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| The Montseny Massif and the peak of Les Agudes |
The Montseny Massif is part of the Catalan Pre-Coastal range of mountains. They are the highest Catalan mountains south of the Pyrenees and dominate the plains of Girona. The highest peaks are Turó de l'Home (1,712 mts), Les Agudes (1,703 mts), El Matagalls (1,617 mts) and Puig Drau (1,314 mts).
Montseny is a protected area and UNESCO declared the mountains a biosphere reserve in 1978. The Catalan Government declared the area a National Park in 1987.
These mountains are mainly covered by Beech and Chestnut giving way to pine as you climb and then to bare rock at the very top. At this time of year from mid October to mid November, the leaves are changing colour and the mountains become a popular destination for day trips with the locals and visitors taking advantage of the usual autumnal weather for hiking and biking. We advise to avoid the Park during the weekends when it gets busy. During the week, there will be people around, but for the most part, you will not have problems parking, getting a meal and you will not meet many on the trails. As usual, we suggest that you give people a "Bon dia" (good day) as you pass. More often than not, you will meet new friends and end up chatting for a while :)
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| Local children from Girona on a school trip. |
From the Villa, head towards Girona and take the AP7 south towards Barcelona. Exit at St Celony de Montseny and follow the signs through the town for the National Park and Santa Fe de Montseny. The road winds its way through the mountains for about 20 minutes until you reach the parking area.
A walk through the woods towards the reservoir at Santa Fe will take about 20 minutes or so and is suitable for small children to get to know the natural surroundings, pick chestnuts and explore the area full of pre-historic Menhirs. For those more adventurous, there is a circular path to the peaks of Les Agudes and Turó de l'Home which will take you the full day and is suitable for any age group that can tackle a 3 hour (each way) hike. The hike to the tops of the mountains is relatively easy and the views from the top are outstanding. Pack a picnic.....
See our blog http://caldominosworld.blogspot.com.es/2014/11/the-twin-peaks-of-turo-de-lhome-and-les.html
At the end of October, the mountain hike can be dovetailed nicely with an evening in Girona city to celebrate the Fira de St Narcis. The firework display from the old city ramparts is spectacular.
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| The reservoir at Santa Fe |
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| Les Agudes from Santa Fe de Montseny. |
If you wish to learn more about hiking, biking and adventures on the Costa Brava throughout the year, please contact me through our Facebook page, our website below or our email address caldomino@gmail.com
About me… I have lived in Calonge (province of Girona) on the Costa Brava since 2003 after retiring as a pilot from the british Royal Air Force. My passions are hiking, biking, skiing, photography and discovering and sharing the hidden cultural treasures of this beautiful country. My day job entails managing a luxury self-catering rental Villa, Casa Cal Domino, and in my search for new and interesting things to do for my clients whilst they are here on holiday, I have been genuinely overawed by the beauty and diversity of this land. I’m not leaving any time soon. I love it here and I hope to inspire you to come and discover this wonderful country for yourself.
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