is a 3klm, each way, path up from Vilajuiga that follows Cami de Quermanco and then branches off on a marked trail up the hill. Details can be found here https://www.vilajuiga.cat/ca/castell-de-quermanco/

Pizza Nobli in Vilajuiga looks like a nice place for a late lunch. It is reputed to have the best wood fired pizzas in the area. It is on my Google Maps list but if you want a web link then this is the best https://es.locale.online/propera-obertura-pizzeria-a-vilajuiga-pizza-nobli-53781313.html or there is a Facebook page (but I don't use Facebook and so I can't quote it).

There is also a campground about 4klms from Vilajuiga, off the Camino and they seems to cater for family and bigger groups that stay a minimum of 5 days. They may be negotiable in the shoulder seasons.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Here is a better website for Hostal Xavi, https://www.hotel-ami.com/h-268080-E/hostal-xavi-in-vilajuïga.htm it has prices and an address with a contact phone number. I am in the process of adding it to Google Maps as it doesn't currently show.

 

[VNwalking]

We miss a 15th century castle ruin on the way down from the Cathedral, Castell Quermanco.

Wikipedia has this wonderfully quirky bit of information:

Salvador Dalí, had a deep affection for the castle and was very familiar with it as it is positioned on the road nearly halfway between his home town of Figueres and his coastal home in Cadaqués. He had several ideas for the castle including creating a natural pipe organ in the castle which would have been "played" by the tramuntana wind that constantly blows in the area. Another was to house a rhinoceros in the basement purely for tourists to come and view, and the other was to acquire the ruins of the castle and make them in the residence of his wife, Gala.

I wonder at the juxtaposition of rhino and wife.


If staying in Vilajugia, this could definitely be a fun jaunt without our packs.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Hotel de la Font, E80 for a single room, breakfast included.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Peralada has a Casa Rural that seems like a good price at E38 for a double room with bathroom. See: https://www.holidaycottagestorent.net/country-houses/can-jai--c9848 This includes use of the kitchen and other facilities.

 

[VNwalking]

@Doughnut NZ , you're a veritable goldmine of information. Fantastic, thank you. Crowdsourcing works way better than solo efforts!

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Apparently the Figuere market is well worth a visit at Figueres centre

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Let's not forget

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_cuisine

Crema catalana - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[VNwalking]

Let's not forget

You can't forget what you never knew about.
But now that I do...I won't!
It looks totally delicious, Rick, thank you!
Who needs the first two courses if this is dessert?

 

[peregrina2000]

Let's not forget

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catalan_cuisine

Crema catalana - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

I’ve always had a hard time describing it, but my daughter suggested that “it’s in the middle between flan and creme bruleé.” Does that ring true to you?

Edit to add — I just went to the wikipedia article you linked to, and see that they describe it as very close to Creme bruleé, so it’s not a bad comparison I guess.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

You can't forget what you never knew about.
But now that I do...I won't!
It looks totally delicious, Rick, thank you!
Who needs the first two courses if this is dessert?

Okay, this sounds like something not to be missed but does anyone have a favourite place to get it, along the way?

 

[VNwalking]

Okay, this sounds like something not to be missed but does anyone have a favourite place to get it, along the way

Yes, that's my question too.
And we've been walking and bashing through the bushes. But eating not so much. Any recommendations, besides pizza Nobli in Vilajuiga that you mentioned, @Doughnut NZ , and Restaurant El Centre in Peralada that @SabineP turned me onto. @alansykes, any suggestions?

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Yes, that's my question too.
And we've been walking and bashing through the bushes. But eating not so much. Any recommendations, besides pizza Nobli in Vilajuiga that you mentioned, @Doughnut NZ , and Restaurant El Centre in Peralada that @SabineP turned me onto. @alansykes, any suggestions?

Plenty in Barcelona and I have added them to the Barcelona list but the first that I can find on this part of the Camino is in Girona! Help!

 

[peregrina2000]

Okay, this sounds like something not to be missed but does anyone have a favourite place to get it, along the way?

Yes, that's my question too.

If you are talking about where to get a good crema catalana, I can tell you that any decent place in Catalunya will have it! It’s just as common as flan in the rest of Spain. Lots of “holes in the wall” make their own, so you should just ask for it wherever you eat, and you will surely have some that are spectacular.

 

[VNwalking]

Hmmm. Perhaps waddling along this camino might not be so good for the waistline.

