STAGE 19
MAÇANET DE CABRENYS - LA JONQUERA
- Distance: 25.7 km
- Difficulty level: challenging
- Maximum altitude: 1136
- Minimum altitude: 103
- height gain: 1327
- height loss: 1584
Stage 19: MAÇANET DE CABRENYS - LA JONQUERA
We will leave from in front of the church of Sant Martí and we will go to the back of the church. There we will see a small dirt road (passageway) and following it will lead us to pass behind the Hostal La Quadra and then in front of the entrance to the school playgrounds we will turn left, along a cobbled path with a water passageway on one of its sides.
After 300 metres we will come out onto the road that goes up to Les Salines, but 15 metres further on we will take a small path that we will see on our right, which after 300 metres will take us back to the road to Les Salines, at a point between the Can Muntada farmhouse on our left and the Can Gallat farmhouse on the right.
Here those who cycle will continue up the road which in 12 kilometres will take them directly to Les Salines.
Those on foot will continue along a dirt track that we will see on our right, which in about 460 metres will take us past Les Casotes.
We will continue to the left along the path that comes directly from Can Gallat and after 130 metres we will cross the Ardenya stream and just in front of it we will see the Font del Fil fountain, so called because of its low flow.
Here we will turn left, following the dirt track up a steep slope for about 370 metres, where we will see the path on the left that will take us to Les Salines.
We will follow this path for 3.3 kilometres until we will reach a dirt track where we will turn left.
After 300 metres this track leads to the road that allows you to drive up from Maçanet de Cabrenys.
Here we will turn right and in just under 1 kilometre we will reach the sanctuary of Mare de Déu de les Salines.
Shortly before arriving we will see a small cave where it is said that the image of the Virgin Mary was found by a bull from Mas Roure (a farmhouse located near Can Quintà).
The Romanesque church was built in 1275, but very little remains of this ancient construction, as it was almost completely remodelled at the end of the 17th century.
One of the buildings is the hostelry and the former hermit's house. Another of the buildings was the old henhouse, which in 1967 the CEE (Centre Excursionista Empordanés) converted into a refuge for hikers.
After refreshments at the hostelry (if it is open) we will continue the route passing by the 3 spouts fountain and then we will take the path that goes down to the Salines stream and then continues uphill until we reach the track that leads to La Vajol where we will turn left.
After 1.6 kilometres we will see a crossroads on our right that leads to the ruins of the 11th century Cabrera Castle. We will continue down the same track for another 3.4 kilometres with pleasant views to our right.
We will pass the Coll de Llí and descend until we reach the GI-505 road that leads to France. We will pass by the Manrella Restaurant and continue downhill along the road or along a parallel path until we will enter La Vajol along Illes street and then we will take the Mines road to the church square of Sant Martí.
NOTE: To go from La Vajol to Agullana there are 2 alternatives. One, the shortest, is to walk the whole route on the GI-501 road, although it has the disadvantage of being on tarmac all the way. The other, a little longer, allows you to walk along dirt tracks, which is more pleasant for walking.
The reason for giving these options is that passing along the road, 150 metres after passing the Km 3 point, on the left hand side, between the Mas Bec de Baix farmhouse and the road itself, there is an important Necropolis from the time of the Indiketes(10th and 7th centuries BC) with more than 400 burials studied and it is known that there are many more, but as it cannot be visited "in situ", we propose not to pass through here.
It is a cemetery of the urn-field type, characterised by the fact that, after burning the dead, the skeletal remains were placed in a ceramic container and buried in pits dug in the ground.
In the village of Agullana, next to the church, there is an exhibition hall (with an engraved didactic discourse) that can be visited on Saturday and Sunday mornings and every day in August (the rest of the days by appointment).
To get to Agullana without going through the paved road, we will leave the town along Camí Font d'Avall street and we will continue along the dirt road until we reach a detour, about 500 meters later, we will turn left. After 1.3 kilometers, when we reach a kind of crossroads with 4 roads, we will continue along the path in front of we. Then following another 1.8 kilometers we will arrive at the so-called Camí de Agullana al Mas Portell, where we will turn left. We will identify it by some wires that prevent the passage of motorized vehicles and some signs that point to Agullana along the path we were following. Unfortunately the vegetation is covering it but it is only 900 meters of battered road until we reach a paved road where we will turn right.
From this point onwards, the road is easy to follow. Continuing along this narrow and little-travelled road after 2.4 kilometres we will reach the upper part of Agullana and descend along Tapers street towards the visible church of Santa Maria, next to which there is the museum of the Indiketa necropolis.
We will leave Agullana through Lluis Gomis street, passing in front of the entrance of the old Gomis house (currently Can Parellada) and then we will continue along Colom street and when we reach the GI-501 road we will turn left and go in search of the footbridge of wood that crosses the Riera del Gou.
Then we will continue along the dirt road in the direction of the village of L'Estrada located 1.5 kilometers away.
The name L'Estrada, which in Latin means cobblestone road, comes from the ancient Strata FranciscaIt is the heir of the Roman Via Augusta, which is supposed to have passed through this place.
However, it is suspected that this road predated the arrival of the Romans.
From here we will follow the red and white painted signs of the GR-2, which in 2.6 kilometres will take us to La Jonquera, which in the last stretch is not very pleasant due to the numerous infrastructures that we will have to cross.
First under the high-speed train tracks, then pass by the Porta Catalana service area before passing over the top of the A-7 motorway and then the N-II international road.
Finally, after this inconvenience, we will walk along the main street of La Jonquera until we will reach the church of Santa Maria, the end of this stage.
accommodation and practical information stage 19
LES SALINES
Unguarded refuge of the CEE (Centre Excursioniste Empordanés) Tel. 672 461 884
LA VAJOL
Hostal Restaurant Casa Comaulis (972 53 51 75) Plaza Major, 3
Although the village of La Vajol is very small, it has some accommodation and a restaurant. You can visit their website here:
AGULLANA
Although the village of Agullana is small, it has a number of places to stay, restaurants and other services. Here you can visit its website:
LA JUNQUERA
As the town of La Jonquera is very close to the French border and is a customs town, it has various places to stay, restaurants and other services. You can visit its website here:
