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ITINERÀNNIA, NETWORK OF TRAILS “Itinerànnia” is a network of trails, with over 2500 kilometres between the neighbouring regions of “Ripollès”, “Garrotxa” and “Alt Empordà”. A network of hiking trails is like a road map, but with footpaths, allowing the hiker to get from any one point to another. It retrieves the old historic roads between the villages to reach many small places.
03 GARROTXA
Garrotxa
The network offers many different hikes depending on the time or difficulty and you interest over nature, architecture or culture. Each route that we propose is just a little taste of an extensive network of trails that you can walk to discover the Ripollès, Garrotxa and Alt Empordà counties.
THE SIGNS all the trails of the network are marked regularly over the paths with horizontal painted yellow signs.
PATH’S MARKS (3X10cm)
TURN LEFT / RIGHT
WRONG PATH
The marks are places approximately every 300 metres painted on tree’s bark, stones or using and other medium already deployed in the area. In the cross roads you will find signposts indicating the nearest four villages in each direction with time information (a maximum of 6 hours). In the same village or town appears more than once on different signs of the same signpost, you will need to read the description below the town. If there is no description below the place name then you are looking at the shortest route to the town or village. If the indication says “Per...” (l.e via) it means that this is a longer alternative route to get to the same place. Each signpost has a small plaque that shows the name of the place where it is located, the altitude and the UTM coordinates. You will find information boards with a map of the county’s trails in every village or city integrating the network.
A VIEWPOINT OVER LA VALL D’EN BAS AND LA GARROTXA +INFO: www.itinerannia.net www.turismegarrotxa.com
SALT DE SALLENT AND SANTA MAGDALENA Moderate / Hard
4h. 25min.
A VIEWPOINT OVER LA VALL D’EN BAS AND LA GARROTXA
You begin the route at Pla d’en Xurri, a picnic area 3 km from Sant Privat where there is plenty of space to park. Once up on the track, you will see the Itinerànnia signpost G58 Pla d’en Xurri, from where you should head towards ‘Joanetes’. The yellow paint, along with the Itinerànnia signposts, will indicate the route to follow. The path begins to climb steeply, crossing a stream on a number of occasions before coming to a paved section of trail, the well-known Camí dels Matxos’. After a good steep climb you leave the woods and come to Itinerànnia signpost G56 Restobles. Turn right towards ‘Vallfogona’ and the head of the waterfall of Salt del Sallent.
SALT DE SALLENT AND SANTA MAGDALENA
A little way along the track you will come to a signpost with green signs that point to the right down towards the waterfall (leaving momentarily the yellow paint marks). Pass through a small copse and reach the small stream that feeds the waterfall. Be careful not to go too close to the edge, as the rocks can be very slippery. To head for Santa Magdalena, retrace your steps back to the yellow paint marks on the track, turn left and continue back to the Itinerànnia signpost G56 Restobles. From here continue towards ‘Joanetes’. After a longish stretch you will come to signpost G61 Santa Magdalena del Mont, which is where the return path heads back down left to Sant Privet d’en Bas. However, before returning, it is well worth continuing straight on to visit the little church of Santa Magdalena. The track takes you out of the woods and into an area of pastures, where you will see the church and a small mountain hut Refugi Emili Triadú down to your left.
ITINERÀNNIA NETWORK ROUTE ROAD-TRAIL RIVER TOURIST SERVICES (See website) VERTICAL SIGNPOSTS OF THE NETWORK
If you walk down behind the church to the electric pylon, there are splendid views of the eastern Pyrenees, with Puigmal-Núria to your left and Comabona and El Canigó to your right. Nearer home and more or less opposite to where you are you will see the dark-coloured mountains of L’Alta Garrotxa and the characteristic pyramid-shaped mountain of Bassegoda. At the foot of where you are standing you will see the Vall d’en Bas, a flat agricultural valley, as well as the whole of the Olot Basin and the city of Olot itself. Behind Olot in the mid-distance the red rocks of the mountain of Sant Julià del Mont stand out and then merge into the gentle slopes of the Batet plateau above Olot. To the right of Sant Julià, emerges the cone of the volcano Croscat.
ROUTE SPECIFIC INFORMATION Time: 4h 25 min Distance: 10,7 kms Max. height: 1.280 m Min. height: 617 m Difficulty: Moderate / Hard
G72 Les Preses
ACCUMULATIVE SLOPE
Total climb: 712 m Total descent: 712 m 1.300
Editorial Alpina
Altitude (m)
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This is a demanding route as it gains height quickly over a short distance. However, it provides for wonderful views of two singular sites: the impressive waterfall of Salt del Sallent, at its best after heavy rain, and the chapel of Santa Magdalena. This small church, built on a natural terrace 700 m above the valley below, is an excellent vantage point over La Garrotxa and much of the Pyrenees in the province of Girona.
To continue the route, return to signpost G61 Santa Magdalena del Mont and take the steep path that drops down to Sant Privat d’en Bas. Be careful on the somewhat slippery and clayey path as it passes through a beautiful beechwood. The twists and turns of the path enable you to lose height quickly and the yellow paint marks take you down to the cave shrine of L’Ermita de les Olletes. The route continue to the right of the cave (follow the yellow paint marks) and you soon reach another junction marked by Itinerànnia signpost G60 la Baga de les Olletes. Here, turn left down towards ‘Sant Privat d’en Bas’ and continue dropping down steeply for a good while until you come to the house of Can Turó. Walk across its terrace, through the arch and into this restaurant’s car park. At the far end of the car park, continue to follow the track to the right and, after a left-hand bend, come to Can Xurri once again, the starting point of this walk.