Any other food recommendations?

 

[mspath]

Hmmm. Perhaps waddling along this camino might not be so good for the waistline.

Any other food recommendations?

VN,
One of the many joys of a virtual camino is that the calorie count is always 0. Buen provecho.

 

[VNwalking]

@mspath , lol.
True enough. Except for the cafes con leche being drunk as I write. Those still count.

 

[VNwalking]

Just to add one thing about Figueres, before we move on:
I found this in Laurie's thread:

Peg and I went to Dalí's museum in Figueras in 2015 and loved it enough to go again with a friend in 2019. In 2019 we had a rental car and so we also drove out to visit Dalí's home.

Anyone who is a Dali afficionado will be in seventh heaven here.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

My attempt to summarise a little and move on

A note on my Public Google Maps List Nuevo Camino Catalan ( https://goo.gl/maps/TRihinNCedpWL54a6 ). The link from my laptop browser (the one above) is different from the link from my Android phone ( https://www.google.com/maps/placelists/list/3gmtxKvc6_q-tsesqlNxtV1PmPU59Q ). This seems a bit odd to me and the same list appears differently on my Android phone and on my laptop browser. It is much more useful on my phone as items appear in the order that we walk (done by design). Whereas on my laptop browser the items seem to appear in random order. It is possible that the differences are as a result of my being on a Beta version of G Maps on my phone vs a standard version on my laptop browser???

Would someone please take a look at the link from my phone and tell me if they are also in walking order for you?

Peralada
If we are considering Turisme rural Can Genís @ €96 then the following should also be in the mix:
Already mentioned - Casa Rural Can Lai, individual rooms @ €38 with shared use of kitchen and other facilities

Can Jai in Peralada (Girona)

Can Jai. Room rental Country Houses in Peralada, Girona. Our accommodation is located at Perelada, a beautiful medieval village of Gerona that has several...

www.holidaycottagestorent.net

Hostal Can Palol €55-65 for a double room see:

Hostal Can Palol - Casa rural en Peralada (Girona)

Vilabertran
Casa Rural Ca La Gloria €60 - I could only find a place to reserve on Booking.com??? But it is in my updated Google Maps list if you want a geographic position or address Carrer Josep Reig i Palau, 2, Casa D, 17760 Vilabertran, Girona


Figueres
Some other accommodation
Hostal Bartis €36 (with tax). Very good reviews. They don't have a direct online reservation form but they have a phone number +34 972 501 473 and they have a contact form on their website at https://hostalbartis.com/gb/contact or you can use booking.com

Hostal Isabel II €36 (with tax). Not so great reviews but most complaints are about small size of rooms and the glass wall between shower and room. It is modern and clean and seems to be run by the people who operate Hostal Sanmar. Contact via Sanmar.

Shopping
There are a couple of vegetable, farmers and brick-a-brac markets (I love markets) that are worth visiting either to buy food or for entertainment.

Mercat setmanal de fruites i verdures and Plaça del Gra- Fruit and vegetables and Farmers market (different days, same place)
Carrer d'En Blanc, 1, 17600 Figueres

Formatges Japet dels Bous Mercat de l'Alimentació. Dimarts Dijous Dissabte - Produce market (cheeses and meats plus other stuff)
Carrer de la Rutlla, 13, 17600 Figueres

Mercat de Roba - Brick-a-brac
Passeig Nou, 20, 12, 17600 Figueres

I will put info relating the Camino after Figueres in the next post.

 

[Renascer]

I am also starting a list of things to do in Barcelona and places to eat, very raw at the moment but I will add to it. See https://maps.app.goo.gl/9AUjBJTHB78B5MRp9

How awesome this is! Thanks for sharing.

 

[VNwalking]

Day 2, Figueres - Bàscara (20km?)
(If you stayed the night in Villabertrán, adjust accordingly for the slightly longer day. (The monastery there and the slightly longer day today/shorter day yesterday - and breakfast in Figueres! - all this together puts a tick in the plus column for me for doing this.)
The distance is uncertain: what my map calculates is different from other estimates, by about 2km (less) but it is a relatively short day however you cut it.

