Autumn has arrived and the leaves are on the turn here in Catalunya. Here are our top 5 autumn walks in the woods at various natural parks close to Cal Domino
No. 1 Montseny Natural Park.
In between Cal Domino and Barcelona, you'll find the Monstseny Massif. It is both a natural park and a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, crowned by the peaks Turó de l’Home (1,706 metres), Les Agudes (1,703 metres) and Matagalls (1,697 metres). Directions can be found here.
Montseny natural park offers around thirty marked routes for all levels of ability, starting from different points around the park. Worth a mention are: Sot de L'Infern (llano del Coll), from Viladrau to Matagalls, from Santa Fe to Les Agudes and El Turó de l'Home (Can Casades), from Arbúcies to the castle of Montsoriu or from El Bellver to the Tagamanent hill. There are also two adapted routes: Fuente del Frare (Can Casades) and Masia Mariona.
No. 2 Bosc de Les Roques Encantades.
To the north, close to Santuari del Far you'll find a lovely short walk through the Beach Forest to the Enchanted Rocks. This is a great place to take the kids for a picnic. Loads of things to explore and run around to burn off some energy. There is also a restaurant Coll de Condreu where you can park your car at the start of the walk and another restaurant at the Santuari del Far with spectacular views over the Valley below.
No. 3 The Cingles de Rupit.
Rupit is one of the two chocolate box villages in the low Pyrenees situated right in the middle of the Serres de Milan-Santa Magdalena & Puigsacalm-Bellmut mountains, the Parc Natural de la zona Volcànica de la Garroxta and Les Guilleries Massif. As such, it is rather a pig to get to. But, having no direct access from the coast tends to keep the visitors to a minimum. Rupit on the other hand will be full to the gunnels with tourists. We recommend parking here next to the top of the Salt de Sallent, Catalunya's biggest waterfall to avoid the limited parking at Rupit.
From parking at the Salt de Sallent, you can follow the top of the cliffs on a circular route through the beech forests to Rupit and back along the river to the car park. If you're feeling brave, you can take the narrow, winding trail down the cliff face and see the waterfall from the base. For those with vertigo, there is a viewing platform at the top.
No. 4 The Cingles de Tavertet.
Close by and slightly easier to get to are the Cingles de Tavertet. Tavertet is the other chocolate box village in the Collsacabra massif and again, it will be difficult to park and is usually full of tourists. The best way to get there is to park here and hike up the cliffs. It looks daunting, but there are three or four climbs through the forest up to the top and the plateau.
We recommend taking the easy climb up via the Morro Blanc which the nearest climb to Tavertet. Once at the top, there is an easy circular path along the cliff tops with outstanding views of the Panta de Sau below. Tavertet is worth a quick visit and maybe a cool beer or two. This is a walk and no climbing or scrambling is needed. With some of the other climbs up the cliff face, you'll come across ladders and chains get to the top.
No. 5 Fageda d'en Jordà, La Garrotxa.
Near to the town of Alot in the low Pyrenees, you'll find the Fageda d'en Jordà in the Natural Volcanic park in the La Garroxta region. The park cover approximately 12,000 Ha and contains over 40 extinct volcanoes. The two most visited are Crosscat and Santa Margarida with a small hermitage located in the volcanic plug in the centre. There are dozens of hikes and walks for all levels of fitness and with the towns of Olot, Santa Pau, Sant Joan les Fonts and Castellfollit de la Roca, you'll have hundreds of bars and restaurants to choose from.
We suggest that you try out WIKILOC and pick a route that rings your bell. Autumn in Catalunya runs from mid October through to the end of November depending on the altitude.
Casa Cal Domino accepts long weekends and mid-week breaks from mid October onwards. The Villa sleeps 8 and is fully winterised with central heating, double glazing, a log fireplace in the upper lounge and heated exterior Jacuzzi spa and interior sauna. Unfortunately, the swimming pool cannot be heated at this time of year, but for those brave enough to take the plunge at about 15ºC-20ºC, it is quite refreshing, cleaned, treated and useable. Prices start at €365 per day (€45 pppd based on 8 sharing) and a minimum stay of 3 days. Out of season week bookings are €2550 per week for full private use of the Villa and its amenities (Jacuzzi, sauna), all utility bills (gas, water, electricity), CCTV entry, large safe for your computers and valuables, pool and house towels, cleaning and all taxes.
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