By Regina Winkle-Bryan
Summer's lazy days are upon us in Barcelona
As my stay-cation rolls on, I find that my Barcelona schedule is fuller than ever. There is something on every night of the week. Right now the Festa de Sants is in full swing, and I plan to check it out during the week. Live music, food, and lots of costumes and entertainment await those who head over to this vibrant fiesta.
Starting point for Puigcastellet hike, outside of Barcelona, Spain
I have also been using my stay-cation time to take in some of Catalonia’s many natural wonders. From Portland, Oregon, originally, I get depressed if I am out of contact with nature for too long. Last weekend we headed off to the mountains to do a bit of hiking and see green up close and personal (Barcelona is many things, but green is not one of them). The fine folks over at the Diputacio de Barcelona have put together a handbook full of hikes to do around Catalonia, and we chose one of them, the Casol de Puigcastellet hike, and tried it out last Saturday.
Hiking along the Casol de Puigcastellet trail
We discovered that the map the Diputacio de Barcelona has printed in its handy guide is not 100% correct. We did not reach the Casol de Puigcastellet site, which is contains the remains of an Iberian settlement. I am not sure why we never got there, but we did find the rest of the places marked on map. I am not much for ruins anyways, unless they are really impressive. What was interesting to see on the route, were all the old Villas and farmhouses, many still in use as working farms. The Casol de Puigcastellet hike is not a popular one, and during the day we only saw one other group of people.
Rutes de Patrimoni Arquitectonic - Catalunya
The guide book clocks the hike at an hour and 45 minutes, but I would say it is a bit more. Bring water and a picnic and make the most of it. The hike offers beautiful views of Folgueroles village and the Guilleries Mountains. I am sure to try more hikes from the so-so guidebook as my August stay-cation continues.
Farmhouse or Catalan Masia on the trail
See more on hikes in this region of Spain here: Guilleries Hikes
See more on hikes in other parts of Catalonia here: More cool hikes in Spain
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