Land of foxes

Les Guilleries, the ‘land of foxes’, lies to the east of Vic, an hour and a half’s drive from Barcelona. It’s a landscape of steep granite and limestone bluffs, where the rivers Ter and Onyar begin their snaking passage to the sea, past the curving hilltop apses of Romanesque churches and holm oak forests. On the lofty meadows to the north of Les Guilleries are the pristine mountain villages of Tavertet and Rupit, en-route to the volcanic hills of La Garrotxa. To the south a blanket of forest spreads towards the Montseny massif.

There are numerous joys to be found trekking in these hills: the pink sugar-loaf mountains known as the Cingles de Tavertet, with their vertiginous miradors, the beech woods surrounding Rupit, or the waterfalls of Molí Bernat and Sallent. 

Sau Reservoir

We begin our exploration at the Sau Reservoir, where a curious sight greets you as you approach the clay-red banks of the reservoir at Vilanova de Sau. A submerged church steeple peeks out of the middle of the water. This campanario is all that remains of the humble hamlet of Sant Romà, destined to become a miniature Atlantis when the Sau dam was erected in the Sixties, flooding the valley with water. When the water recedes far enough, the entire church-tower is revealed. 

On an exposed crag at the other, western edge of the Sau Reservoir is an ancient monastery in a remarkable state of preservation. This is the Monastery of Sant Pere de Casseres, one of the finest Romanesque buildings of its kind in the Province of Barcelona. Sant Pere is the subject of a curious founding legend. In the 11th century, a boy with a surprising gift was born to the viscount of Osona. Within three days of his birth, this boy could speak like an adult. The infant also had an unusual gift for prophecy, predicting he would die when only 30 days old. He requested his remains be placed in a chest and carried forth on an untethered mule; wherever the mule came to rest a monastery should be built, in honour of Saint Peter. 

The prophecy came true, and the viscount dutifully carried out his son’s request, establishing the monastery of Sant Pere where the donkey had come to rest, on a narrow isthmus overlooking the Ter basin. Centuries later, in 1560, Bishop Segimon of Vic visited the remote monastery. He found an impressive building in grave disrepair, much damaged by an earthquake during the previous century. It was inhabited by 12 monks living in abysmal conditions. The monks told Segimon the story of the talking infant and showed him to a small chest which appeared to contain its mummified remains, as well as what were claimed to be the hands of the infant’s mother. 

Today, the chest and its contents, whatever their real origin, are no more; they were stolen in the Sixties. But, thanks to careful restoration, the monastery is much improved compared to when Bishop Segimon visited over five centuries ago. The gracefully austere nave and cloister are highlights, while through each arched window, the obscure theatre of nature drives home a deep sense of the monks’ seclusion. The monastery boasts a good restaurant serving an affordable menú del día, which will quickly remedy any sense of abstemious peregrination. 

Where to Stay

The Parador de Vic Sau (parador.es) is only a couple of minutes’ drive from Sant Pere de Casseres, with rooms overlooking the reservoir. Prices for a double start at €82. 

Watersports in the Sau Reservoir

A good way to explore the Sau Reservoir, and get a bit closer to the spire of the sunken church of Sant Romà, is by hiring a kayak. At Mosen Park (mosenpark.com), which has its headquarters close to Vilanova de Sau on the eastern shore, prices start at €15 for an hour’s hire. It also offers four wakeboarding experiences, starting at €30. Meanwhile at the neighbouring Aquaterraclub (aquaterraclub.es), full-day kayaking trips are offered for around €85 a head. If, instead of kayaking or wakeboarding you prefer doing a spot of good old-fashioned wild swimming, head to the beach near the children’s adventure camp, Casa Colònies Mateu, also on the eastern shore. 

Cingles de Tavertet

At the top of a bouldered precipice high above the Sau Reservoir, Tavertet is famous for its miradors—a series of toe-curling lookout points. In autumn and winter, the views over Les Guilleries can be particularly spellbinding as rising mist pushes up over Tavertet’s cingles (escarpments) from the reservoir, enveloping the village and its Romanesque church of Sant Cristófol. 

A short stroll from the village’s cobbled streets is the Mirador de Tavertet, one of several natural watchtowers peeking over the plunging rockface, with Montseny looming on the southern horizon. For a more taxing (but still relatively easy) walk from Tavertet, a good option is the two-hour circular hike to the Salt de Molí Bernat, a lofty waterfall. Head west towards the medieval bridge of Molí Bernat. From here, it’s a relatively level jaunt past centuries-old oaks and through natural tunnels in the cliffs to the waterfall. 

Rupit

Situated north-east of Tavertet, on the road to La Garrotxa, is one of Catalunya’s finest medieval pobles (villages). Up here, surrounded by beech woods on the hillside of a forked valley above the Susqueda Reservoir, things begin to look positively Pyrenean, with mountain villas of bare stone and wooden balconies flush with bright flowers. 

Access to Rupit is via a hanging wooden bridge spanning a confluence of the River Ter. It’s a dramatic approach, as one looks up at the houses hanging from a rocky promontory. Inside the labyrinth of tile and stone, a series of small, charming squares lead up to the Baroque church of Sant Miquel and a tumbledown 10th-century castle.

Like Tavertet, Rupit is an excellent base for walking. A classic route is the half-hour (occasionally, muddy) jaunt to Salt de Sallent, an 80-metre-high waterfall plunging into a forest-filled gorge. From there it’s possible to continue on a two-hour circular route that skirts past the 12th-century hermitage of Sant Joan de Fàbregas, the finest of its kind in the county.

Where to Stay

Rupit is probably the best-equipped town in the area for accommodation. A solid option is Hostal Estrella (hostalestrella.com), which overlooks the central Plaça Bisbe. Prices begin at €110 for a double. Hostal Estrella also has one of the best restaurants in the area, serving traditional local cuisine at a decent rate.

Getting to Les Guilleries

You’ll need a car to explore this area. If you’re staying at the Parador de Vic Sau, take the C-25 east from Vic, turn north onto the C153 and exit immediately onto the BV-1253, which takes you the rest of the way. It’s one hour and twenty minutes from Barcelona. If heading direct to Rupit, which is 20 minutes further, continue on the C153 from Vic and turn off onto the BV-5208.