Until the sixties, the Girona-Olot railway was the main transport artery for the rural districts of La Garrotxa, La Selva, and El Gironés. A modest narrow gauge railway (of the type known as "carrilet" in Cataluña) just 54 Kms long, it ran along the banks of the rivers Ter, Bruguent, and Fluvià in the shadow of the menacing La Garrotxa volcanoes.
In the not to distant future, this Greenway is to be linked by a track to the Camí de Ferro Greenway de (12 Kms between Ripoll and Sant Joan de les Abadesses). Add on the existing Girona-Costa Brava Greenway between Girona and San Feliú de Guíxols (39 Kms) and we can travel by Greenway from the upper Pyrenees to the Mediterranean, a distance of nearly 135 Km.
From Olot (at 440m above sea level) the Carrilet Greenway is markedly downhill to Girona (at 70m), although there is a short climb near Olot to Coll d’en Bas at 600m above sea level. We therefore suggest you make the trip from Olot to Girona so as to be able to enjoy the 54 km long route through the verdant countryside with very little effort.
The route starts at Olot station where the old station building is in a perfect state of repair. The track leaves Olot alongside the river Fluvià and the Font de Sant Roc park before entering a tunnel under the Sant Roc hermitage.
At Km 2.5 we arrive at the Apeadero Sant Privat which still preserves its modest platform. From here a long straight track takes us through the dense cornfields that carpet these volcanic foothills. At Les Preses (Km 4), the trail becomes just another street in the village, but it is still easy to follow. Just outside the village, we find the station, now converted into an Environmental Information Centre, which is an obligatory stop-off for anyone wishing to find out more about the natural environment of the region.
Km 7
AShortly after leaving the station the original railway route has been swallowed up by crop fields. But, never fear; the Greenway is well signposted and it is easy to follow a series of paths that, 500m later, take us across a road. From here we head for Sant Esteve d'en Bas (Km 7) beyond which we are forced to abandon the old railway route which the new road has cut into in a number of places. We now gradually start to gain height until, after crossing the new C-152 road with due caution, we find ourselves on the other side of the old road. On its weathered and almost forgotten tarmac we climb some gentle slopes before arriving at Coll d'en Bas, at Km 11.
In this section the railway lines used to run through a tunnel, but that tunnel has been since been widened and pressed into service for the new road. Meanwhile the old road climbs for about 1.5 Kms, providing some picturesque views of the Val d'en Bas, locally known as "La Suiza de Cataluña" (the Switzerland of Cataluña). After reaching the top of the pass we have an easy downhill stretch until we arrive back at the modern road on the other side of the tunnel. Here we rejoin the old railway route on the right hand side of the road, now separate from the new road and perfectly practicable (Km 12).
Km 14
A fairly steep downhill section brings us to the Apeadero Sant Miquel de Pineda, at Km 14. Here, next to the station platform, is the Roman hermitage of Sant Miguel, and beyond the trail the descent steepens as we drop down towards Sant Feliu de Pallerols. After crossing the river Bruguent, the old railway line runs close to the road above a narrow valley before reaching Sant Feliu de Pallerols. (Km 17), where the station still stands, although in a very poor state of repair.
The next stop along the way is Les Planes, after first passing below the thousand year old Castillo d'Hostoles, built on a commanding position high above the railway line. At Km 22 we arrive at Les Planes, where the railway describes a wide arc as it gradually loses height.
Km 22
After Les Planes we move on to one of the most attractive stretches of the railway. The trail drops steadily down through woods alongside the river, far from any roads or villages. We pass over bridges and through spectacular cuttings before arriving at the Apeadero de Font Picant, at Km 28. From the station a broad stairway leads down to where was a once a delightful hotel. Very close to here, thousands of litres of spring water is bottled every day to be drunk at tables all over Spain.
The trail, now narrower, heads towards Amer (Km 30), the logistical centre of the railway. The former workshops are now home to the local fire brigade, while the main station building, the platform, and its peculiar station bar are all in a relatively good state of repair. Scarcely a kilometre further on the railway is once again swallowed up by the road, but our Greenway avoids the traffic by using the old Camino Real (this track contains a number of steep inclines with a cement surface which may prove tricky for less skilled cyclists).
