Catalan Parks: El Montseny

Today I am going to talk about my experience in the Montseny Natural Park, one of the twelve lungs of Catalonia, and only one hours drive from Barcelona.

Montseny is the perfect place to escape the city noise and reconnect with nature. Recommended both for those who love the countryside, because it has a great ecological diversity, and for most urbanites, because their schedules are quite enjoyable. Rivers, chestnut trees, incredible views, ponds, stone houses … A true luxury of 31063.90 hectares.

Directions

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If you visit the old city of Barcelona by car Montseny is a nice getaway to recharge.

One recommendation: watch the weather before starting the journey.We ended up eating in the rain! Fortunately the foliage of the trees allowed us to eat almost normally.

The Walk

At this point we begin the path “carbassa pujat,” which is neither too complicated or requires a specialized footwear. With a fluted-soled sneakers and a jacket is enough because the gradient of this route is only 10%.

It depends on the time when you visit the park, but the first part of the journey usually takes place between wildflowers. A Gift for the smell if you come from Barcelona’s contamination.

This part of the journey culminates in a plateau with spectacular views of the park. If you arrive here soon, and the day is not too hot, it can be an ideal place for a picnic. Of course, those who do the same route also pass through here, and although this area is not crowded, it may not be too intimate.

Then the descent comes.

I must confess that this area reminded me a lot to the film “Pan’s Labyrinth“, and I even thought for a moment to see Ophelia about to enter the tree where she would meet the huge frog that guards the key.

The last part of the walk is more enjoyable. Suddenly, after the descent, you will faced a reservoir. The vegetation here is lush and quite wide and the road runs parallel to one of the rivers of the park (this is another perfect place for a snack).

The tour lasts approximately two hours, but if done calmly, as was our case, may be lasts one more hour.

The photographer’s walk

The flora in the Montseny is varied. If you do the way camera in hand and you like nature photography, you will enjoy it very much. However a part of the mountaineers, we saw no wildlife.

In my case, despite not being a fan of nature photography, I must confess I had fun looking for something to photograph and how to stand out from the general green. Definitely a good exercise to keep the “photographic look” awake. Not to mention the exercise I’ve done with Lightroom by enhancing the overall atmosphere.

I took many close-ups, but also took the opportunity to take a panoramic photo when the fog for a moment invaded everything.

In short, the Montseny is a good option to get some fresh air for those who live in the city, an interesting tour for visitors to Barcelona who want to know their surroundings, and a better choice for those who enjoy nature photography. And all this at an hour from Barcelona! What else could you ask for?