EN Matamala and les Lloses through ancient trails. Route 2 Ripollès

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ITINERÀNNIA, NETWORK OF TRAILS

ENG

“Itinerànnia” is a network of trails, with over 2,500 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.

The network offers many different hikes depending on the time or difficulty and your interests 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 Emprdà counties.

RIPOLLÈS

THE SIGNS All the trails of the network are marked regularly over the paths with horizontal painted yellow signs.

PATH'S MARKS (3 x 10 cm)

TURN LEFT/RIGHT

WRONG PATH

The marks are placed 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) If 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...” (I.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.

+INFO: www.itinerannia.net www.elripolles.com In the Ripollès county you will find 18 touch screens located in different towns containing tourist information.

Aquesta actuació està subvencionada pel Servei d’Ocupació de Catalunya en el marc del Projecte “Treball a les 4 Comarques” i cofinançada pel Fons Social Europeu.

MATAMALA AND LES LLOSSES THROUGH ANCIENT TRAILS Easy

3 h.

MATAMALA AND LES LLOSSES THROUGH ANCIENT TRAILS

The route starts from the road junction in “Santa Maria de Matamala”, head north and go up the track that leads to “El Lladré” farm. Pass by the R177 sign Can Vinyal and walk to the left, towards Viladonja.

Once at the farmhouse, where they make cheese and dairy products, you have to follow the old path to Viladonja which in a short but steep climb will take you to a flatter trail.

ITINERÀNNIA NETWORK ROUTE ROAD-TRAIL RIVER TOURIST SERVICES (see website) VERTICAL SIGNPOSTS OF THE NETWORK

You will arrive at a wide pass, “Devesa de Cal Sastre”, from where you can enjoy a beautiful view with the “Cal Sastre” farm down the plains, and just in front of you across the river, the “Reixac” farm and the “Collada del Forn”, another mountain pass.

Continue uphill along a track that will take you up to the ancient path from Ripoll to Berga, to the Camp de Pinyons pass, R172 sign. At this point go right, leaving behind other paths and trails that start from your left, and walk through the fields above the “Camps” farm. The path crosses a stream and continues on a gentle descent towards the “Collada del Forn” pass. Leave on your right the track leading to the “Reixac” house.

The Collada del Forn pass, R173 sign, was a busy crossroads between the old road from Ripoll to Berga and the livestock path from the Lluçanès area to the high Pyrenees. From here it is worth a visit to the “Forn” farm, one of the oldest in the region and built with defensive walls. To get there, you must walk towards “Sant Esteve de Vallespirans”, and the house is less than 10 minutes away.

Continue in the direction of “Santa Maria de Les Llosses”, now following the livestock path heading south. Keep walking on this path and you will cross a stream to get to the “Roques Blanques” spring.

Further away you will arrive at the “Capdevila” farmhouse. You are now in “Santa Maria de Les Llosses”, and old parish, that together with Palmerola, Viladonja, Vallespirans, Vinyoles, Sovelles and Matamala constitute the current municipality of Les Llosses.

SPECIFIC INFORMATION Time: 3h Total distance: 6,250 km Highest altitude: 1.105m above sea level (Clot del Reixac) Lowest altitude: 920m above sea level (Rec de Robert) Accumulative slope ascent: 205 m Accumulative slope descent: 205 m Difficulty: Easy altitude (m)

1.200 1.100 1.000 900

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JUST TO PERSUADE YOU: Easy circular route mostly through flat terrain that will let you discover a little known area of the Ripollès county: The old parishes of Santa Maria de Matamala and Santa Maria de Les Llosses. The journey through ancient trails will bring you closer to farms, mills and churches all silent witnesses of the old days, when the area was more active and inhabited.

Leave the livestock path behind, cross the road, and head towards the Capdevila flatlands, R178 sign, continuing towards “Santa Maria de Matamala”. At the end of the plain leave the track behind, and take a little trail on your right that will lead you to a stream and to the ancient mill of “Les Planes”. Cross the “Corbera” stream and after a last effort you will get to “Santa Maria de Matamala”, the starting and finishing point of this circular route.

Contents, illustrations and photographs are property of CEA Alt Ter (www.alt-ter.org)