• Length: 3 days – 4 nights
  • Standard price: €268
  • Price with luggage transfer: €309
  • Level of difficulty: demanding
  • Total distance: 58 km / 36 miles
  • Maximum height: 1,529 m
  • Height difference: +2,813 -2,796
  • Attractions and leisure
This is the most demanding hike, calling for excellent physical fitness and experience of long mountain routes.

First night: Molló km /miles Height difference /
Maximum height		 Approx. time
Day 1 Molló – Prats de Molló 17.1 / 10.6 +645 -1,089 / 1,529 m 6h 30 min
Day 2 Prats de Molló – Beget 20.3 / 12.6 +1,024 -1,231 / 1,172 m 8h
Day 3 Beget – Molló 21.5 / 13.3 +1,144 -476 / 1,185 m 7h 45 min
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Route

The route is designed to be followed clockwise and, while you can start at any of the beginnings/ends of stages, in line with the historic direction of the paths, we recommend starting from Camprodon (Camprodon valley) or else at Prats de Molló (Tec valley). The highest points on the route are Coll Pregon (1,533 m) and Coll de Malrem (1,135 m.), the two passes over which you will cross the border ridge. The whole route is waymarked with symbols of different kinds. The route basically follows the red and white marks of the GR long-distance footpaths, the yellow and white or yellow ones of the PR short-distance paths and the red and yellow marks of the GRP regional paths in France. Along the way you will come to different places to stop for food, all shown on the map. For each stage you will find a description of a recommended off-route walk with an indication of its length.

Degree of difficulty

The hike is over medium-height mountain terrain along well-marked paths that go up valleys on gentle slopes. The only steeper sections, though they are short, are the climb out of Espinavell towards Coll Pregon and the descent from Coll de Malrem to Beget. The technical level of difficulty of the route is easy. Nevertheless, it calls for knowledge and basic experience of walking, navigation and safety in the mountains, as well as a good level of physical fitness. For each stage you will find information about the degree of difficulty involved from the point of view of physical effort. The timings are for guidance and do not include stops.

Description of the route by days/stages plus recommended off-route walks and historical accounts.

DAY 1. Molló – Espinavell – Prats de Molló

Molló – Espinavell

  • Distance: 5.1 km
  • Approx. time: 1 h 30 min
  • Maximum height: 1,350 m
  • Height differences: +239 -167
  • Waymarking: GR 151 (FEEC)
  • Difficulty: easy

Leave Molló in the direction of the cemetery. Just before you leave the village, turn left along a street that takes you to a crossroads with a signpost. There you take the right-hand track and then alternate between stretches of track and path. Pass the hamlet of Grell, and then after a section of track take a footpath to the left that leads to the metalled road to Espinavell.

“We only rested for a few minutes in Molló, a little village with fifteen or twenty black houses, practically derelict, with sinister people passing from one to another, for what purposes one could only imagine.”.
Testimony on the Republican exile (7th February 1939), Source: Artur Bladé (L'Exiliada, 1976)
“We reached Toulouse in January 1943 and there we were met by a resistance group. They had hardly anything but we were not alone. We could not leave the cellar where they had hidden us because the German Wehrmacht patrolled the streets every day on a man-hunt, a Jew-hunt.”
Testimony of a Jewish exile, Alma Stern, Source: Assumpta Montellà (Contrabandistes de la Llibertat, 2009)

Recommended off-route walk: Espinavell - Pica del Costabona (6h both ways)

Attractive excursion to the head of the Tech valley, following the frontier ridge with spectacular views of French Catalonia and the Canigó massif.

Espinavell – Prats de Molló

  • Distance: 12 km
  • Approx. time: 5 h
  • Maximum height: 1,529 m
  • Height differences: +406 -922
  • Waymarking: GR 151 (FEEC), GRP
  • Difficulty: demanding

Go straight up the main street of Espinavell, which turns into a track. When you come to a fork, take the track to the right, which then turns into a narrow footpath. Keep on along the path, which is easy to follow and will take you to the pass of Coll Pregon. From Coll Pregon follow the frontier ridge to the east, following the yellow and red markings of the Tour del Vallespir, until you get to the mediaeval tower of Torre de Mir (1,540 m). From the tower follow the Tour del Vallespir waymarks down to Prats de Molló.

