STAGE 8
BEGUR - PALAMÓS
- Distance: 21.7 km
- Difficulty level: challenging
- Maximum altitude: 222
- Minimum altitude: 0
- height gain: 1069
- height loss: 1256
Stage 8: BEGUR - PALAMÓS
This stage is described as difficult, as it is a bit long (almost 22 kilometres) and passes close to the coast, along the so-called "Camí de Ronda", with many stretches of stairs and ascents and descents that hikers know as "leg-breakers".
We will leave Begur along Carrer de la Creu and when you reach the GI-6531 road, we will follow it along the right-hand side for 1.2 kilometres until, shortly after reaching the junction with the GI-6532 road, we will see that the GR-92 dirt track starts on the other side of the road.
From here it will be easy to follow the route, as we will be guided by the red and white GR-92 signs.
The path runs through a pine forest and after 1.3 kilometres we will come to a crossroads with the Camí vell de Tamariu, where we will turn left and continue along a wide dirt track.
After 2 kilometres we will reach the sandy beach of Tamariu, where we can rest for a while and even go for a swim.
BICYCLE ROUTE: From here begins the "Camí de Ronda" (impassable for bicycles), which means that those who go by bicycle will have to follow another route explained at the end of this document.
Tamariu is an old fishing village mentioned as far back as the 13th century that still retains all the charm of yesteryear. The name of the beach comes from the "tamarisk" trees that grow on both sides of the stream and of which some specimens are preserved on the promenade.
To continue on foot, we will cross the beach and we will go up the other side, following the GR-92 signs for 1.6 kilometres to Cala Pedrosa. At this point we will go up for about 500 metres along the path that goes into the mountain until we reach the crossroads with a path where we will turn left.
Following this dirt road in little more than 1 kilometre we will arrive at the lighthouse of San Sebastià where we can see the remains of the settlement Indiketa of Sant Sebastià de la Guarda (6th to 1st century BC).
We can see the remains of up to four Iberian houses with two rooms each, which are arranged in several streets, forming a surface area of some 300 square metres. In addition, fifteen silos or deposits excavated in the rock and an oven have been discovered. This settlement was probably abandoned after the confrontation with the Romans.
The route continues along the road that descends to the port of Llafranc and following the GR-92 signs we will border the coast passing by the various coves and beaches of Calella de Palafrugell. Leaving the town center we will continue passing by the sea in the direction of the Cap Roig Gardens.
And we will see that in many sections the Camí de Ronda forces us to climb long stretches of stairs, putting our legs to the test.
If there is time, it is worth a visit to this curious botanical garden created by the Woevodsky couple in 1927.
A unique space where nature, art, culture and history come together, with more than 1,000 plant species from all regions of the world.
We will take the GR-92, which from here onwards runs along a dirt track 50 metres in front of the car park and shortly afterwards enters a pine forest.
After 1 km. we will find a crossroads and we will leave the GR-92 following the wide track on our left.
The road passes bordering various farms. After 1 kilometer, if we feel like going for a swim, where there is a small parking lot, we can take a detour to the left that will bring us closer to the beautiful beaches of Cala Corbs or Cala Estreta.
400 meters later we will leave the wide track and go up the Camí de Ronda path, passing by the side near the coast.
After 1 kilometer we will arrive at the Mirador de la Foradada. The name of foradada (hole in Catalan) comes from the tunnel that crosses the rock from side to side and forms a natural stone arch.
Next we will access the small peninsula where the Iberian settlement (Indiketa) of Castell is located, discovered in 1935 and still not fully excavated.
It is known to have been populated from the Iron Age onwards with wooden huts.
And that from the middle of the 5th century BC, after the foundation of the Greek city of Emporion (Empúries), which boosted trade, the first stone constructions were built.
Some perfectly connected cisterns at different levels can still be seen, as well as the remains of what used to be a temple.
You can also see some silo fields for storing grain seeds outside the walls, which they called "Plaza de los Silos" (Silos Square).
And at the tip of Cala Foradada a port was built on the natural breakwater for the traffic of goods by sea.
It is assumed that in the first century AD. C., because of the war that the Indiketas lost against the Romans, this settlement, as was the case with many others in the area, was abandoned under the new laws.
To resume the route, we must go to the other side of the Castell beach and there, among the rocks, we will see the red and white GR-92 signpost again, which coincides with the "Camí de Ronda" as far as Palamós.
After 200 metres along the coast we will see the beautiful beach of S'Alguer with the old white fishermen's houses with large wooden gates, each one painted in a different colour, now converted into weekend homes.
Continuing along the "Camí de Ronda", shortly after seeing the ruins of the Castell de Sant Esteve, we will reach the beach of Cala de la Fosca.
At the end of the beach we will take the Camí de Ronda (GR-92) and after 800 metres after crossing the beautiful forest of Cap Grós we will have a beautiful view of the village of Palamós from the top.
We will go down to the marina and pass by the back of the marina and enter the old part of the town, along Mauri i Vilar street, and after a few metres we will arrive in front of the church of Santa Maria del Mar, the end of this stage.
BICYCLE ROUTE FROM CALA TAMARIU:
Those who do this stage by bicycle will leave Cala Tamariu along Carrer del Salí and Carrer de la Perica and take the GIV-6542 road, which they will follow for about 2 kilometres, until they see the GR-92 dirt track on the left hand side, which climbs up from Cala Pedrosa. We will follow it, taking care not to get lost and passing along the Camí de Ronda, until we reach the Iberian settlement of Faro de San Sebastian.
We will go down the Paseo de Pau Casals and then in Llafranc we will pass along the seafront promenade and the rest of the streets that border the town until we reach the botanical garden of Cap Roig.
We will continue along the GR-92 that will go into the forest and after 1 kilometer we will find a crossroads and we will leave the GR-92 following the wide track on our left.
The road passes bordering various farms. After 1 kilometer, if we feel like going for a swim, where there is a small parking lot, we can take a detour to the left that will bring us closer to the beautiful beaches of Cala Corbs or Cala Estreta.
We will continue along this wide track, and since it is not possible to go through the Camí de Ronda by bicycle, we will move away from the coast and making a small arc in about 2 kilometers we will arrive at the beach of Cala Castell, where we can visit the town of the Iberians indiketes (an oppidum) discovered in 1935 and not yet fully excavated.
To continue the route we must go to the other side of the Castell beach and without getting on the bicycle we can continue making a small section of the Camí de Ronda through Cala s'Alguer, until we pass the "Barraques de Cala Palleridas" where we will turn to to the right and then passing through various streets we will reach the beach of Cala de la Fosca.
On the other side of the beach, as we cannot continue along the Camí de Ronda by bike, we will turn onto the road to La Fosca, which will take us to the Palamós marina. From this point we can enter the old quarter of Palamós along Carrer del Pedró and continue along Carrer de Mossen Miquel Costa to the church of Santa Maria del Mar, the end of this stage.
ACCOMMODATION AND PRACTICAL INFORMATION STAGE 8
PALAMÓS
As it is an eminently tourist town, it has various establishments for accommodation, restaurants and other services. You can visit its website here:
