Autumn in La Garrotxa: volcanoes, the Fageda d’en Jordà and Santa Pau

• Past Excursions

DATE: November 19th at 8am

Enjoy a beautiful hike through the most important volcanic area of the Iberian Peninsula: discover the impressive beech forest known as “La Fageda d’en Jordà”, walk to the center of the volcano Santa Margarita and visit the village of Santa Pau, a beautiful village of medieval origin.

– LA FAGEDA D’EN JORDÀ

It is a spectacular beech forest, one of those natural environments that take your breath away, that invite you to get lost, that intoxicate you. The mystique of La Fageda is nothing new. Its colors and beeches have inspired painters and poets, including Joan Maragall, who dedicated one of his poems to it.

– SANTA MARGARIDA VOLCANO

Of all the volcanoes of the Garrotxa, the Santa Margarida volcano is one of the best known and most visited. Located at the foot of the road linking Olot to Santa Pau, this volcano erupted about 11,500 years ago and poured millions of tons of magma that accumulated on the hill, which today is covered with oaks and has a height of 682 meters.

Inside its crater, about two kilometers long and covered with grass and bushes, a Romanesque hermitage invites meditation. The small church, which gives its name to the volcano, was destroyed during the Cataluña earthquake of 1428, while the present building dates from 1865. Inside the temple, with a single nave and ashlars, the image of Santa Margarita de la Cot is venerated, a replica of the original from the 6th century, which is in the Diocesan Museum of Girona.

– SANTA PAU

The medieval village of Santa Pau is located southeast of the plain of Olot, retains the interesting enclosure of the old town, with a physiognomy and medieval characteristics very marked. The main square or Firal dels Bous, the church of Santa Maria, the Portal del Mar, etc., stand out.

THE PLAN:

– 8h: We will meet at Plaza Universitat to take our private bus. We stopped for breakfast on the way.

– 10.30 – 14.30h: Hike to enjoy:

1- Santa Margarida volcano

2- The “Fageda d’en Jordà”, one of the most spectacular beech forests in southern Europe.

– 14.30-15h: Bus to Santa Pau

-15-17h: Free time to eat in Santa Pau, where we can try the typical “fesols”, white beans and sweets (if someone wants to eat in a restaurant I recommend you book in advance)

– 17-18h: Stroll through Santa Pau

– 18h: Bus back, returning to Barcelona around 8:00 p.m.

LANGUAGES: Spanish and Catalan

If the weather forecast is bad, the excursion will be postponed.

DATE: November 19, 2022

ACCOMPANYING GUIDE: Toni Bellido