Gronze's unfinished webpage lists the route like this:
Figueres-Les Forques (Vilafant)-Borrassà-Creixell (Borrassà)-Pontós-Bàscara
Obviously there are a number of ways to walk.
The Ray y Rosa track I have avoids Vilafant and goes through Borrassà - avoiding proximity to the main drag south towards Barcelona. this what @peregrina2000 is as well:

Cami St. Jaume -- Figueres to Báscara

Cami St. Jaume -- Figueres to Báscara Hiking trail in l'Horta d'en Capellera, Catalunya (España). Download its GPS track and follow the route on a map. Record your own itinerary from the Wikiloc app, upload the trail and share it with the community.

www.wikiloc.com

Her comment:

Today´s stage was unremarkable, but almost all off road, very well routed to avoid the asphalt. I remember one town with an open bar, but I took my stops out in the fields where the air was clear and the views very mid-western -- huge open spaces with lots of cultivated fields. There were fountains to fill the bottle in Postos so no need to carry a lot of water on this stage. There were many beautifully restored homes in the little towns on this stage -- the affluence of Catalunya is quite stark in contrast to some of the other regions I've walked through.

Where to stay is an easy decision, as there is only one choice:

Once in Báscara, the Pensión Flavia (972-560-014) is the only game in town. Single room with bath, 30 €. There was a hotel here in town years ago, but it is closed. There are a couple of cafés in addition to the one in the pensión, so since I had a lot of free time, I decided to give other owners a bit of business. The town has a few interesting old vestiges, but it is not exactly booming. There is a small supermarket with decent selection. I had an 8€ plato combinado in the pensión's restaurant.

Pensión Flavia (972-560-014). Single room with bath, 30 €.
The town has a castle, but seems a very quiet place.
But a swim in the river is possible:

Figueres to Girona is mostly pleasant undulating country walks, mostly off tarmac, often in woods. Like some others here, I stayed in the Fluvià in Bàscara. I also had a very welcome dip in the riu Fluvià - there is a river beach at the edge of town, under the almost interminable bridge you have to cross to get there.

Word to the wise:

I added 10 km by taking the wrong path out of the village of Pontos. I am not the first who made this mistake. When you approach the center of this tiny village and hit the t-intersection, don’t just blindly turn right following yellow dashes. Look left and you will see a camino arrow. That is your camino.

 

[AJGuillaume]

Would someone please take a look at the link from my phone and tell me if they are also in walking order for you?

They're in walking order for me, too.

 

[AJGuillaume]

The distance is uncertain: what my map calculates is different from other estimates, by about 2km (less) but it is a relatively short day however you cut it.

However you cut it suits slow walkers We love short days!

 

[VNwalking]

Wonderful @Doughnut NZ , for doing this!
These virtual threads tend to bounce around a bit, and that's part of the fun, but it also makes editing the thread after the fact necessary to make them a decent resource.

Would someone please take a look at the link from my phone and tell me if they are also in walking order for you?

Yes. All OK.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Okay, back out on the Camino. Items are in the order that we encounter them.

Castell de Pontós - 11th Century castle ruin

Castell de Pontós - Viquipèdia, l'enciclopèdia lliure

ca.wikipedia.org

Ermita de Santa Anna - 15th Century church

Ermita de Santa Anna - Pontós - Pobles de Catalunya

www.poblesdecatalunya.cat

Feeling peckish? Then there is an extremely highly rated restaurant right on the Camino
El Pebre - "A dark and dilapidated place, small and with old-fashioned services but exquisite local cuisine and very fair prices"
Carrer Major, 3, 17483 Bàscara

Or if you want bread (baked goods) and possibly coffee then this highly rated bakery, very cheap.
Forn de Pa L ´Empordà
Avinguda de l'Alt S/N, 17483 Bàscara

Also, even higher rated bakery
Fornpastisseria Salart / Salart Forn de Pa
Carrer del Pla, 4, 17483 Bàscara

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Leaping ahead to tomorrow .......

Castell d'Orriols - http://www.bascara.cat/coneix/llocs-dinteres/el-castell-palau-dorriols/
Carrer Castell, 3, 17468 Orriols

Ermita de la Móra - Romanesque church
see https://ca.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sant_Martí_de_la_Móra
Veinat la Mora, 2, 17464 Viladasens, Girona

A couple of hours out of Bascara if you are feeling peckish then right on the Camino is:
Restaurant Can Lladó - Highly rated and their menu of the day is E12
Carretera D’orriols, 2, 17464 Viladasens

Or if you are craving baked goods then try
Forn La Trilla - Just down the road, not sure if they also have coffee
Plaza Major, 5, 17464 Viladasens

About another 30 minutes later we pass a private art collection that is open to the public at
Museu Raset - Museu d'Art Modern

Home

www.museuraset.es

Carrer Raset, 29, 17464 Cervià de Ter

Another 30 minutes or so later we come across an 11th Century monastery that is highly rated.
Monastir Cervia De Ter see:

Web oficial de l'Ajuntament de Cervià de Ter - A Cervià, muntanya, riu i pla.