 

“First the French soldiers came and then the Spanish started to arrive from La Preste. Here on the bridge people from the village waited with a bag of bread, chocolate and cheese and handed them out as they went past. The church and the school were opened for them. Nobody was expecting them, there were some swine who tried to loot.”
Oral testimony to the arrival of the Republicans in Prats de Molló (28th December 2015), Ms. Montserrat Pérez, 96 years old (Prats de Molló )

Recommended off-route walk: La Preste - Nature Reserve (3h both ways)

From La Preste go up to the chalet of Les Conques, located in a privileged spot. From there you enter the heart of the nature reserve, where different species of birds and mammals live. We strongly recommend that you carry on to the ridge leading to Pla Guillem to see the fantastic shapes of the Esquerdes de Rojà, a dramatic series of ridges.

DAY 2. Prats de Molló – Nostra Senyora de la Coral – Beget

Prats de Molló – Nostra Senyora de la Coral

  • Distance: 7.1 km
  • Approx. time: 2 h 30 min
  • Maximum height: 1,172 m
  • Height differences: +614 -265
  • Waymarking: GR 83 (FEEC)
  • Difficulty: demanding
  • Attractions and leisure

Take the path at the entrance to the holiday centre just after the bridge leaving in the direction of Coll d’Ares. Follow the path (red and white marks) up to the Coll de la Guilla. Cross the road and a fence and take the track going down. Here you have to take care because after a kilometre you leave the track and follow a small footpath to the left that takes you to a stream bed, which you cross and then start climbing again up to the chapel of Nostra Senyora de la Coral (Our Lady of the Fold).

“A time came when all I could see was white. The world had turned white, colourless, nothing had any colour, neither my hands nor my body… I was starting to freeze. All I remember is waking up from oblivion because the guide was rubbing my fingers and toes with wine from a small wineskin he had on him. My mother wanted to carry me on her shoulders, but the guide said I had to keep walking to keep my blood warm.”
Testimony of a Jewish exile, Alma Stern , Source: Assumpta Montellà (Contrabandistes de la Llibertat, 2009)
“All these slopes from Espinavell to here were filled with our debris. Horses shot dead that were swelling up horribly in the clear Pyrenean air. Cars, lorries pushed off from the highest point they had managed to get up to. Disabled mortars, artillery pieces and machine guns. Piles of rifles. And the immensity of useless things that armies, unable to comprehend the magnitude of a retreat, carry with them: cases, books … fans, a phonograph speaker.”
Testimony on the Republican exile (14th February 1939), Source: Avel·lí Artis-Gener (Pòrtic, 1991))

Recommended off-route walk: La Coral - La Menera - Torres de Cabrenys (5h30 both ways)

From La Menera climb up to an almost impregnable promontory on which the towers and castle have withstood the passing of time. A veritable journey into the middle ages.

Nostra Senyora de la Coral – Beget

  • Distance: 13.2 km
  • Approx. time: 5 h 30 min
  • Maximum height: 1,120 m
  • Height differences: +410 -966
  • Waymarking: GR 83 (FEEC)
  • Difficulty: demanding

From La Coral retrace your steps as far as the signpost pointing to La Menera. Follow the GR 83 long-distance footpath. There is a stretch where the path turns into a track where trees were felled recently, only to turn back into a path leading to a picnic place and the bridge at the entrance to La Menera. Leave La Menera on the metalled road until you come to a fairly well-trodden footpath forking off to the right. This will take you to the Coll de Malrem without any difficulty finding the way. From the pass, take a small path down until you come to a track, which you follow to the left as far as the oratory of Can França. There you take a path that, descending steeply but easy to find, brings you to Beget.

 

“During the Republican retreat I was nine years old, and now I’m eighty-five. I remember that at night the whole area was full of small fires. Very often there was a knock at the door to see if we could give them something. They were very hungry and exhausted. The way to France ran in front of our house and for almost a week people and more people didn’t stop going past. There were people from all over the place, they didn’t know where they were going, they still had a long way to go to get to La Menera.”
Oral testimony on the Republican exile (17th November 2015), Ms. Asunción Duñach (El Forn de Beget)

Recommended off-route walk: Comanegra (1,558 m 8h both ways)

The Alta Garrotxa area is a wild, mountainous territory. Comanegra (1,558 m) is the highest peak and a fantastic viewpoint over the area and the eastern end of the Pyrenees, especially the Canigó. The border ridge is a spectacularly exciting walk. 

