Walking Catalonia

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made the difference. (Robert Frost – The road not taken)

Cultural Walk 1

OIX – LA MARE DE DÉU DE LES ESCALES - SALT DEL LIBERALS – OIX

THIS WALK DESCRIPTION IS THE COPYRIGHT OF WALKING CATALONIA AND IS FOR YOUR PERSONAL, PRIVATE USE ONLY. IT MAY NOT BE COPIED OR REPRODUCED IN ANY WAY UNLESS PERMISSION IS OBTAINED BEFOREHAND.

WALKERS FOLLOW THIS ROUTE DESCRIPTION AT THEIR OWN RISK.

A classic route in the rugged mountains of L'Alta Garrotxa passing by a lonely Romanesque church

Route description

Start the walk in OIX by passing behind the church along a street (following signs to 'Beget'), which turns into a track, then crosses a gully and heads northeast out of the village. Ignore a concrete track up left and head straight towards Oix castle (400m); stay right at sign 'Camí particular' and pass underneath and to the right of the castle and a stone house. Just 300 m further on, keep straight on as a bigger track comes in from your right and pass below a farm up to your left. In a further 300 m, keep down to right as the metalled road to Beget heads up left. As you pass below another farm up on your left, begin to drop downhill and pass quickly by recently restored Can Pei on your left (with stables on your right) as you approach the river. Cross the dry river bed of the Riera d'Oix (1.6 km) once and then again (1.8 km), before reaching a concrete fording-point (2.3 km). Now with the river bed in a deep gully down to your left, continue until reach the bridge El Pont de Cal Xicot or El Pont Trencat (3 km; 35 min).

Just beyond the bridge you will see a sign pointing right down a footpath to 'Mare de Déu d'Escales' (ignore the big yellow and white cross you will see straight away – this means you are leaving the PR route). After just 40 m, turn right down a path to the dry river bed (note piles of stones or cairns) and cross straight over and up the far bank to pick up a narrow but well-trod path heading downstream with the river-bed down to your left. After around 1 km on this path, you will start to drop down into an open area just above the river-bed: follow the large cairns down to the riverbed itself, keep slightly left and then look for the cairns on the far bank (4 km; 55 min).

On the far bank, the path climbs diagonally uphill rightwards (E) from the river bank and in 80 m you will come to a junction of paths marked by 3 large cairns: (remember this point for the return) keep straight on here for the Romanesque church of La Mare de Déu de les Escales, which you reach 250 m later (4.3 km; 1hr 05 min).

Having visited the church and once back at back at the junction, climb steeply up to the right following the cairns to the base of a large flat vertical rock, where the path turns leftwards and flattens out somewhat. Continue to climb and reach a small grassy saddle with a junction of paths just beyond. [The left hand option here dropping down to the river is a quick way back to Oix and will take you back to El Pont de Cal Xicot in 15 mins: follow this path down to the river, cross straight over and pick up path heading SW back towards the bridge.] Keeping straight on at the junction, continue northwest with the Riera de Beget away down to your left. You pass through open pastures and soon enter some woodland, where you start to climb on a rockier section that suddenly opens out and gives you splendid views across the Riera de Beget to the cliffs beyond: you are now at El Salt dels Liberals - Liberal's Leap – or, as it is known sometimes, El Grau d'Escales (4.9 km; 1hr 20min).

The path continues between the cliff on the right and the wall on the left before re-entering the forest and beginning to drop. You cross a small gully 500m later, bend left and quickly come to a T-junction: turn left and equally quickly you will drop down to a bigger river with water more or less all year round, just downstream from a La Palanca del Samsó, a sturdy wooden bridge (5.5 km; 1 hr 35min). [For those with more energy, from here you can cross the river and walk upstream along the river in search of a bathing hole, or just to enjoy the views. Another alternative is to find the track heading upstream on the left bank of the river (i.e. don't cross the bridge), and continue for about 1 km to the Romanesque church of Sant Miquel d'Hortmoier.]

Cross the bridge and just beyond the far bank pick up a broad track leftwards back towards Oix. Pass through the gorge of Grau d'Escales with El Salt dels Lliberals high up to your left on the far bank and after ignoring a track off right, you will reach El Pont de Cal Xicot once again (7.0 km; 2 15hr).