Cycling the Greenways of Costa Brava

 Before I get started on this post I want to take a second to thank some of some of my favourite uni friends whose generous going away present helped fund this trip: Loz, Julz, Megs, Kris, Krumb, Hchy, Leash & Chris – this is your mention!

Michael and I were super keen for a three day cycling trip through the Costa Brava region of Northern Spain! We were riding along the Greenways (Vies Verdes), these are quite simply old railways routes that have since been ripped up and converted into cycling paths rather than train routes. We had booked the trip through CicloTurisme, they organised our accommodation and routes and once they had given us all the information (including maps and directions) we were pretty much able to set off at our own pace, stopping (or not) whenever we pleased so long as we made it to the hotel we were staying at that night, where our luggage would be waiting for us. The cycling route we were taking started in Olot and we were to make our way (mostly downhill – woo) to St Feliu De Guixols, passing through Girona and plenty of small Spanish country towns on our way.

Day 1: Olot – La Cellera de Ter

The forecast was for rain and thunderstorms all afternoon, we were scared, the weather has not been our friend in Europe. However, as we started off from Olot the weather was beautiful! 

We were traveling along the Ruta Del Carrilet for approximately 40km, mostly through beautiful forest type cycling paths and through some small farms.

I loved all the little tunnels we passed through, of course they were originally designed for the old steam trains to pass under.

As you can see my decision making when it came to choosing which photos to put up didn't fare so well, so there are a fair few!

 The picture above (top left) shows the signs were we to follow the entire length of the Greenways; they were posted pretty frequently along the cycling path and at most intersections, so all we had to do was follow these signs to know we were going in the right directions.

We stopped for lunch in at one of the old railway stations that has since been converted into a restaurant and tourist information point; I think it is mostly used by cyclists passing though.

I think this place deserves a mention, although I can't even remeber the name of the town, because it was probably one of the best meals I have eaten in Europe - toasted goats cheese salad with bacon and walnuts - YUM! Also, a super detailed foosball table!

We headed into the centre of this tiny town briefly to search for a coffee place recommended by CicloTurisme but the cobblestone streets were not exactly bike friendly (pictured below)

By the time afternoon it was, of course, raining pretty heavily, we spent the last little part of our ride decked out in semi weather proof clothing and trying to make it to our hotel for the night ASAP.

That night we were staying at a small Rural Hotel called Pasteral – it was so gorgeous. The hotel walls were made almost entirely of cobblestones, it looked very rustic and very rural! 

The owner spoke English (that was nice) and was one of the nicest, most helpful, people we have met in Spain – he showed us to our beautiful room (called “blue room”), which we were thrilled with. 

We have been staying at mostly cheap hostels or airbnb rooms so this felt pretty luxurious to us – there were even jets in the shower and a fresh rose in the bathroom! 

We had a beautiful meal prepared by the owner, we felt pretty spoilt because we were the only guests! We got bread, a small entre, main meals and desserts each, as well as a bottle of amazing Catalonian wine for only 22 euros! We were pretty happy with this!

Day 2: La Cellera de Ter – Campllong

The next day we got up pretty early so that our luggage could be picked up and were treated to an amazing breakfast spread – meats, cheeses, breads, spreads and pretty much everything else we could have needed! We didn’t waste too much time because it was forecast to rain (AGAIN) in the afternoon and we wanted to head off and try to escape most of it.

Today was spent mostly cycling through small country farms along Ruta Del Carrilet 2. I loved riding through the countryside and passing by all the tiny little farmhouses surrounded by their farmland and crops – everything was so green!

My favourite photo from the whole trip (above).

 Michael and I might have got a little inventive and tried to take some bike selfies, it kinda worked!

We also passed by this pretty little river, it would have been a lovely place for a picnic if we weren’t afraid of the weather! We passed by lots of old train stations, this one in the tiny town of Quart (below) even had a model train out the front.

As luck would have it we spent about 1-2 hours caught in the rain =(

We finally got to our farm-stay hotel in Campllong and it did not look like much from the outside but was actually very clean and homely on the inside. It was called Can Dionis Casa Rural and is still an active farm, the owners spent a lot of time working on the farm and with their animals (they have a donkey!), even while it was raining and we were hiding out in our room. 

This was another rustic but charming guesthouse, the owners spoke no English whatsoever (although their son spoke a little) but were extremely nice and welcoming so it didn’t really matter. Again - check out the amazing breakfast spread!

Day 3: Campllong – St Feliu De Guixols

Our last day on bikes was spent riding through a real variety of terrain along the Ruta Del Carrilet, we went through plenty of bush land nd at one stage we were riding parallel to a main freeway - I love the picture below of the gorgeous little forest track we rode through.

You know it's hot when Michael whips out the old Bonds Chesty (aka wifebeater)

In the pictures above and below you can see the old train stations that still exist, I think the above one had a restaurant next door and the below one is now a tourist information point.

One of the many little towns we passed through, this one had a huge chruch on top of a hill, seems to be a pretty big tradition in Europe (if not a church, a castle).

 I liked way too many of the pictures we took!

We rode through SO MUCH gorgeous green farm land, clearly there is not a drought in Spain.

Again we passed through lots of old train stations, many of which were converted into pretty nice looking restaurants. The weather was actually beautiful all day (for once) and the day went really fast as it was nearly all downhill.

We arrived in St Feliu De Guixols in the late afternoon and the weather was nice enough for us to have a picnic in a small park near the best. St Feliu De Guixols is a small beach town on the coast on Spain, north of Barcelona; it was mostly full of people holidaying by the beach. 

 We spent the rest of the day relaxing on an absolutely gorgeous small beach, definitely one of my favourite European beaches so far! It was not as packed with people as most beaches we have visited, the water was a gorgeous clear blue and it was very relaxing!

  

We managed to pop up to one of the beach side cafes to grab some refreshments – I got a Calippo served to me on a plate!

We were then picked up, bikes and all, by CicloTurisme and brought back to Girona where we were to spend the night.

Girona

The next day our train wasn’t until 7pm so we had a full day to wander around Girona, which is known was a small gothic city about half an hour from Barcelona. 

Although there wasn’t a lot to see and do it was a very pretty city, huge sections of it are still gothic style with cobblestone roads and pathways and huge old churches, castles and city walls. 

It was HOT but we walked around for most of the day anyway and stumbled upon a gorgeous café set on the Onyar River, they had delicious cupcakes!

  

Despite the weather this short trip has definitely been one of the highlights of our time in Europe, CicloTurisme were amazing, everything was organised perfectly and it was a fantastic trip to be a part of!

It’s safe to say Spain has showed us a pretty good time, amazing paellas, gorgeous countryside and the bright lights of big cities, it’s a beautiful, clean and safe country and I would love to visit again in the future.