A Cervià, muntanya, riu i pla.

www.cerviadeter.cat

Carrer Priorat, 25, 17464 Cervià de Ter, Girona

After the monastery, if feeling thirsty (and peckish) then
Bar Can Franc is just off the GPS track. However, the person recording the track got a little confused after the monastery as they wanted to also visit Castell de Cervià and they took a roundabout way of getting there. It is easier to just deviate from the GPS track after the monastery and proceed straight ahead on Carrer Priorat to get to the castle rather than heading left onto Carrer Saules and towards the bar mentioned earlier.

Castell de Cervià 9th century castle, see https://ca.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castell_de_Cervià
Silvio Llobet, 17464 Cervià de Ter

Don't worry about missing the bar though because an hour further down the road you have a truck stop with the choice of cheap and nice at
Snack Medinyà - menu of the day for E11
N-II, 54, 17482 Medinyà

or slightly more upmarket and closer to the Camino that is also well rated but menu of the day is E23
Restaurant El Caliu de Medinyà
Carretera Vella, 17482 Medinyà

After another 40 minutes walking we pass an interesting cave
El cau de les Goges
17481 Sant Julià de Ramis

Then another 15 minutes after that we come across
Can Santvicenç - a historic landmark

http://invarquit.cultura.gencat.cat/Cerca/Fitxa?index=0&consulta=&codi=21771

Only another ten minutes past that we find
Ca l'Arnau - also historic see

http://invarquit.cultura.gencat.cat/Cerca/Fitxa?index=0&consulta=&codi=21772

But in taking this route (following the GPS) we have missed
Església dels Sants Metges - a very interesting Romanesque church, see https://ca.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Església_dels_Sants_Metges_(Sant_Julià_de_Ramis)
17481 Sant Julià de Ramis

If we want to see the church then we need to back up a bit and take El Terri street, a diversion from the Camino prior to Can Santvicenç. This is best seen on the map, alongside the GPS route.

If you do want to make this detour to the church then it is possible to continue and re-join the Camino but you will need to self navigate.

We are about 90 minutes out of Girona here so it would be theoretically possible to come back to some of these stop offs after we have found somewhere to stay for the night and dropped off our packs or choose from Romanesque vs other historic stop offs.

If at this point you are thirsty or hungry then there are three places to sate yourself before we get to Girona.

Slower walkers and explorers like me will want to break this day into smaller bits but I am not sure where to do that. Any ideas?

El Petit Obrador Pizza Sarrià de Ter - slightly off Camino
Avinguda de França, n 211, 17840 Sarrià de Dalt, Girona

or

Cafeteria El CORO - on Camino or very close to it with humus and other vegetarian options
Plaça de la Font, 8, 17840 Sarrià de Dalt, Girona

And down the way a bit there is also
Restaurant Can Veí - more upmarket and more expensive
Carrer Major de Sarrià, 4, 17840 Sarrià de Dalt, Girona

Girona accommodation and sights to come.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Found a possible place to break this long day!

Hostal Can Marret €45 single

Hostal Rural Can Maret – Vilademuls – Can Maret es un hostal rural acogedor, familiar y con encanto en vilademuls.

www.hostalcanmaret.com

N-II, 734, 17468 Terradelles

It is only just a little over 8klms from Bascarra and it is off the Camino but that means 8 less klms the next day.

Any other options?

 

[VNwalking]

Leaping ahead to tomorrow .......

Please hold those thoughts, @Doughnut NZ , while we let everyone catch up! (And I'm actually walking these distances at home. Pant, pant...)

