Stage 6 - Catalonia (2) Montserrat to Puigcerda

If I have get this far, crossing the border from Spain to France is going to feel like a big deal.  No-where near half way, but walking across Spain will mean that I'll have something  substantial "under my belt" and will have demonstrated to myself that completing the work is feasible.  I should be really fit or totally knackered! 

Before I get to the border I need to complete the last section of the Spanish E4, the 158 kms from Montserrat to Puigcerda along the route of the GR4.  The first four days look straightforward but after that there are a couple of stiff days as you climb into the Pyrenees.  Day 6 looks particularly tough.

Day 1 involves an 8 hour walk to Pont de Vilomara from Montserrat.  It's a 28 kms walk with 500 metres of climb.  The walk takes you down a valley to San Vicente de Castellet, a town with all facilities (including a castle) and then onto Pont de Vilomara.  As the name suggests, the town has a significant bridge and accommodation.

Santa Maria de Cornet

Day 2 involves a 32 kms, 8 hour walk to Santa Maria de Cornet via Cabrianes.  Santa Maria de Cornet is a small Romanesque church but it looks like there is accommodation either at the nearby town of Salient or directly on the route ar Carretera de Balsareny a Avenyo (although this looks a bit expensive).

Day 3 involves a 7 hour 30 km walk to Sagas.  Sagas is a village with some pretty churches but so far I have not been able to find any accommodation.

The next day is a shorter walk to Barreda, 15 kms and 4 hours and there definitely is accommodation including an interesting looking "rural hotel".  I don't really want to have to combine days 3 and 4 because the last two days of the walk are challenging.

Day 5 involves a 1000m climb and a subsequent 400m drop to Sanctuari de Falgars at La Pobla de Lillet.  This is a small town with a really interesting looking mountain railway.  In my experience walkers are often train spotters (can't think why) and this train is the smallest in public use in Spain.  There is plenty of accommodation at La Pobla de Lillet.

Day 6 is the really tough walk and unavoidable I think because of the shortage of accommodation.  The first stage involves 1,200 metre climb up to the Coll de Pal before a further 200 metre climb to Coll de la Mola, after which you drop down 1,200 metres to Alp.  I think the walk will take about 9.5 hours.  Alp is a ski resort with plenty of accommodation.

The last day's walking in Spain involves a short two hour walk to Puigcarda and from there it's across the border to France

I packed my bag and in it I put .....(3)

Many thanks to Gyorgy who recommended "The Backpacker's Handbook" by Chris Townsend.  There is more information in it than you could throw a stick at (in fact it even describes different ways you can hold your walking stick) and it certainly got me thinking about boots.

I don't think I have ever owned the big chunky walking boots described by Chris and which used to take hundreds of miles to wear in but my boots have got progressively lighter and my current ones weigh 1.2 kilos.

I like my walking boots and I like the idea of walking boots. Putting on walking boots makes you feel you are preparing for something special, not just going for walk.  I don't get the same feeling from light weight walking shoes - they don't feel serious.  Unfortunately in over forty pages of information Chris challenges much of what I use as my boot wearing justification. .

Firstly he completely rejects the argument that boots provide some additional ankle support. If that's a priority you would need to wear some sort of nordic ski boot (no longer a priority).

Secondly he rejects the justification that stiff soles provide some sort of protection against uneven surfaces.

He makes a very strong case for going light although he possibly goes a bit far when he advocates the bare foot option.  He makes a really interesting claim that a pound on your feet is equivalent to five on your back.  He quotes Ray Jardine who, in his book The Pacific Crest Trail Hiker's Handbook, states that "each additional 1.5 ounces removed from a boot would add about a mile to the day's hiking progress". On that basis going bare foot could mean getting to Budapest about a two weeks earlier than anticipated.

Although my walking boots are already lightweight (just about the lightest Scarpa's I could get) they are heavy compared to the trainer type walking shoe and much heavier than the walking sandals Chris also advocates.  My biggest concern in terms of my feet is that they  start to hurt after about 15 miles particularly if you end the day walking on hard surfaces.  I'm pretty sure that they will toughen up but my experience is that they hurt more if I wear the trainer type walking shoe rather than walking boots.  Maybe it's because I spend a lot more effort choosing my boots than I do my shoes.

Anyway Chris has given me something to think about - maybe I should invest in some good walking shoes as an alternative to boots and see how I get on.

I have speculated in an earlier blog as to how many pairs of boots I might need to complete the E4 walk. Chris helpfully provides some pictures of the impact on soles of about 1000 miles - not much left in the way of tread!