DAY 3. Beget – Camprodon – Molló

Beget – Camprodon

  • Distance: 13.3 km
  • Approx. time: 5 h 30 min
  • Maximum height: 1,079 m
  • Height differences: +725 -301
  • Waymarking: GR11, PR C-187 (FEEC) / Itinerannia
  • Difficulty: demanding

Take the GR 11 long-distance footpath towards Molló until you come to the Molí d’en Sorolla, an old mill (from here it is worth visiting the castle of Rocabruna). From here take the PR-187 short-distance footpath and follow the contour, leaving behind the pass of Font Ramut until you come to a junction with a metalled track; follow this to the right for about 200 metres until you get to La Quera (a house). There you take another path that brings you to Coll de Bolos and Mas Blanc. Follow the path as far as Coll de la Creueta and then down towards the golf course and Camprodon itself.

“Smuggling, yes, we did live a little bit from smuggling. A lot of stuff came from France, people made a lot of money. In the Second World War we took liquor to France. A lot of Jews were brought over. I remember when I was about 9 years old – now I’m 87 – my father brought a Jewish gentleman to Camprodon. They couldn’t talk the same language. He slept at our house and the next day my father took him to the Can Rovira hotel in Camprodon. The Jews carried jewellery. There were deaths, too. The Germans killed one in a beechwood near here. The Germans were swine, you never saw them in their green uniforms, they’d suddenly just appear with their dogs. The came down looking for aiguardent [a spirit]. We’ve probably still got a watch at home that they gave us in exchange for aiguardent. There on the frontier we saw all kinds of things.”
Oral testimony of a smuggler from Rocabruna (17th November 2015), Mr Joan Llongarriu (Can Fontanella)

Camprodon – Molló

  • Distance: 8.2 km
  • Approx. time: 2 h 45 min
  • Maximum height: 1,185 m
  • Height differences: +419 -175
  • Waymarking: PR C-187 (FEEC) / Itinerannia / GR 11 (FEEC)
  • Difficulty: moderate
Begins on the right bank of the river Ritort. Follow the river as far as the farmhouse of Can Moi, which you pass on your left, Els Solans campsite and Rocabruna bridge. There you cross the road leading to Beget and then follow paths and dirt tracks to reach the Pla del Collet. From there, take the a track going down to the left (GR 11). Pass by La Costa holiday accommodation on your right. The track takes you down to the river. Cross Can Fumat bridge and then climb up to Molló following the GR 11 markings.
“Camprodon became a dead end where soldiers and civilians from all over Spain arrived. As many as three hospitals were improvised, in the Hotel Camprodon, the modern-day children’s holiday centre and the school. Many wounded arrived. From here on conditions were very poor. The road from Molló to Coll d’Ares had been practically impassable since the floods of 1940. I remember the first time I walked over to France with my father, in 1951. We crossed over at Coll Pregon and got to Prats de Molló, Perpignan, Argelés and Prades, where Pau Casals signed a dedication to my father. At the time I didn’t know who this gentleman was.”
Oral testimony from the Coll d’Ares in the post-war period , Alejandro Cuadrado (Director of the Museum of the Retreat in Camprodon)

Recommended off-route walk: Molló - Coll d’Ares (Camí de la Retirada 3h both ways)

From Molló follow the historic Camí de la Retirada (Path of the Retreat) to the Coll d’Ares, the pass that marks the border. Great views of the Camprodon Valley as you go up, and a surprise at the pass, with views of the Mediterranean and the Alt Vallespir and Alta Garrotxa areas.
Accommodation

Bed and breakfast (plus dinner where shown)

Travel log

In this booklet you will find technical information about the route, eye-witness accounts of historical events, a selection of photographs of points of interest and a page where you can get stamps for different places along the way.

Information on services

General information sheet showing services like cash machines, banks, post offices, village shops, hotels, cafés and taxis.

Map

1:25,000 map with the route.

Personal itinerary

Personalised information on your accommodation with contact details and how to get there.

Optional

  • Luggage transfer
  • Picnic
  • Accompanying mountain guide for the recommended off-route walks
  • Accompanying mountain guide for the whole hike.
  • Extra nights
  • Supplement for a single room
  • Airport or railway station transfer service

What is not included?

