March 29, 30 and 31, 2018

My Spanish adventure started with a splendid train journey from Yorkshire, UK, to Spain, with a brief stopover in Paris, arriving at the Spanish Mediterranean town of L’Escala on the afternoon of Saturday 31 March. I was met off the train at Figueres by the friendly AirB&B landlady, Guillemet, who drove me round the town hunting for methylated spirits for my Trangia stove – the first challenge of the walk this being a long ‘puente’ public holiday weekend with most shops shut.

 

April 1 2018

I spent the morning exploring the ruins of the Greek and then Roman trading town of Empuries, about a mile up the coast from L’Escala, shown around by my guide Ana. This amazing place, overlooking golden sands and the shimmering Mediterranean, honors these two great overlapping civilizations. It’s an ongoing dig with hopefully masses of treasures still to be unearthed.

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A Roman mosaic at Empúries and Ana, my guide in the Greek-Roman town

 

April 2 2018

Preliminaries over, and having run out of excuses, I made my way from the B&B to the formal start of the GR-1 at Sant Marti D’Empuries, stopping on the way for a quick coffee in a deserted café. The waitress, busy laying out the tables in the small plaza, came over to admire my rucksack. She had done some backpacking but wisely declined the invitation to help me carry mine for the next two months. I headed off just before 10 am, feeling excited but a bit apprehensive. Would I get used to this 20 kg pack, I wondered?

The walk started out under blue skies heading across flat agricultural land of the Coastal Plain, dodging around scattered settlements on a network of minor paths and farm tracks. The scenery was not very inspiring but I did get the odd glimpse of the distant snow-capped Pyrenees. I also appreciated the unchallenging flattish start to the walk, a gentle warm-up before the hills.

I camped in a field at Km 20 near Camallera, reasonably satisfied with the progress on this first day and feeling very pleased with my new Nemo tent. It was very easy to pitch and quite roomy.

 

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Setting off on the GR-1 and my first glimpse of the distant Pyrenees

 

April 3 2018

Heading west through cultivated fields in bright sunshine, I took lunch at a basic truckers cafe, with delicious oven cooked pork ribs. Later on, I tripped up and went flying, landing badly, a bit shaken but no damage. This was the first of many face-down falls I would take on the walk.  A minor stumble coupled with the forward momentum of the heavy pack would send me flying, with my extended arms lacking the strength to arrest the fall, often resulting in a face down crash-landing. Proper use of the poles can help prevent this, but not always.

I camped in a pinewood at Km 33, and turned in listening to cuckoos and a woodpecker.

 

April 4 2018

Another beautiful morning with a lovely walk through flat wooded countryside, making good progress and now getting into the swing of things. Arriving at Banyoles in the afternoon, I found a fantastic restaurant then stocked up with supplies. I camped on a hill at Km 46 next to a large cross overlooking the town,  – a nice spot with great views, enjoying the splendid golden glow at sunset. A strong wind got up during a squall sometime in the night, pulling out a tent peg.

 

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My camp above Banyoles

 

April 5 2018

The splendid sunny weather continues, and am now feeling in good shape, and starting to get used to the pack.  I arrived at the beautiful town of Besalu (Km 60) at 6 pm with a medieval multi-arched bridge over the River Fluvia, and stayed at the Tres Arcos hotel – a nice place.  Most bars were shut after post-holiday rush, so I had supper at a noisy bar near the bridge – dreadful lamb chops drowned with a horrible sweet sticky gravy.

 

April 6 2018

After posting off some surplus gear to a former work colleague, Belen, in Asturias, I took another look at Besalu’s amazing medieval bridge.

All went well for 5 or 6 kilometres until I got to the Ermita 1 de Sant Andreu at Km 66. Here It seems that the owners of the chapel had re-routed the GR-1 and I ended up in dense undergrowth with vicious razor-wire brambles. I counted about 18 bleeding scratches on my arms, with a similar number on my legs, and had to resort to using my Swiss Army penknife at one point to cut myself loose of the murderous brambles. After scrambling down a steep slope found a faint track that led me back onto the GR-1.

After this the going then got a lot easier, lifting my sagging spirits. I reached Tortella village at about 6pm, and, after grabbing a cold lager and some delicious olives, camped in a field a kilometre beyond the town, near the fenced off Ermita de Santa Maria, at Km 69.

 

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Medievil bridge, Besalu

 

April 7 2018

Heading off in bright sunshine, I stopped to admire and photograph the stunning medieval bridge, Pont del Llierca with its 50m span over the Llierca river, some 30 m below. The river marks the end to the Coastal Plain, with the GR-1 now climbing into the foothills along what looks like an ancient packhorse trail. This is it, I thought, the adventure begins!

 

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Pont del Llierca