"A dark and dilapidated place, small and with old-fashioned services but exquisite local cuisine and very fair prices"

Wow. It looks great
There is also El Portal de Bascara, Plaça del Pessebre, 2
Also well-reviewed. Frankly, though, of the photos I saw, the ones that looked best were desserts. The photos from El Pebre, on the other hand...there were actually grilled veggies!
It looks like a winner.

f you want bread (baked goods) and possibly coffee then this highly rated bakery, very cheap.
Forn de Pa L ´Empordà
Avinguda de l'Alt S/N, 17483 Bàscara

Also, even higher rated bakery
Fornpastisseria Salart / Salart Forn de Pa
Carrer del Pla, 4, 17483 Bàscara

Yes and yes. Want to try both!
After I catch my breath.

 

[VNwalking]

Slower walkers and explorers like me will want to break this day into smaller bits but I am not sure where to do that. Any ideas?

There may be more ways to skin a cat than staying in Bascara.
One way to shorten the next day is to pause in the latter for refreshment and then continue on about 4.5kms (actually a wee bit less), to stay in Orriols in Hotel La Odissea de l'Emporda.
It's right on the camino. This only works if you are not short of dinero - it's four stars. In a castle. But it looks fabulous. Did you see it, Laurie?

Much more interesting as an longer option for day 2 would be a stay in an agrotourism place that makes goat cheeses, Mas Alba in Terradelles. It's off the camino a little but looks like navigation would be easy, about 2.75km past Orriols. It looks pretty cute!

Found a possible place to break this long day! It is only just a little over 8klms from Bascarra and it is off the Camino but that means 8 less klms the next day.

Any other options?

Your suggestion of Hostal Can Marret seems to be in the same general area (it doesn't show on my map, but that's the same town as Mas Alba). I bet it's much much less expensive than these two options.

Farther along, about halfway to Girona, there is at least one other option that we can talk about when we get there - allowing two 16-17km days instead of a 35km whopper.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Just to add one thing about Figueres, before we move on:
I found this in Laurie's thread:

Anyone who is a Dali afficionado will be in seventh heaven here.

Dalí's home and garden in Cadaqués. Out of the way and you may not get the house tour without a reservation made a few days in advance. That can be done online. We went in early October without a reservation and did get the tickets for the garden tour but of course the house will not fit so many people. In the garden though we met a couple that we chatted with at the Boston airport that decided to skip the house tour and gave Peg and our travelling companion friend their tickets for later in the afternoon (I took a walk in the area). We loved the garden; you can see pictures of it online. Peg says that the house wasn't particularly Dalíesque and more like a typical upper class Spanish house but if you are going so far anyway you may as well see it.

Dalí's house is in the center rising up the hill. You can see giant eggs. Taken on my walk.

 

[Albertagirl]

I have been enjoying this thread and reading it, but I am too close to my planned departure for Spain to pay much attention to anything else. Sooner or later, I shall return to find out more. One aspect which I know I will need to get straight is where to download the routes. But I know the Dutch resource on the forum and how to download from there, provided that is all that I need. Otherwise, I may be coming back to pester some of you before my next camino. In the meantime, thanks to all for making a new resource for common use.

 

[DoughnutANZ]

There may be more ways to skin a cat than staying in Bascara.
One way to shorten the next day is to pause in the latter for refreshment and then continue on about 4.5kms (actually a wee bit less), to stay in Orriols in Hotel La Odissea de l'Emporda.
It's right on the camino. This only works if you are not short of dinero - it's four stars. In a castle. But it looks fabulous. Did you see it, Laurie?

If we are having an option of staying in Orriols then Pensió L'Avi Pep is only E30 for a single room with private bathroom or E50 double, for pilgrims. The place looks stunning. I emailed them (using Google Translate Catalan) and received a reply within 90 minutes. Contact is Margarita Valls Lozano, pensiodlavipep@gmail.com or phone +34 972 794 056 (land line) or +34 650 727 049 (mobile). Web link: https://www.pensionlavipep.com/en There is a restaurant associated with the pension.

It is 5lklms East of Orriols along GI-623 and off the Camino but Margarita may come pick you up if you phone her. She didn't say this in her email reply but then I didn't ask either. It is also possible if you know that you are going to this pension that you can detour from Bascarra direct to the pension along GI-622 then GIV-6231 and this would only add 3klms to your journey (versus walking to Orriols) that day. You could then re-join the Camino the next day.

IMPORTANT edit: Can Maret is close to a new motorway that has recently been built. This has cut off direct access from GIV-5141 and means that we probably need to walk a very roundabout way to get there that adds around 5klms and an hour to the journey and so they may not be as useful as they first look. If there is a track through a farmers field then it may still be reachable without adding all the extra walking. I will investigate.