Once we reach the road again we need to continue alongside it until we reach the nearby bridge over the river Ter (300m).
Km 34
On the other side of the river the El Pasteral railway station, at Km 34, marks the beginning of another, very different section. The trail now runs in a straight line through crop fields before reaching the town of La Cellera de Ter, 2 Km down the line. Just a kilometre later the old railway line crosses the Riera de Osor stream and enters the town of Anglès (Km 37). This town, with its medieval air, still has a station but has lost most of its railway lines to the new ring road. Our Greenway runs alongside this new road, but it is worth making a detour into its cobbled streets, redolent of their medieval past.
From Anglés to Girona the railway line used to run alongside the road with the river Ter on the left hand side, passing through a series of stations - Bonmatí, Bescanó, Salt – before finally arriving at Girona. Our Greenway follows much of this route, making its way between leafy poplar trees and such spectacular landscapes as the Paso de la Pilastra, at Km 49.
Km 52
From this point, just before arriving at Salt, our Greenway takes its leave of the old railway line in order to avoid the complicated urban routes through Salt and Girona. Instead we take a well signposted route along the banks of the Ter making use of rural tracks lined with poplars. We skirt around the town centre of Salt and, at km 54, enter Girona via the Parque de la Devesa where we need to take care when crossing the avenues at the entrance to the park. We suggest that you take a tour around Girona’s picturesque old quarter which will exercise your physical and, more especially, your cultural muscles. For those of you still wanting more, try continuing down to the shores of the Mediterranean at Sant Feliu de Guíxols along the Girona-Costa Brava Greenway.
Although the first plans to build a railway to Olot date back to the 19th century (even before the Barcelona-Mataró line was built), the Girona-Olot railway was finally opened in 1911, after a lengthy construction process. Early plans called for linking Olot, the capital of the district of La Garrotxa, with Sant Joan de les Abadesses and its rich coal mines (at Ogassa), and the port of Roses. Later, the idea was to link Olot with Sant Joan after a rail link had been established between the latter town and Barcelona. Other yet later plans talked of the line going to Torelló where it would link up with the broad gauge line already built. Eventually they opted for the route along the Ter valley, to link up with the rest of the national rail network at Girona.
After a number of years of economic success during which ambitious plans were made to extend the line both inland and to Barcelona, the Civil War intervened and the narrow gauge railway suffered financial and physical losses. Republican troops blew up many of the bridges as they retreated and a large number of locomotives and rolling stock were lost. The floods of 1940 also caused further damage to the tracks, making the task of rebuilding the railway even more daunting.
Gradually steam locomotives were replaced by railcars, making the railway easier to manage. However, the railway continued to struggle economically and in 1963 it was taken over by the FEVE (Spanish Narrow-Gauge Railways). But the FEVE was unable to turn the railway around and, in spite of serving a large number of passengers and some promising plans to link prolong the line beyond Girona to Sant Feliu de Guixols, the line was eventually closed in July, 1969.
Les Preses
ATMA - Centre Logístic del Bicicarril. Tel. 972 69 20 23
Guies de Natura i Muntanya. Tel. 972 69 20 20
Oficina de Información Turística. Tel. 972 69 20 20
Sant Feliu de Pallerols - Castillo d'Hostoles. Tel. 972 44 44 74 / 40 11
Zona Volcánica. Tel. 972 44 44 74 / 40 11
Ecomuseo de la Fauna Autóctona. Tel. 972 69 20 20 / 19 50 87
Mirador de la Zona Volcánica de La Garrotxa. Tel. 972 69 20 20
Olot
Bicicletas Tarrés. Tel. 972 26 99 78
Inter Sport Balcells. Tel. 972 26 06 15
Extensive information on the Pyrenees of Girona. Rural districts, gastronomy, history, natural areas, sports... all the information you need to explore the rural district of Ripolles and its surrounding area. Interesting links to other related web pages
Includes information on a great many activities offered by the rural district of La Garrotxa as well as accommodation, gastronomy, cultural events, markets, and bike rides around the district
Three refreshing itineraries in the heart of the province of Girona, which will guide our steps from the Pyrenees to the sea, on the Costa Brava, following the tracks of three abandoned railways. The Vía Verde del Camí de Ferro, among some of the best Romanesque jewels; the Vía Verde del Carrilet, in the shadow of the volcanoes of La Garrotxa, which unfolds all its freshness until reaching the capital of Girona; and the Greenway of Girona-Costa-Brava, which leads us to the sea. In total, more than 100 km to get to know the beauty of this Catalan province in depth, by bike and on foot.
