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Start
Camping Benelux (Platja Castell)
We set off
from our meeting point at the reception of Camping Benelux that is
surrounded by pine trees. From here it is a pleasant stroll along the
walking track that winds its way through the pine and cork trees towards
Platja la Fosca. We get occasional glimpses of the shimmering blue sea of
Platja Castell.
Cala S’Alguer – 1 . 5 kms from start
Within 150
metres we take the marked track to the left that takes us down behind the
campsite and then joins up with the dirt road that leads to the dirt car
park of Cala S’Alguer. From the car park we can stroll up to the headland on
our right to give us beautiful views across the water to Platja Castell and
the Cap Roig headland. We return to the car park area and continue along the
walking trail that is tucked in behind the fishermen’s cottages.
We are
greeted with glorious views of the water the whole way along here and we
walk through the little bay of Cala S’Alguer and marvel at the picturesque
cottages that sit right next to the shore.
Platja Castell – 2 kms from start
As we
follow the walk trail we see Platja Castell in front of us. This beach is
the last remaining beach on the Costa Brava to have no development on it.
The council have now purchased the beach and the surrounding area to
hopefully preserve it in this manner for generations to come.
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Iberian settlement Sa Cobertera – 2 . 5
kms from start
We walk
across the beach towards the headland at the Northern end of the beach where
an ancient Iberian settlement has been discovered. As we leave the beach we
follow the signs that take us up to the Iberian settlement. From here there
are fantastic views across Platja Castell, Cala S’Aguer and the bay of La
Fosca in the distance.
The
excavations of the settlement were done between 1943 and 1949. From the
excavations it has been determined that the settlement was founded around
the 6th
century BC and then later abandoned roughly 500 years later at the end of
the 1st
century BC.
Cap Roig natural area – 2 . 5 kms from
start
We return
to the path that led us up to the Iberian settlement and make our way
through the Cap Roig natural area. This area has been given protection
status and is comprised of Pine, Cork and Eucalyptus trees. The track is
well shaded here and affords us occasional glimpses of the sea.
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Cala Estreta – 3 . 5 kms from start
The track
takes us back towards the cliffs overlooking the sea and is now clearly part
of the Cami de Ronda – the hidden coastal paths that were used by both
smugglers and the police in the attempts to bring in illegal bounty. The
track winds its way around stunning headlands before descending into Cala
Estreta that is comprised of two sandy bays.
Cala
Estreta is a pristine beach and is an excellent location to have a quick
swim around the rocks to explore the undersea creatures of this coast, as
well as having a rest and drink before continuing.
When we
are ready we continue along the beach and discover two more beautiful sandy
bays that are very similar to Cala Estreta. At the northern end of the last
bay we walk up some steps towards the headland where we get a lovely view
across the water to Llafranc. Also there is an information board giving us
information about the Isles Formigues that we can see just off in the
distance.
Platja El Crit – 4 kms from start
We have
followed the Cami de Rondi around the bays to this sandy beach with a small
building on it. From here we take the wooden steps up off the beach to
return back into the wooded area of Cap Roig. The walk continues up for a
couple of hundred metres so we take our time to enjoy the view of the sea
behind us. As we reach the top of the track we come to the crossroads of
several forest trails – including the GR 92 that is one of the Gran Routes
that cross Spain. We turn right and follow the main path down the hill
towards Calella de Palafrugell.
This is a
lovely stretch of the path as the scenery starts to open up and we get
sweeping views across the fields to the Les Gavarres hills in the
background.
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Calella de Palafrugell – 6 kms from start
The path
continues towards a ‘T’ junction where we could turn right to go to the
Botanical Gardens of Cap Roig – which are well worth a visit. It is home to
1200 species of Mediterranean plants and is set around the 100 year old
palace of an old Russian colonel who fled the Russian Revolution.
We continue down the road towards the beach at Calella
de Palafrugell before taking a small path to link up with the Cami de Ronda
again. This is a lovely way to enter the town as we get enticing glimpses of
the village with its prominent church sitting above the traditional style
beachside villas. Again, the stunning views of the rocky coast accompany us
the whole way along the path.
Once we arrive at the beach at Calella de Palafrugell
we have a well earned drink and a bite to eat as this is our turn around
point for the walk. After a break, we either have a swim to cool off or
stroll around the lovely village having a look at some of the artisan shops
and restaurants.
To return
to Cap Roig we follow the same path that took us down to Calella de
Palafrugell and head back towards the shaded forest tracks.
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Junction of El Crit – 8 km from start
Instead of
taking the path down to the beach at El Crit, we take the GR 92 path that is
indicated by the red and white markers. This takes us higher up in Cap Roig
and gives us splendid views both across the inland areas towards Les
Gavarres as well as across to he sea.
Cap Roig lookout – 9 . 5 km from start
After
approximately 30 minutes on the track we come to a lookout that has stunning
views across Platja Castell, La Fosca and on a clear day as far as Platja
D’Aro and the hills of L’Ardenya natural area in the background.
We wind
our way down from the lookout and enter deeper into the forest of this
protected zone. The track now takes us back towards Platja Castell. At the
cross roads to the entry of Platja Castell we turn right and walk for 50
metres before turning left to walk across the field that will link us up
with the path that we started the journey on.
Once we
have joined up with the original path we see the bridge to our left that we
crossed earlier in the day and we continue on the path through the shady
trees until we arrive at our destination of Camping Benelux for a well
earned drink at the café.
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