Much more interesting as an longer option for day 2 would be a stay in an agrotourism place that makes goat cheeses, Mas Alba in Terradelles. It's off the camino a little but looks like navigation would be easy, about 2.75km past Orriols. It looks pretty cute!

Your suggestion of Hostal Can Marret seems to be in the same general area (it doesn't show on my map, but that's the same town as Mas Alba). I bet it's much much less expensive than these two options.

Hostal Can Maret is showing single rooms with private bathroom and individual air-conditioning as "from" E35 and double room with private bathroom and individual air-conditioning "from" E60. If these are close to actual prices around May 2022 then this would be my choice as it is very close to the Camino and reasonably priced (for this area in Spain).

If your mapping tool of choice can use what3words, most do, then you will find Hostal Can Matret at ///walkers.cubed.dampened

Just in case, their website is https://www.hostalcanmaret.com/en/

Farther along, about halfway to Girona, there is at least one other option that we can talk about when we get there - allowing two 16-17km days instead of a 35km whopper.

 

[VNwalking]

Wow, @Dougnut NZ, thanks to you we have many options! I am full of admiration for your sleuthing skills, and appreciation for all the work! Orriols looks like the easiest option, given that Pension l'Avi Pep is right there.

///walkers.cubed.dampened? Haha! Perfect for a rainy day trio.

I'm curious to hear from any veterans like @peregrina2000 , @alansykes , or @Sitkapilgrim - do you guys have any suggestions or comments about the various options?

 

[DoughnutANZ]

Casa Rural Mas Alba is showing € 65 for one person for one night (including breakfast) or € 95 for two people, one night (including breakfast).

Just down the road about 100 metres from Mas Alba is Panorama-Trails Horse Adventure at http://www.panorama-trails.com/ and so if so inclined you could indulge yourself with a day's horseback riding while you are in the area.

 

[VNwalking]

so if so inclined you could indulge yourself with a day's horseback riding while you are in the area.

Wonderful! Since I spent more of my first 2.5 decades on a horse than off, this definitely appeals. One never forgets. (It might make walking the next day a wee bit interesting, though, given protests from long unused adductor muscles.)

 

[DoughnutANZ]

I found one more possibility that is in the same general area as Can Maret but which is easier to access on foot. It is also more expensive but as they are now confusing to access with a vehicle (after the new motorway cut off their direct access) and so they may be more negotiable on pricing if their normal vehicular customers desert them. They are Hotel Restaurant Sausa - they have prices that vary according to the season, namely May E45 single, E54 Double; June E57 Single, E68 Double; July and August even more!

They can be found at ///larder.compounded.hazy or 17468 Terradelles (Pla de l'Estany, Girona)
Phone (+34) 972 561 000; email info@hotelsausa.com

I have found a slightly easier path to Can Maret but it is still long and a bit complicated but I can't measure it using Google Maps as it involves walking tracks that only show up on a satellite view. If I have time I might try using my other mapping tools.

 

[peregrina2000]

I'm curious to hear from any veterans like @peregrina2000 , @alansykes , or @Sitkapilgrim - do you guys have any suggestions or comments about the various options?

Don’t forget @Rick of Rick and Peg — I think he is the forum member who walked most recently.

If you are talking about options for lengthening the stage from Figueres to Báscara so that you don’t have a 35 km stage into Girona the next day, I don’t remember seeing any of the options you mention. But I wasn’t looking for options either. And I was on a roll to get to Girona in order to visit the Romanesque church before its Sunday closing time. So I was walking with a purpose. I actually had very little information at the time I walked the route and just followed the stages that I had obtained from some amigos group.

If I were to walk this way again, I would definitely look for a way to lengthen the day that I ended in Báscara, and the several options you have suggested here all look tempting.

 

[VNwalking]

Don’t forget @Rick of Rick and Peg — I think he is the forum member who walked most recently.

Thanks Laurie!
My mistake. I thought they'd walked from Barcelona. Sorry for the unintentional slight, @Rick of Rick and Peg ! Any interesting tidbits gratefully accepted.

 

[peregrina2000]

Thanks Laurie!
My mistake. I thought they'd walked from Barcelona. Sorry for the unintentional slight, @Rick of Rick and Peg ! Any interesting tidbits gratefully accepted.

Well, you may be right about that, but I assumed that his comments about the Dalí museum meant he had walked. Anyway, I don’t think anyone would think you were intentionally slighting anyone.

