gironaJ

November 22, 2009

La Gola del Ter

La Gola is where the river Ter flows into the Mediterranean Sea, having started in the Pyrenees mountains around the ski resort of Vallter 2000 some 220 kms away.

The fields on either side of the Ter are very flat, fertile land where cultivation of fruit, wheat, corn and rice takes place. There are also wetlands which although cultivated, are also part of the Aiguamolls Nature Reserve, famous for a wide range of migratory birds.

There are many paths signposted telling you where to go and being flat the area is perfect for cycling and walking.

Of course no exercise is possible if at the end there is not a meal contemplated and in this case the local specialities involve rice and seafood which is one type of "arroz" and in other parts of Spain would be called a "paella".

A delicacy called "angulas" are found where eels breed in fresh water rivers producing millions of tiny eels which are caught at night in nets and currently retail for 500€ to1,300€ a kilo depending on season, if you can find them.

The small restaurants around La Gola are some of the few places you will be able to taste this amazing dish cooked in olive oil and garlic and hot peppers, once tried never forgotten!

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La_Gola_del_Ter.zip (9351 KB)

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Filed under // Aiguamolls Nature Reserve angulas arroz cycling La Gola La Gola del Ter Mediterranean Sea paella Pyrenees river Ter Vallter 2000 walking

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November 12, 2009

Bike ride Celra to Bordils along river Ter

Both Celra and Bordils are not most people's idea of scenic villages as they pass through in their cars along the main road to the Costa Brava from Girona. However, get a little out of the town of Celra and a remarkable transformation takes place, with fertile land planted with different seasonal crops as well as a tree and shrub nursery which covers many hectares.

It is like cycling in Holland as the roads are paved and the area is flat but you see all sorts of interesting trees and plants being grown in straight rows with irrigation and space for tractor access.

There are plenty of other sights too, the church in Bordils is one of my favourites and there are many large farmhouses and chapels worth admiring.

The main purpose of our meandering along these paths once we reach the river Ter is to look for mushrooms in between the rows of poplars, hidden by the cover of fallen leaves. We spot a particularly tasty variety which needs to be consumed quickly as once picked they tend to deteriorate. When they are a few days old they are inedible as they slowly melt into an inky black mess which is how they got their name, the "ink" mushroom.

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Bike_ride_Celra_to_Bordils_alo.zip (10158 KB)

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Filed under // Bordils Celra Costa Brava cycling Girona ink mushroom mushrooms river Ter

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August 31, 2009

Sant Feliu-Girona-Olot bike path Part3

From Amer (211m), which has an interesting church and old town, it is a short run to the river Ter below where it emerges from the Susqueda dam, a major hydroelectric plant. It also means that the bulk of the downhill is over and from here on it is flat with hazelnut and walnut plantations or sunflowers and corn fields on either side of the path which meanders through the fertile river valley.

El Pasteral (179m) with its old station building still intact and along to La Cellera de Ter and finally to the outskirts of Angles.

Angles has an interesting old town (a few minutes detour) and was famous for the textile factories which were established at the end of the 19th century but have almost all been closed in the last few years as the competition from China destroyed their business.

Now the path follows the river Ter or the parallel canal which was established to serve the small sub- hydroelectric stations and factories that needed water and electricity along the route.

There is an interesting restored ice-house around km 10 which explains how ice was preserved in the era before electricity. We now take ice and refrigeration for granted but it used to be a luxury item.

Girona looms large and there is no way to avoid crossing it from the Devesa park (tallest trees in a public park) and then follow the other river, the Onyar out of town to the south-east towards Quart. You pass the new Science Park of the University of Girona with some impressive modern buildings.

The next part takes you to Cassa de la Selva and Llagostera which are both famous for the cork processing factories which have been there for over a century, using the cork collected in the Gavarres hills nearby.

From Llagostera the path drops fairly sharply to the coastal plain around Castell d'Aro and it is a short haul into S'Agaro and then finally Sant Feliu de Guixols where all the dust from the path can be washed off with a cool dip in the Mediterranean!

