Midweek Hikers

  HIKERS: PEZ K3 Mix Pau Nati And the very special guests: Charlie Nina Stephane Nico Matthew Could the record number of hikers on a Friday evening be related to it not really being a midweek hike?? TRANSPORT: Start at Montbau Metro (L3); return with FGC S1/S2   THE ROUTE: Barcelona-Sant Cugat via Sant Medir is a classic route; as an alternative to the shorter Mundet-Sant Medir route, going from Montbau via the Reserva de la Font Groga is a great option which takes us through the only tiny patch of old-growth forest in the Collserola (no Aleppo pines here). Also the riparian forest along the Torrent de la Salamandra between Font Groga and Sant Medir is a rarity. However due to the ongoing drought this Torrent was dry as a bone and the vegetation a bit limp this time. The original plan was to go from Sant Medir to the Panta de Can Borell (as in the guidebook route shown); however since K3 and Nati were in a hurry we took the straight piste through from Sant Medir to Can Bo...

A genuine jewel very close to Barcelona and very close to the train station; unfortunately it's just too easy to get to and the space is fouled by abundant litter everywhere. Anyway, it's still beautiful. HIKERS Pez Pau Special guest Maciek TRANSPORT FGC between Pla ça  Espanya to Sant Andreu de la Barca (S8, R5/6, R50/60) THE ROUTE From Sant Andreu station, we cross a car park and start uphill up a road. After a left turn and then a curve, we start to glimpse little cliffs with red earth around a ravine. A footpath dips left off the road and leads very quickly to the Gorg de la Mola. We followed the Riera de Corbera upstream a while before crossing over and up into the forest. Our plan was to climb a peak but we rapidly got lost and followed a forest track for a nice while before finding a way to loop back to Sant Andreu. HIGHLIGHTS Quiet midweek paths and good company

 Unfortunately also the most meagre harvest; the madroños on the sunny Barcelona side were small and hard, only the ones in the most sheltered spots over the ridge had madroños which were fully developed. Oh well, enough for a couple pots of jam and a flammkuchen.

An unambitious but pleasant morning stroll starting from El Papiol into the south-western part of the Collserola, checking out the Escletxes de Papiol and joining La Rierada, Collserola's only permanent watercourse. That said, it was suffering from the drought, with the stream disappearing a few hundred metres before reaching the famous little waterfall. HIKERS: PEZ K3 MIX TRANSPORT: R4 train to and from El Papiol / Molins de Rei ROUTE: Linking these two routes: https://senderismeentren.cat/2015/10/26/120/ https://senderismeentren.cat/2015/05/12/106/ HIGHLIGHTS: The town of El Papiol with its castle was surprisingly nice.  Some interesting houses on the way, one with three different dogs... A very interesting poop with a blanket of beautifully coloured fungus. PHOTOS: Montserrat from El Papiol Les Escletxes A very interesting poop La Rierada Doggy house

 HIKERS PEZ  PAU

This wild valley leading down to Figaro provided the backdrop for one of the first modernist novels in catalan ('Sots Ferestecs'), whereby a priest exiled from Barcelona to this unforgiving rural backwater (albeit nowadays seemingly a stone's throw away) struggles to win over the local populace, who are instead in thrall to a local prostitute. The priest loses the struggle. Sounds dark. HIKERS: PEZ K3 MIX TRANSPORT: Rodalies R3 from Barcelona to Figaro; same line on way back but many trains just shuttle between BCN to La Garriga. So it's easier to find frequent trains back arriving at La Garriga. THE ROUTE: From La Garriga, we head past an interesting masia which looks like it still has people living in it. There is a huge 'lledoner' tree ("mediterranean hackberry"), a pond with lots of frogs, and St. John's Wort growing in abundance along the path. From there the path quickly gets wild, and without the GPS it would be hard to follow. We hear crash...

HIKERS: PEZ  K3 MIX TOMO TRANSPORT: Barcelona to Sant Feliu with Sagales bus number 202, leaving from Pl. Tetuan (<1hr). Return with Rodalies R3 from Figaro. THE ROUTE: PHOTOS: Enjoying the view at Sant Miquel del Fai View from La Trona View from the top of Sot del Bac Cheeky robin down by the waterfall in Sot del Bac Funky houses in Figaro