We made this trip in X-mass 2007. The route follows the Greenway "del Ferro" and the greenways Carrilet I & II.

The link is done by road GI-521 that crosses a small mountain pass.

 

 

Click on the map to see the route in Google Earth

 

 

 

 

Stage 1 - from Ripoll to Amer

 

The greenway "del Ferro" starts in the town of Ripoll (691m), where you can visit the famous monastry of Santa Maria with a very interesting cloister and a expectacular facade, and ends in "San Joan de les Abadesses".

 

From Sant Joan you have to take the GI-521 to the Coubet pass at 1010 meters height. From there a fast descent to Olot, the bigest town of the region, where the greenways of Carrilet start.

 

Ripoll	Sights frin Coll de Coubet at 1010m

 

The greenway Carrilet I crosses very nice towns and landscapes. In many stretches goes a few meter under ground level following the path created for the trains in the old times. This make it cold and humid in winter time, but a nice route to make it in summer, where you will find the shadow and cool air coming out of the ground.

 

We spend the night in Amer. Small town with no much to see and not very interesting. You might try another one for spending the evening ...

 

Stage 2- from Amer to Sant Feliu de Gixols

 

From Amer the greenway continous until reaching Girona, where Carrilet I ends and Carrilet II starts.

 

From Girona the landscapes are not so nice anymore, and the route runs through much more populated areas, loosing interest and no being so nice anymore.

 

In any case, you must keep going to find the final price, the coast in Sant Feliu de Gixols. A nice fishing town that in the last years has grown to become one of the main turistic town of Costa Brava.

 

Bici de Manuel con las alforjas en San Feliu de Gixols	Bea con su bici en la playa de San Feliu

 

 

Stages 3 y 4 - from Sant Feliu de Gixols to Ripoll

 

We returned following the same way in opposite direction. The way back is much harder, since most of the time you are going up.