- self-guided, single-centre walk
- walk amid ancient volcanoes and magnificent beech woods
- visit timeless medieval villages and beautiful Girona
- charming hotel with locally acclaimed restaurant
- hire car included
In the foothills of the mighty Catalan Pyrenees lies the little-known region of the Garrotxa, a land cut in two by the River Fluvia. To the south, timeless medieval villages are scattered amid flower-filled meadows that are overlooked by ancient volcanoes cloaked in beech and oak woodland that provides beautiful displays of colour each autumn.
The Hotel Cal Sastre is the epitome of a charming rural hotel – the welcome is warm and friendly, the bedrooms and public rooms are decorated with curious old artefacts, and the delicious breakfast buffet features home-made preserves made from fruit from the garden. My favourite memory, however, is strolling through the atmospheric village square to reach the hotel’s locally acclaimed restaurant, tucked under the arcades.
Beth Hancock, Marketing Team
Stroll through the cobbled streets of villages such as Santa Pau – your base for this break – and not only will you be transported back in time, but you will also come across architectural treasures ranging from Jewish bath-houses to Art Nouveau mansions. Walking amid the dormant volcanoes and magnificent woodland is equally rewarding – you will pass beautiful viewpoints and pretty Romanesque chapels in the most unexpected of places. But perhaps the best discovery of all is the cuisine. The delightful Hotel-Restaurante Cal Sastre where you stay is part of the Cuina Vulcànica group, a movement which aims to preserve the Garrotxa’s gastronomic traditions. You will be treated each night to delicious interpretations of age-old local recipes that draw on the rich local produce – delicate Santa Pau beans, intensely flavoured sheep’s milk cheeses, locally reared veal and beef, piumoc (pork sausage) and flavoursome Montserrat tomatoes.