 

[peregrina2000]

And as I am currently playing around with @wisepilgrim’s new crowd-sourced apps to the untraveled caminos, I think this thread can lay the groundwork for a St. Jaume/Catalán app. Poor Michael, he may have unintentionally opened a bigger can of worms than he expected.

 

[VNwalking]

And as I am currently playing around with @wisepilgrim’s new crowd-sourced apps to the untraveled caminos, I think this thread can lay the groundwork for a St. Jaume/Catalán app. Poor Michael, he may have unintentionally opened a bigger can of worms than he expected.

Haha. Great minds.
I had that thought too but refrained from saying so in the thread. But I can @ him, too, so that he knows what we're cooking up over here. So haha... @wisepilgrim, when you've done the Viejo, how about picking up this one. By that time we should have finished our walk.

I have to say thst with @Doughnut NZ 's stellar input being so thorough, this has the makings of a decent guide.

 

[Rick of Rick and Peg]

Don’t forget @Rick of Rick and Peg — I think he is the forum member who walked most recently

Mostly I've been waiting until Monserrat. Peg and I visited Figueres as tourists in 2015 and 2019. Our friend wanted to get out of Barcelona to see other places and from our previous visit to Figueres we figured that would suit her interests. We didn't mind returning.

 

[VNwalking]

Day 3, Bàscara (or Orrols / vicinity) - Girona (30.7 or 26.6km from Bascara)
Possible alternate stage ending at Cervià de Ter (13.1km from Bascara)
(If you're starting from Orriols, subtract 4.71km from those totals)

Gronze's intermediate towns:
Bàscara-Orriols-Viladasens-Cervià de Ter-Medinyà-Sarrià de Ter-Girona
And Laurie's Wikiloc track: http://www.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/spatialArtifacts.do?event=setCurrentSpatialArtifact&id=10903634

It sounds like a nice ramble through the countryside; most of the way into Girona after Cervià de Ter follows the Rio Ter.

This was a lovely walk, though very little involved ascending or descending. It goes through lots of wheat fields interspersed with forests of scrub oak, aspen and cottonwood. Almost all of this stage is off road and with lots of shade.

This is a longish day but if you are wanting to walk shorter stages, do not despair! There are options.
Right on the camino just short of Cervià de Ter there is this:
Apartaments Turistics Mas Borrell
Rates are given per week, so this may not be a viable option - but worth checking out.
Not far away in Sant Jordi-Desvalls, there is a listing for an airbnb:
Casamigdia Chambre hôte piscine Costa brava Carmen

And certainly we will not go hungry today, according to @Dougnut NZ's post:

Ermita de la Móra - Romanesque church
see https://ca.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sant_Martí_de_la_Móra
Veinat la Mora, 2, 17464 Viladasens, Girona

A couple of hours out of Bascara if you are feeling peckish then right on the Camino is:
Restaurant Can Lladó - Highly rated and their menu of the day is E12
Carretera D’orriols, 2, 17464 Viladasens

Or if you are craving baked goods then try
Forn La Trilla - Just down the road, not sure if they also have coffee
Plaza Major, 5, 17464 Viladasens

About another 30 minutes later we pass a private art collection that is open to the public at
Museu Raset - Museu d'Art Modern

Home

www.museuraset.es

Carrer Raset, 29, 17464 Cervià de Ter

Another 30 minutes or so later we come across an 11th Century monastery that is highly rated.
Monastir Cervia De Ter see:

Web oficial de l'Ajuntament de Cervià de Ter - A Cervià, muntanya, riu i pla.

A Cervià, muntanya, riu i pla.

www.cerviadeter.cat

Carrer Priorat, 25, 17464 Cervià de Ter, Girona

After the monastery, if feeling thirsty (and peckish) then
Bar Can Franc is just off the GPS track. However, the person recording the track got a little confused after the monastery as they wanted to also visit Castell de Cervià and they took a roundabout way of getting there. It is easier to just deviate from the GPS track after the monastery and proceed straight ahead on Carrer Priorat to get to the castle rather than heading left onto Carrer Saules and towards the bar mentioned earlier

Don't worry about missing the bar though because an hour further down the road you have a truck stop with the choice of cheap and nice at
Snack Medinyà - menu of the day for E11
N-II, 54, 17482 Medinyà

or slightly more upmarket and closer to the Camino that is also well rated but menu of the day is E23
Restaurant El Caliu de Medinyà
Carretera Vella, 17482 Medinyà

