PTS Walking Holidays 2017

NO SINGLE
SUPPLEMENT
IN March &
October
8 days from £649 March, May, September & October 2017, March 2018
Catalonia - Trails & Rails
We have featured ‘Walking in Catalonia’ for a few years now. As our hotel is situated just 15 minutes walk from the local railway
station it gives us the opportunity to explore further this part of Catalonia. The local station is on the main line between Barcelona and
Tarragona and the journey to either (which you can do in your spare time) is very pleasant as the train hugs the coastline. But there
are also a few local lines which pass through unspoilt Catalan countryside, where pretty villages huddle around their church and wine
cellar, unchanged by time. Between them roll hills of olives and vines, interrupted by occasional rocky crags or coves, and seemingly
randomly-positioned railway halts. Recalling the days when the trains on these lesser-used lines were of great import to the country
and its government, each off-the-beaten-track station seems to be home to an enormous traffic office (now often derelict) where,
presumably, teams of civil servants supervised the running of the railway! One line goes west and inland into the Priorat, an area famed
for its wine as much as its beautiful countryside. The other line goes north to Montblanc at the foot of the Prades mountain range.
PROGRAMME
Day One: Flight to Barcelona or Reus. Transfer to your hotel just under
an hour away for seven nights half board hotel accommodation.
Days Two to Seven: In resort with three included Trails & Rails
walks. Please note: we will pre-purchase train tickets, but occasionally
trains can be quite busy for the first 2 or 3 stops.
Please note: All three walks have sections which are more
difficult than other walks in this brochure, paths being steep,
narrow and rocky in places, particularly following erosion. On all
three walks there is an easier option, but even this on Walk 3 is
tricky in places.
Walk 1: The Cistercian Route from l’Espluga de Francoli to medieval
Montblanc. Coach transfer to l’Espluga de Francoli (45 minutes).
After walking through this old wine village you walk gradually uphill
towards the sanctuary of the Trinity (coffee stop). You continue through
a forested area, on a broad path before reaching St John’s Hermitage
and then descending towards the town of Montblanc. 6 miles, 250m
of ascent/descent. The easier option (4.5 miles, 70m ascent/descent)
misses out the Hermitage and avoids a climb and a steep descent,
allowing extra time in Montblanc instead.
Montblanc is a little jewel: a completely unspoilt medieval town with
fine ramparts, shady streets and impressive churches and squares –
especially the Placa Major, the Main Square. This is the town where St
George supposedly fought against the dragon, to save the princess!
From Montblanc you catch the train back to the coast.
Walk 2: Priorat. You catch the 0948 train to the little village station
at Marça, amid the DOC Montsant wine district, and in the county
of Priorat, arriving at 1101. The line is spectacular, especially after
it emerges from the Argentera tunnel (completed in 1890). Marça
is where the International Brigades (including the British Battalion)
massed in preparation for the disastrous Battle of Ebro in 1938. The
walk is circular, but the landscapes on the outward section – vineyards
and olive groves with a spectacular craggy backdrop – are very
different to the second part where, after passing Capçanes, you go
through a wood and climb through a rocky gully part of the way. 7
miles, 160m of ascent/ descent. The easier option (4 miles) ends in
Capçanes with a coach transfer back to Marça. You return to the coast
by coach (one hour).
Walk 3: The Coastal Path: l’Ametlla de Mar to l’Ampolla. You take the
0848 train south down the coast to l’Ametlla de Mar – journey time one
hour. On this walk you will discover the natural beauty of this protected
part of the coast. You will follow in the footsteps of patrolmen who, in
centuries gone by, used the pathways to look out for invaders, pirates
or smugglers. The route crosses coves and beaches: much is totally
unspoilt, though in some places you will marvel at the depredations
not of pirates, but of Spanish planning – or, rather, the apparent lack
of it! The whole walk to l’Ampolla is just under 11 miles with ascent/
descent of 170m. The easier option ends after 7 miles at Playa de
l’Aliga, with an onward coach transfer to l’Ampolla. Return to Coma-
Ruga is by train from l’Ampolla.
Day Eight: Transfer to the airport for your flight home.
YOUR HOTEL
NUBAHOTEL HHHH, Coma-Ruga (seven nights)
The description of the hotel is on page 4.
Extend your holiday – extra week available in Catalonia.
Please refer to the enclosed ‘Dates and Flight Information’ for details of departure dates, prices and flights.
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