Stage 5 - Catalonia (1) El Boixar to Montserrat

With its own language and cultural tradition Catalonia is a particularly distinct part of Spain. Its capital, Barcelona, is Spain's biggest city and the province is one of the richest parts of Spain and Europe. As well as nationalist, Catalonia has a radical political tradition and was a bastion of opposition against Franco. Barcelona host one of the world's most famous football clubs and the rivalry with Real Madrid is a symbol Catalonia’s independent tradition.

Catalonia also signals a change of direction for the E4 route. Having followed the route of the GR7 all the way from Andalucía the route of the E4 suddenly gets complicated as it crosses through Catalonia. Instead of carrying on with the GR7 (which heads directly north to the Pyrenees) the E4 heads down to the coast via the GR8, along the coast via the GR92 to Tarragona, before heading north again to Montserrat (GR172) and then along the GR4 to the Pyrenees. It actually arrives at the Pyrenees at a point quite close to where you would have crossed the border on the GR7. At first sight the move away from the GR7 doesn't seem to make a lot of sense but when you look closer at where you walk and what you see than it all adds up.

To compensate for the additional complexity of the route the Federacio d'Entitats Excursionistes de Catalunya (FEEC) has a brilliant website which identifies all the major walking routes and gives you stage distances, estimated walk times, and altitude gained and lost.

I've broken the Catalonia stage of my E4 walk into two parts, Fredes to Montserrat and Montserrat to the Spanish border (Puigarda).

For Day 1 there two choices.  I could be strict about the E4 itinerary and go via Fredes along the GR7 until I hit the GR8 and then head to Ulldecona (at least 40 kms).  Alternatively I could go direct from El Boixar to Ulldecona via La Pobla de Benifassa.  The alternative is a lot shorter but not the E4.   Either way the route takes me out the mountains and onto the coastal plain.  Ulldecona looks like a nice town (has a castle) with lots of accommodation.

From Ulldecona all the way through to Tarragona you walk along a stretch of the GR 92 coastal footpath which runs for 583 kms along the entire coastline of Catalonia. The particular stretch to Tarragona is known as the Costa Dorada.

Day 2 is a gentle 25km 6 hour walk to Amposta. Amposta is quite a large town on the River Elbra and finding accommodation should be easy. It is quite close to the Ebro Delta Nature Reserve which is considered to be one of the most important wetlands on the Mediterranean.

Day 3 is a 32 km walk to L'Ametlla de Mer via L'Ampolla de Mer. The walk looks like a classic coastal walk along fairly low multicoloured cliffs interspersed which beaches. L'Amettla de Mer looks picturesque with a fishing port and lots of places to stay.

Day 4 is another gentle 6 hour 22 kms walk along the coast to L’Hospitalet de L’Infant. L’Hospitalet de L’Infant is a “small scenic town” with lots of accommodation.

After two gentle days it might make sense to crack on a bit especially as Tarragona looks a good place for a stop-over. For Day 5 I want to do 42 kms although there are lots of options for shortening the walk including Cambrils after 15 kms and Salou after another 10.

Tarragona looks great. It has a population of 150,000, Roman ruins with UNESCO world heritage site status, a Cathedral and a large Roman aqueduct. It will be the largest place I have been to so far on the walk (could get my haircut- major planning concern).

Ampitheatre in Tarragona

After Tarragona, and for one night only, accommodation suddenly gets a bit sparse. Day 6 could involve a 21 kms walk (now on the GR172) to Nulles or a longer 37 kms walk to Santa Creus. FEEC estimate that making it to Santa Creus will take over 9 hours so it may be necessary to stop at Nulles. Nulles is a small village but with a famous art nouveau vinery.

Santa Creus looks like a destination worth waiting an extra day for. It plays host to the Royal Monastry of Santa Maria de Santa Creus regarded as a jewel in the crown of Catalan Medieval art.

Santa Creus

Day 8 involves a climb up over the Coll de la Rimbalda and a descent down to the small town of Sant Joan de Mediona where it looks like there is some accommodation. The walk is 33 kms long and will take around 8 hours.

Day 9 involves either a short 17 kms walk to Piera or a longer 35 kms walk to Monestir de Montserrat. Piera looks like a nice place but I will probably press onto Montserrat.

Montserrat is perhaps the highlight of the Catalonia walk. The famous black Madonna has made its monastery a pilgrimage focal point for centuries and a whole series of long distance paths converge on this point. The monastery itself was reconstructed in the last century after being destroyed by the French but looks impressive and has an amazing location with views over the coastal plain. This is an important destination for Catalans and international visitors and there is plenty of accommodation.

Montserrat

So the first part of the Catalan walk involves around 260 kms in 9 days – looks fantastic.