Only the foolish or very strong should consider cycling back to Girona (36 kms) as there are a good 8kms of climbing, much easier to have lunch on a terrace and then put the bike on a bus which leave every hour from the bus station and arrive in Girona fresh and happy!

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Sant_Feliu-Girona-Olot_bike_pa.zip (8902 KB)

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Filed under // Amer Angles Cassa de la Selva Castell d'Aro Devesa El Pastoral La Cellera de Ter Llagostera Quart river Onyar river Ter S'Agaro Sant Feliu de Guixols Vilanna

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January 24, 2009

Bescano-Industrial History walk

Bescano lies along the River Ter 7kms from Girona and the nicest way to get there is via the bike track or "carrilet" which is an easy and scenic ride or walk. If you keep on the bike path you will come to a large factory called the Grober and if you take the next turn to the right you see a beautiful ruin of what was once an impressive house complete with a chapel and gazebo. Passing through an arch on the other side of the house you come to a canal with a restored flour mill next to it, behind which starts a track along the side of the canal.
The point of this trip is not only the beauty and tranquility of the surroundings but to point out how one small village was transformed by the Industrial Revolution which arrived here in the late 19th and early 20th Century. The canal was built to take water from the Ter to a hydroelectric station where the twin turbines produced electricity for the textile mill (now the Grober factory) as well as the village. This was the modern day equivalent of building an industrial park with high speed internet connection and good links to major roads and markets.
Water was needed for all types of mills with electricity as well to power the machinery so this model was repeated along many of the rivers which flow from the Pyrenees. The ruins of big and once grand houses are also proof that a great deal of wealth was created during this period with some businesses surviving to the present day and the buildings preserved as architectural and industrial models.

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Bescano-Industrial_History_wal.zip (2677 KB)

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Filed under // Bescano bike path canal carrilet Girona Grober factory Industrial Revolution Pyrenees river Ter

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January 4, 2009

Devesa Park to Sant Daniel walk

A perfect walk, especially on a warm and sunny day, starts from the Devesa Park, the largest public park in Catalonia, which is close to the centre of Girona and bordered by the River Ter. Head for La Copa which is outside the smaller of the two Tourist Information offices and is a meeting place for taking tours of the city. From here walk across the pedestrian bridge with great views of both Sant Feliu church in the foreground and Girona Cathedral further back up the hill. Head to the left of Sant Feliu (the church with the top of it's spire missing) and when you come to the Archeology Museum (in another converted Romanesque church) follow the road on the left which runs parallel to a stream.
Now we are in the Sant Daniel valley where you pass the Font del Bisbe a water fountain that come from underground sources discovered in Roman times, the water is highly mineralised but very refreshing in the hot summer months. Less than a kilometre along this valley we come to the Monastery of Sant Daniel which an ancient building and is still in use today.
From here be sure to find the sign that says Castell de Sant Miquel which is where the countryside begins and the going gets a bit tougher.

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Devesa_Park_to_Sant_Daniel_wal.zip (1603 KB)

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Filed under // Castell de Sant Miquel Devesa Park Font del Bisbe La Copa Monastery of Sant Daniel river Ter Sant Daniel Sant Feliu church

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November 19, 2008

Girona-Estanyol-Girona circular bike route

Heading out of Girona on the Olot bike path to km 8.3 where you take a left where marked to Cotec. From here path climbs sharply away from River Ter and passes through cork oaks and pine forest to a ridge where the views to the Guilleries hills and back to Girona are spectacular. Track ends at the Estanyol-Angles back road nr km 4.2 Proceed left towards Estanyol and either follow track marked BTT8 which cuts off a corner or just head along the road to Estanyol church off to the left. Keep going all the way to Bescano, the last part a long winding downhill. Go through the old town past the church and town hall, across the main road and rejoin the Girona -Olot bike path at km 6. Head back to Girona and come out at the Devesa park. Total length approx 25kms and time 2.5 hrs. Terrain for mountain bikes with some steep climbs and downhills. Rating 7.5/10. Summary: one of the most accessible and best circular rides from Girona.