For the past days, we’ve been exploring the backroads of Catalonia. We had high hopes, and the region didn’t disappoint!
We started off from Sant Llorenç de la Muga, with a big day of climbing ahead of us to reach the city of Olot. We mostly followed the Transpyrinea route and were surprised to see many other bikepackers tackling the same climb. It turned out they were participating in an ultra race across the Pyrenees! It was fun chatting with some of them — there were even a few Belgian girls taking part.
We slowly climbed our way through Alta Garrotxa, a wild, mountainous region in the eastern foothills of the Pyrenees. The climb began gradually, but the terrain quickly became wilder and more technical. Feeling pretty proud that we didn’t push the bikes once, we reached the Coll de Riu at noon! The landscape changed dramatically on the other side of the pass as we descended into an incredible valley filled with limestone peaks and vultures circling overhead. Soon after, we rolled into Olot — a charming small city nestled in an extinct volcanic landscape.
We didn’t linger long in town and kept going west — first following an old railroad track and then the Riu Ter, camping next to it. It’s never easy finding a discreet place to camp near a river, so we were pretty happy that we finally did! It felt like such a luxury to be able to wash up properly instead of crawling into our sleeping bags all sticky. Baby wipes will only get you so far after a few days!
Upstream, the Ter turns into a reservoir, and we spent most of the day climbing the dirt roads along its edge. The riding and the views were amazing up there. We kept going until dusk, but by then we were back in agricultural land — not ideal for camping! Eventually, we thought we’d found a decent spot, but suddenly a loud tractor appeared next to our tent — the farmer was trying to work the land we were camped on. Oops! He seemed as surprised as we were and couldn’t stop grinning. I explained our predicament, and he was fine with us staying for the night. Sometimes it’s better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission — or at least, that’s our philosophy these days!
Near Manresa, we were lucky to find another Warmshowers host. Ampa was amazing — super welcoming — and we actually ended up staying two nights at her place! When we arrived, she immediately threw all our clothes in the washer and hung them up to dry. It had been a while since they were that clean! While we took our warm shower, she cooked a delicious traditional oven dish for us — tostida — and we had some beers together. The next day she had the day off and suggested we go for a walk at Montserrat, the iconic serrated mountain north of Barcelona with its instantly recognizable shape. The perfect rest day… or so we thought! The “walk” quickly turned into a rather technical scramble up to some of its peaks. Easy for Ampa, but it had been a while since we’d done any climbing, and those first sections were pretty scary in our sandals. We soon got back into it though, and the hike turned out amazing! We tried to repay Ampa by cooking her a lasagna dinner in return.
After that, we had some of our best days on the bike yet! We followed dirt roads along the mountains north of Barcelona. Soon, Montserrat was providing an incredible backdrop as we climbed steep ridges and descended into stunning valleys. There’s no denying that riding in Spain is often tough — most days were filled with very steep, drawn-out climbs on loose rock. Our hearts would sink each morning when looking at the elevation map on our Garmin. Sometimes, the route made no sense at all either, leading us up brutal trails seemingly just for the sake of it. We’d push our bikes up, cursing, but the views were amazing, and we were having a blast — definitely type 2 fun at times.
Each night, we’d find a campsite better than the last. One night, we pitched our tent on a peak and watched the sky turn red as the sun set. The moon was so bright we didn’t even need our headlights. As on most nights, we fell asleep to the tawny owl’s hoot-hoot-hoot. But that night, we were also awoken by a different sound — one we hadn’t heard before. It turned out to be an eagle owl (oehoe). Such a special feeling to have that big, rare owl wake you up in the middle of the night. Another night, we finally saw the tawny owl we’d only been hearing for weeks. The moonlight helped us spot it, and soon our headlights revealed its beautiful, mysterious shape. A highlight of the trip.
Some of these nights have been at higher elevation and it’s been getting frisky! We’ve been taking out our puffy jackets for the very first time!
It had also been a while since we’d see any fig trees around, but there are lots of strawberry trees in this Mediterranean climate. We’d harvest the fruit for our morning oatmeal. Delicious!
The old pueblos along the way were quaint and sometimes surprisingly lively. We’d stop and sit on shady terraces, sipping coffee and soaking in the vibes. Montblanc, one of these beautiful towns, we reached after a long and sketchy descent. It’s a picturesque medieval town that’s been beautifully preserved, nestled beneath the Muntanyes de Prades, a mountain range we needed to pass to reach an equally lovely town with the same name — Prades.
We celebrated my birthday in Cornudella de Montsant. Despite having only about 1000 inhabitants, the town was full of life — plenty of cafés, and their terraces buzzing with people all day long. Mostly climbers, since the town is at the centre of one of the world’s major rock climbing regions. We went for a burger and fries, and tried some of the local cervezas artisanales. I couldn’t have wished for anything more!