After another 40 minutes walking we pass an interesting cave
El cau de les Goges
17481 Sant Julià de Ramis

Then another 15 minutes after that we come across
Can Santvicenç - a historic landmark
http://invarquit.cultura.gencat.cat/Cerca/Fitxa?index=0&consulta=&codi=21771
Only another ten minutes past that we find
Ca l'Arnau - also historic see
http://invarquit.cultura.gencat.cat/Cerca/Fitxa?index=0&consulta=&codi=21772
But in taking this route (following the GPS) we have missed
Església dels Sants Metges - a very interesting Romanesque church, see https://ca.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Església_dels_Sants_Metges_(Sant_Julià_de_Ramis)
17481 Sant Julià de Ramis

If we want to see the church then we need to back up a bit and take El Terri street, a diversion from the Camino prior to Can Santvicenç. This is best seen on the map, alongside the GPS route.

If you do want to make this detour to the church then it is possible to continue and re-join the Camino but you will need to self navigate.

We are about 90 minutes out of Girona here so it would be theoretically possible to come back to some of these stop offs after we have found somewhere to stay for the night and dropped off our packs or choose from Romanesque vs other historic stop offs.

If at this point you are thirsty or hungry then there are three places to sate yourself before we get to Girona.

This part of the world seems to have no shortage of flash castles to stay in. There is also a hotel just short of Girona that is part of the complex of Sants Metges - perfect if you're not wild about cities and prefer to just walk on through. But again...you'll need a (very) healthy budget. This one is 5-star, with no availability for ages. Choosing next March at random I come up with 577 Euros per night. But who knows? Maybe they would give a pilgrim discount (good luck with that... )

Here is what their website says:

The Sant Metges Hotel is situated in a privileged position on the highest part of the Sants Metges mountain in Sant Julià de Ramis. The Hotel is part of La Fortalesa, a complex which is housed in a former military site and which dates back to the XIX th century, together with the Atempo gastronomic restaurant and the DOR Museum
[...]
A brand-new hotel with a contemporary style, situated in the highest part of La Fortalesa complex. It offers 15 elegant, fully furnished rooms, each one personalized with the name of a gemstone, providing all the services of a 5-star hotel.

I have to admit to feeling mildly voyeuristic, since I'd never stay in a place like this. Even were money not an object, their excess and pretentious exclusivity makes me feel uncomfortable. But the view from up there is free, and who knows? Maybe they would give a pilgrim discount (good luck with that... )

Once in Girona, there are many possible places to stay, and much to see.

Girona is a beautiful, lively, interesting city. It was a Sunday, and I arrived at 1 pm, so I knew I had to move quickly in order to at least see the romanesque cloister of Sant Pere de Galligents before its 2 pm closing. It was worth the rush and it was worth postponing my arrival shower, just lovely. Luckily the Cathedral, with its 11th century amazing tapestry of Creation, is open in the afternoon

This was Laurie's choice; Pensión Borras (972 22 40 08) for 24.5 €.

And Alan Sykes's comments:

I liked Girona very much indeed. A little like a smaller Barcelona, but less frenetic and multinational. The cathedral, with its soaring gothic vault, was amazing, and I loved the multi-coloured buildings making a canyon along the riu Onyar. Best of all, I thought, was the simple romanesque beauty of Sant Pere de Galligants, with its lovely small cloister complete with zoomorphic capitals, including an impressive mermaid and a very fine cat. It was allegedly founded by Charlemagne, although sadly this apparently seems unlikely.

Out in the streets, almost every surface is covered with independentista flags or slogans, or the yellow loop, and ubiquitous posters called for "llibertat presos politics". I noticed that one of the main squares has been renamed "Plaça de l'1 de Octubre 2017". The yellow loop that covers so many surfaces can be confusing as, when the paint fades, it looks just like a fading camino yellow arrow. I resisted the temptation to buy a covid mask with the independent Catalonia flag on it, as I didn't think it would help getting served in bars once (if) I reach Old Castille.

I've scratched the surface. Any other thoughts?

 

[AJGuillaume]

This is a longish day but if you are wanting to walk shorter stages, do not despair! There are options.

In your capable hands, @VNwalking , slow walkers have no reason to despair. And where there's a will, there's a way!