Did you know that just a few kilometres away from our camping and located in the Costa Brava, you can find a long list of medieval towns waiting to be visited? In the next two blog posts we will show you some of the most beautiful towns in the Costa Brava that you can see by bike.
More than 90km of roads, sweat and maybe some tears if you complete both stages at once, are waiting for you. We’ll show you the route in two parts and we’ll give you the tracks for the whole route and both stages separately, so you can choose how to complete it. If you manage it in one or in two goes, don’t miss reading it all! To download the tracks, click on the three dots in the top right-hand corner of the map. The first option is the whole track and the second is stage one.
Track
Profile
Track
Profile
In this first stage, we’ll be visiting the coastal towns of Llafranc de Palafrugell and Tamariu, to later head inland to find the towns of Begur and Pals. This first part of the route is approximately 60km, starting and finishing in Camping Internacional de Calonge.
In the second stage we’ll cycle into the medieval towns of Palau-Sator, Peratallada, Vulpellac, Fonteta, La Bisbal d’Empordà, Monells and Cruïlles. And on the way back, we’ll cycle through the Coll de la Ganga, arriving in Calonge and then, back to base. This stage is arpund 77km.
so don’t wait any more, grab your armour, your camera, hop on your horse (ok, bike), download the track and follow us on this adventure!
Llafranc de Palfafrugell, first stop on the route
We say a farewell to Camping Internacional de Calonge to make our way towards the north-east to our first stop of the day. Easy roads with very slight slopes and little traffic await us. Or first destination… a coastal town called Llafranc de Palafrugell, it’s not a medieval town but you’ll understand why it’s included on the route.
We’ll go up to 169m above sea level to find ourselves at the famous lighthouse, Far de Sant Sebastiá (the most powerful lighthouse on the Catalan coast, reaching up to 32 nautical miles with its light).
The hill up to the lighthouse is on a well-made road of around 5km with slopes of up to 18% (nothing, right?) but with the most amazing views of the sea all the way that will dazzle you.
And another thing I will say, once you reach the top, you won’t get time to catch your breath because the view is amazing. Enjoy the moment, have a rest and open an energy bar or a banana, drink plenty of water and take in the view. You’ve made it past the first hurdle!
Heading down to Tamariu
During the next 2km and until we reach the town of Tamariu, we’ll be using our brakes because the slopes are -10%. We’ll let ourselves go downhill, cycling between walls of pine trees and the blue sea in between. But don’t let yourself be fooled, once we smell the sea again we’ll be sweating… short slopes of up to 19% await us!
We keep clocking up the kilometres and now we’ve managed 25… And with them, the second hurdle is over-passed! Now we can relax a little bit as the route becomes slightly easier. We’ll pedal through pine trees (a typical countryside view of the Costa Brava), the sun will be on our right side and it’s the perfect time to chat and hydrate our body.
The next step is a false flat plain, little by little is begins to take form to arrive at slopes of around 14% almost at the end in Begur. Arounf this area, the tiny beaches and coves are beautiful (Aiguablava, Fornells, Illa Blanca…) and the Camí de Ronda that links them all is incredible. Highly recommendable to do this walk.
The medieval town of Begur
The next destination on the list is the first of the medieval towns that we’ll be visiting… Begur. This medieval town is well-known for the Cuban Indians, in which you’ll feel like you’ve travelled to Cuba with the salsa rhythm and moijtos! A local fiesta that is a must if you are around the area at the beginning of September.
Another of the big attractions in Begur is the castle from the 16th Century, built on the top of the hill in the middle of the town. It still maintains part of its old wall and the 5m tall main tower that you can climb up to see the views of the coastline from.
We continue our cycling through other medieval towns towards our next stop, Pals. 6km separate these two places, the majority of them downhill. Make sure you keep your eyes open in this area as the traffic is much heavier on the roads.
Next stop of our cycling route, Pals
At the entrance to this town, there is a roundabout with a water fountain and a boat that welcomes us to the capital of rice growing. It’s the town of Pals, considered a place of National Cultural Interest, amongst other recognitions, for its historic and artistic heritage (cobbled streets, the old wall, the clock tower…)
Don’t be afraid to make a longer stop if the town is worth it!
Heading home and end of stage one
We have been cycling for almost 38km and now it’s time to head home and complete the 60km that were envisioned for today. To do that, we’ll ue the international route Eurovelo 8 as it goes through Palafrugell, Palamós, Vall-llobrega and Sant Antoni. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll have noticed that it’s the same road we took at the beginning.
Last stretch, you can do it! We’ve managed the hill up from Sant Antoni de Calonge and all that’s left is climbing the entrance to the campsite and arriving at your accommodation. After that last burst of energy, you can now park your bike, take off your helmet, glasses and gloves. You can open a cold drink and stretch properly to allow your body to rest before the second stage of the route.
Want to know how the route continues? We’ll explain all the details in our blog post!
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