The medieval village of Santa Pau, built mostly in the first half of the 14th century, is located southeast of the Olot plains, in the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park (Parc Natural de la Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa), between the Sant Julià del Mont and Santa Maria de Finestres mountain ranges.
This 14 kilometre circular hiking route starts in Sant Pau medieval village and heads up the Santa Maria de Finestres mountain to Santa Maria de Finestres mountain top church through the lands of the barons of Santa Pau. The route provides views of the nearby Santa Margarida Volcano.
Santa Pau is a medieval fortified walled village where the outer buildings of the village form the curtain walls around an inner main square and castle keep at the summit of the hill where the village is built. The village is perfectly preserved including the narrow cobble streets, the gate portals and the irregularly shaped, porticoed plaça Mayor and Santa Maria de Santa Pau church.
Santa Pau medieval village has narrow winding streets to explore such as Carrer de la Vila Vella and Carreró Vila Vella leading down to one of three gates, Portal de la Vila Vella.
Mirador plaça Lluís Masó Subirats as well as providing stepped access to the walled centre is also a good viewpoint looking over the Torrent de Pujolars river.
Portal de Sant Antoni is the southern access into the walled village leading from Plaça de Baix through a Norman arch into the galleries of plaça Mayor.
The population of Santa Pau as of 2023 is 1616 inhabitants. I would allow 1 hour to explore the walled village and get breakfast before starting the hike.
Note: The Santa Pau castle is closed to the public but is offering exclusive visits to the interior during the month of November 2024 on Saturday 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th from 10:00h to 14:00h.
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From Plaça de Baix follow the rural road south heading up passing modern rural houses as the road transitions into a narrow country lane heading into the forest. at Can Pardàs farmhouse take the right fork in the road following it round the hairpin bend and take the footpath towards Volcà Can Simó.
The footpath ascends through a small mountain plain with the Can Barraca farm ruin in one corner. pass the ruin and follow the trail into the forest. This trail under tree canopy follows a series of peeks as it ascends a ridgeline passing through the mini summits of La Costa (639m) and Coll de Maria (619m). As you follow this trail you will see rocky outcrops that are dry lava formations.
The trail continues ascending through the forests of Les Marrades (800m) and the path gets to a terraced mountain plain called Collada de Grau (873m). Cross this plain taking the Coll del Grau forested mountain path that ascends the Serra de Grau ridge passing summits at 936m, 938m and 955m.
At Puigsallança summit (1027m) there is a concrete marker pillar where you will find a natural viewpoint on a rock ledge where you can see the numerous forested cones of the now dormant volcanoes. Continue on this trail through the Mirador del Forat de l'Ovella mountain pass (846m) and viewpoint where you will see ribbon shaped rocky mountains amongst the forest.
Further along this path you will see Santa Maria de Finestres mountain top church (877m). There is a path around the side of the church to appreciate this religious building dating from 947AD. The current buildings contain elements from 1174AD when the abbots of this monastery turned the church into a Benedictine priory, which housed a small monastic community for four centuries. In 1428, with the earthquakes in the region, Santa Maria saw its vault and part of its walls badly damaged.
The next point of interest involves backtracking and taking the path to Castell de Finestres ruins (957m) where there is a fantastic viewpoint looking down on Santa Maria de Finestres and the surrounding mountains. you will also find a small religious mountain shrine. Virtually nothing remains of the castle but it is worth the effort to ascend to this viewpoint because it is a fantastic place to eat lunch with panoramic views.
To descend back to Santa Pau backtrack towards Forat de l'Ovella but taking the G991 Fagada de a Finestres trail on the right. You will see a square shrine called Oratori de Finestres. Descend through the forest passing Coll de Puigsafont (802m) where the path starts to parallel Torrent de la Salgueda river. Along this path you will come acros a natural mountain spring called Font de la Salgueda.
This forested descending trail arrives at La Coma ruined farmhouse (556m) picking up a gravel road that transitions into a paved road leading to multiple rural houses for tourist rental such as Mas el Pont, Mas el Pla, Planademunt and Mas Planadevall. Do not head towards these tourist houses but take a forested footpath towards Can Gordi farmhouse.
After the Can Gordi farmhouse the path transitions into a rural road called Camí de la Doma which leads back to Santa Pau village.
If visiting Santa Pau as an autumn weekend I recommend this beautiful easy and short 10km route to Santa Margarida Volcano. The crater is a grass plain with a small stone chapel, Ermita Santa Margarida in the middle.
Alternatively, Lava Parc offers a range of activities for all ages in and around the Croscat volcano such as pony riding and horse drawn gypsy carriage rides through the forest.
This route is fine and should not present any challenges or difficulties for a dog. However, note that this forest may contain poisonous mushrooms in autumn and it is possible that you may come across poisonous Pine Processionary Caterpillars in spring and summer because the route is mostly in forest.
Note: At the end of October there is the disgusting rural activity of Boar Hunting with pack dogs and rifles, so I recommend dressing your dog in a fluorescent vest and keeping it on a leash if your hike coincides with the hunt.
This is an medium walking route in the Pyrenees foothills. I always do it with a small rucksack of the essentials and first aid kit. Emergency waterproof/windproof jacket is recommended.
Take 2 to 3 litres of water.
Discover the charming medieval cities and villages of the Pre-Pyrenees, see the rich romanesque cultural heritage of the area, try a barbecue or set up a picnic in the forest.
Glide with the wind over the Garrotxa Natural Park and discover the volcanoes of Catalonia from the sky. See how the landscape was shaped by volcanic activity in a way that is simply not possible from the ground.
The half-day tour lasts approximately 5 hours, with about 1.5 hours flying time, and baskets for those with reduced mobility are available, including 3-door baskets that are suitable for the elderly.
Sip a glass of Cava and enjoy a local pancake as the breeze and your pilot navigate the route, The balloon is constantly monitored by a 4WD car that will be ready to pick you up on landing and return you to the start point where you will celebrate your balloon experience with a typical country breakfast of bread and tomato, cold cured sausage and beans from Santa Pau, roasted sausage, Catalan wine, and a glass of the local ratafia liquor.
Address: Plaça Major, Santa Pau, Girona. 17811
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13km Medium circular route from Santa Pau village to Santa Maria de Finestres mountain top church and castle ruins via ancient forests and volcanos
Distance: 13.28 Km
Difficulty: Meduim
Return Travel Fare: €25.00
Transport Network: CAR
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