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CONDITIONED GREENWAY
From Olot (at 440m above sea level) the Carrilet Greenway is markedly downhill to Girona (at 70m), although there is a short climb near Olot to Coll d’en Bas at 600m above sea level. We therefore suggest you make the trip from Olot to Girona so as to be able to enjoy the 54 km long route through the verdant countryside with very little effort.
At Km 2.5 we arrive at the Apeadero Sant Privat which still preserves its modest platform. From here a long straight track takes us through the dense cornfields that carpet these volcanic foothills. At Les Preses (Km 4), the trail becomes just another street in the village, but it is still easy to follow. Just outside the village, we find the station, now converted into an Environmental Information Centre, which is an obligatory stop-off for anyone wishing to find out more about the natural environment of the region.
AShortly after leaving the station the original railway route has been swallowed up by crop fields. But, never fear; the Greenway is well signposted and it is easy to follow a series of paths that, 500m later, take us across a road. From here we head for Sant Esteve d'en Bas (Km 7) beyond which we are forced to abandon the old railway route which the new road has cut into in a number of places. We now gradually start to gain height until, after crossing the new C-152 road with due caution, we find ourselves on the other side of the old road. On its weathered and almost forgotten tarmac we climb some gentle slopes before arriving at Coll d'en Bas, at Km 11.
A fairly steep downhill section brings us to the Apeadero Sant Miquel de Pineda, at Km 14. Here, next to the station platform, is the Roman hermitage of Sant Miguel, and beyond the trail the descent steepens as we drop down towards Sant Feliu de Pallerols. After crossing the river Bruguent, the old railway line runs close to the road above a narrow valley before reaching Sant Feliu de Pallerols. (Km 17), where the station still stands, although in a very poor state of repair.
After Les Planes we move on to one of the most attractive stretches of the railway. The trail drops steadily down through woods alongside the river, far from any roads or villages. We pass over bridges and through spectacular cuttings before arriving at the Apeadero de Font Picant, at Km 28. From the station a broad stairway leads down to where was a once a delightful hotel. Very close to here, thousands of litres of spring water is bottled every day to be drunk at tables all over Spain.
On the other side of the river the El Pasteral railway station, at Km 34, marks the beginning of another, very different section. The trail now runs in a straight line through crop fields before reaching the town of La Cellera de Ter, 2 Km down the line. Just a kilometre later the old railway line crosses the Riera de Osor stream and enters the town of Anglès (Km 37). This town, with its medieval air, still has a station but has lost most of its railway lines to the new ring road. Our Greenway runs alongside this new road, but it is worth making a detour into its cobbled streets, redolent of their medieval past.
From this point, just before arriving at Salt, our Greenway takes its leave of the old railway line in order to avoid the complicated urban routes through Salt and Girona. Instead we take a well signposted route along the banks of the Ter making use of rural tracks lined with poplars. We skirt around the town centre of Salt and, at km 54, enter Girona via the Parque de la Devesa where we need to take care when crossing the avenues at the entrance to the park. We suggest that you take a tour around Girona’s picturesque old quarter which will exercise your physical and, more especially, your cultural muscles. For those of you still wanting more, try continuing down to the shores of the Mediterranean at Sant Feliu de Guíxols along the Girona-Costa Brava Greenway.
