Day 12. Ripoll to Olot

Wow what different riding compared to Los Ojos Negros!

Decrepit, but with a solar panel on the roof

Cow with bell

We breakfasted at the hotel and set out under coolish partly sunny skies. The first part of the ride was from Ripoll to Sant Joan de les Abadesses, about ten kilometers of slightly uphill riding through mostly farmland.

We saw donkeys, cattle and sheep and saw lots of farm workers and other users of the path, mostly on foot. This alpine region looks like parts of northern Italy or even Switzerland.



The surface was quite different to Los Ojos Negros also. For large sections it was sandy and not bound together. So a smooth ride but more rolling resistance than we had experienced down south.

At  Sant Joan de les Abadesses the route moves off the rail trail (which continues on for another ten kilometers). We initially had to do some casting about to find the route down to the centre of town, over the quaint angular footbridge and then along the main street for one hundred metres or so to the turnoff. There we stopped at a bar for coffees and to use los servicios before tacking the next segment.

Footbridge on the route in Olot

A local dianthus on the side of the road

This segment is a quiet secondary road that winds up and up to the pass at Col de Santigosa. As we climbed higher we rode into the cloud so it was quite cool and pleasant for climbing. Even when you couldn't see far the sound of clanking bells on the sheep and cattle told you that farms were just off the edge of the road.

Along the way I stopped to snack on red currants and blackberries. The blackberries were not as good as the ones down south. We saw a couple of other cyclists and only very few cars on this road. None of the climb was steep but it didn't let up so most were glad for a break at the pass.

As experienced by some

As it actually is

Then it was downhill on slightly slippery road still in the cloud. You wouldn't call it rain but we still got wet. At a fork in the road we regrouped and had to remove Christine's chain guard which was preventing the front derailleur from moving onto the big ring. So the demon descender didn't get to set any new speed records :-(

The road kept on dropping and there was a lovely fast section almost into Olot. We managed to make the correct turn and joined the dedicated cycle route though town, although we soon left it to continue down the main street to find some lunch. This ended up surprisingly well! We found a nice looking restaurant, run by an Indian family that served mostly Spanish food. The menu del dia was fabulous, with many lovely choices. For first course I chose the potato blinis which were stuffed with a slice of morcella. Sensational! I think all eight of us were happy with the outcome. There was one token Indian dish on the menu (a chicken curry) but we talked to the waiter who was quite happy to be using English and he said they tone it down a lot for Spanish tastes.

We then rode out through town to Hotel Can Blanc which was down a quiet road with a very agritourismo feel, including a large restaurant, La Deu with nice grounds next door, which we used for dinner. This must be a popular destination for Barcelona residents to go for weekends. We checked in, and after the usual cyclist preoccupations (showers, washing and beer) we spend a relaxing afternoon. There were a couple of light showers in the afternoon and while we were having dinner it rained quite heavily, but luckily it let up for us to get back to the hotel about 200m away.

Day 11. Girona to Ripoll

Another coffee maybe?

 Everything went will in Girona for our departure. The cathedral bells gave us a wakeup call at 6 and then again at 7 :-)

We had breakfast at a restaurant on Plaça de la Independència overlooking the river. Then back to the apartment to pack and check out. I was very happy when the proprietor offered that we could leave our bags in the apartment for the  two nights that we would be away, which significantly reduced our effort! Then down to the bike shop to pick up the bikes and depart for Ripoll.

Everything went well there, and we were soon on our way in a van with the bikes in the back. Fitting our pedals, my seat, getting the heights right and so on was quickly done. This was despite a steady stream of customers of many were Australian! Dave told me that they had 100% of their rental bikes committed so things were busy.

The narrow streets of the old city were a bit of a challenge in the large van but we made it eventually and were out on divided roads for most of the way. The country became more lush and mountainous the further we went. I was sitting in the front with the talkative driver who spoke no English so my Spanish comprehension got a workout for an hour or so!

We discussed the scenery, other drivers, the volcanoes that we drove past, the various routes available and much more. As we came through the edge of Olot he told me where our hotel was.

Plaça de Sant Eudald

In Ripoll we quickly found Hotel La Trobada and settled in. Once again they were well prepared for us and our bikes. The hotel is only about 200m from the via verde so they probably get lots of cyclists.

We strolled across town looking for some lunch (barely adequate) in Plaza del Ayuntamento and then took in the sights of the town including the picturesque buildings in Plaça de Sant Eudald and elsewhere.

Cloister at Santa Maria

Christine went back to the hotel and Keith, Julie and I visited the monastery of Santa Maria's church and cloister. Ripoll had been the location of an important scriptorium in the 12th century.

Later Jeff and Gerda, Peter and Sandy arrived having taken slow trains from Valencia. We all went out to dinner at La Piazzetta which as the name would indicate serves pizza (along with other dishes). The pizza flavours were unusual and interesting and the wine was good!

Our Trip

If you stumble on this blog and and wondering what it is about...

In September 2012 I have organised a group of eight to  do some cycle touring in Spain, using the "vias verdes", or rail trails as we know them in Australia. This blog is set up as a shared day by day account of the trip. It is a team blog so that each of the members can recount their experiences and upload photos.

If you would like more information about the trip, especially the planning, route and logistics, head over to the planning wiki where this is all described.