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Baptising the PRC-229 - Montjuic 360

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Taking kids up to La Foixarda in the summer I noticed the freshly-painted but familiar yellow and white PRC markings up on Montjuic. A bit of research finds that it was a newly minted 'sender homologat' of the FEEC; the PRC-229, aka Montjuic 360. A tour of our favourite urban mountain. At around 11km, supposedly it manages to get less than 30% of the route on tarmac. It seemed like just the thing for a casual walk before we take a summer break. But remember - don't underestimate Montjuic... Meeting at around 1830 and with darkness falling by 2200, we should have had plenty of time to finish the walk (estimated at around 3h for a standard walker) and reward ourselves with a cold clara. The problem was we stopped for a drink a third into the walk, half the team dropped out and then the remainder finished well after dark at 2240. Surprisingly it seemed to actually take us the three hours. Don't underestimate Montjuic! HIKERS (dropouts are crossed out): * in retrospect, it ...
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O/N Micro-adventure; Tour of the Bisaura

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Personally the Bisaura has been on my list for a long time but without the right opportunity presenting itself. June was a perfect time for it; it was lush, green, moist and shiny and filled with flowers. Such a nice contrast to our dry and dusty drought-ridden environs. The Bisaura is a geographically distinct region which lies between two comarcas; Osona (capital Vic) and Ripollés. It borders La Garrotxa and so is part of the pre-pyrenean region which gets the most rain in Catalunya. On this hike there were two main attractions: the spectacular Salt del Mir, which had plenty of water flowing, and the ethereal ravine of the Bufadors de Bevi. Although totally doable in a day (even with a restaurant at about the mid-point), we split this up to make our first Midweek Hiker Overnight Mini-Adventure ™. Arriving at Sant Quirze de Besora around 1945 (somewhat later than planned due to delays), we had just over two hours to get to the ruined masia el Bosquetell, which is surrounded by grassy ...
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Collbató to Aeri de Montserrat via Ermitas de Sant Joan/Onofre/Magdalena and Monastery

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Exploring the idea of a casual after-work trip to Montserrat with the bus to Collbató-Bruc which leaves from right by the Parc Científic. HIKERS: PEZ TOMO MIX TRANSPORT: We took the Monbus / Hispano Igualadina bus from Palau Reial (mouth of Metro station right in front of the Palau Reial itself; also stops at Maria Cristina). €5.75 to Collbató. Though the initial plan was to do a circle and come back with the bus, we got all excited at the top and ended up crossing the mountain and getting the FGC´s R5 line from the deserted Aeri de Montserrat station.  THE ROUTE: From Collbató, we headed towards the mountain to the foot of the Drecera de Fra Garí, which heads straight up steep (surprisingly steep!). Eventually we hit a smoother path and curled up among some little copses of woods. We went up to a collection of hermitages; la Ermita de Sant Joan and la Ermita de Sant Onofre, built into the rock. We went past Sant Onofre and up to the Ermita de Santa Magdalena, in ruins. Here is whe...
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