  • Insurance
  • Evening meals (except where shown)
  • Personal transport between stages
  • Any other items not specified in the price
Prices “Sport”
Accommodation, map, travel log, personal itinerary, general information sheet showing services , GPS tracks €268
With luggage transport €309
With packed lunches €305
With luggage transport and packed lunches €346
Optional
 Accompanying mountain guide for the recommended off-route walks (price per day per group up to 12 people) €195
Accompanying mountain guide for the whole hike (price per day per group up to 12 people) €150
Extra nights (per night)  €68
Supplement for a single room (per night) €20
Airport or railway station transfer service “Please enquire”

One of the great things about our holidays is the quality of the accommodation. Cosy little mountain guest houses, top hotels and mediaeval chapels listed as historic monuments. In selecting our accommodation we look for friendly hosts, a good position close to the route, a private bathroom for each room (except in some cases) and quality food prepared using plenty of regional produce.

We try to book single rooms wherever possible.

Here are some examples of the accommodation we use along the route between Camprodon and Prats de Molló.

 

HOTELET DEL BACHotelet del Bac

“We have spent more than three years thinking of every detail and supervising work to make sure the Hotelet del Bac is a pleasant place. We have the enthusiasm, the location and the setting to make your stay with us a unique one.”

 

 

 

 

hotel-calitxoHotel Calitxó

The Hotel Calitxó is a charming mountain hostelry in the small village of Molló in the Camprodon valley, close to France. It is set in an area with a rich history, beautiful natural settings and marvellous landscapes.

 

 

 

 

 

EL QUINTAR

Hostal El Quintà

At the foot of Costabona, one of the highest peaks and a landmark of the Ripollès area, and surrounded by mountains, meadows and streams, the Hostal El Quintà is the ideal place to get away from it all, or simply to relax and enjoy the peace and quiet of this idyllic setting.

 

 

 

 

BELLEVUEHotel Bellevue

The Hotel is situated in the Eastern Pyrenees, in the Alt Vallespir area, at the heart of northern Catalonia and just a few kilometres from the Spanish border. Prats de Molló welcomes you to the foot of the nature reserve. This mediaeval town, with its walls designed by Vauban, is packed with interesting features and places to visit.

 

 

 

coral_11Nostra Senyora de la Coral

The chapel of Nostra Senyora del Coral (Our Lady of the Fold) is a church dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, within the municipality of Prats de Molló. Tradition has it that a shepherd found a statue of the virgin Mary in an oak tree nearby. It has been listed as a historic monument since 18th April 1990. Part of it is now a guest house, whose greatest riches are its stones with a host of stories to tell and the excellent welcome provided by Frank and Isabel.

 

 

 

EL FORNHostal del Forn

Beget is a small village within the municipality of Camprodon, but also part of the EIN (area of natural interest) of the Alta Garrotxa. The entrance to the village is dominated by the magnificent 12th-century church of Sant Cristòfol de Beget (St. Christopher of Beget) which jealously guards the so-called Majesty of Beget, a Romanesque carving of Christ in Majesty wearing a tunic which is unique of its style in Catalonia, and also dates from the 12th

 

century.

 

CAN FERRANCan Ferran

This 18th-century house was meticulously restored in the late 50s and recently refurbished to bring it in line with today’s standards. The house is in one of Catalonia’s most special villages: Beget, a uniquely beautiful place in the Alta Garrotxa blessed with peace and quiet, partly thanks to the fact that cars cannot enter it.

accesos

From Girona (Spain) to Camprodon on the AP-7 / C66 and C38 roads
By bus from Girona: www.teisa-bus.com
Airport: Girona-Costa Brava

From Barcelona (Spain) to Camprodon on the N260 and C38 roads.
By bus from Barcelona: www.teisa-bus.com
Airport: Barcelona-El Prat

From Perpignan (France) to Prats de Molló on the D900 and D115 roads.
By bus from Perpignan, no. 341 http://bus1euro.cg66.fr/
Airports: Perpignan-Rivesaltes and Toulouse-Blagnac

This package includes 3 days and 4 nights. If you wish, you can add extra days to any of the stages, either to rest or to try the recommended off-route walks or other activities. Here are some links where you can find out about places to go, activities to try and other useful information.

Hipica Mas Batlló
Molló Parc d’Animals
Prats de Molló
Reserva natural nacional de Prats de Molló
Thermes de La Preste les Bains
El Ripollès
La Garrotxa
L’Empordà
Tourisme Pyrenees Orientales
Vall de Camprodon

ENJOY (4 DAYS / 5 NIGHTS)
RELAX (6 DAYS / 7 NIGHTS)
HOLIDAY (11 DAYS / 12 NIGHTS)