The best walks and hikes around Vallgorguina

The parish of Sant Andreu is already documented in 1083, but this church is not that one: the current one began to be built in 1825 and was inaugurated in 1848 because the town had grown and the medieval temple had been left away from the center. The curious thing is inside: it preserves a 16th-century baptismal font, probably from the old church. And the image of Sant Andreu that currently presides over the altar is also not the original: it is from after the Civil War. So the building is about 200 years old, the font about 500, and the parish almost 1,000. One of those places that seem to have nothing special until you start to scratch a little.

This place has it all: 5,000 years of history, witches, and even a 19th-century reconstruction that nobody really knows how closely it resembles the original. For centuries, the legend said that the witches of the region used to meet here for their covens. What we do know is that in 1855, Josep Pradell decided to restore the dolmen and replaced the enormous top slab. It was, none other than, the first known restoration of a dolmen in Catalonia. So when you arrive by bike and see that kind of enormous stone table in the middle of the forest, stop for a moment. Prehistory, legends, and a good deal of mystery concentrated in a few meters. And if you arrive at dusk and see someone circling the stones... I wouldn't ask. I'd keep cycling.

You're cycling through the woods, enjoying the trail, and suddenly you come across this. It doesn't impress with its size nor is it particularly well-preserved, but mind you: those stones have been there for about 4,000 years. It's an ancient funerary monument from the Chalcolithic period, discovered in 1946. And the curious thing is that, although it was built to bury the dead, when they studied it, they found neither human remains nor funerary objects. Empty from the start? Looted? The mystery remains. Don't come expecting Stonehenge. Stop for a minute, leave your bike, take a look, and think that when these stones were erected, there were still almost two thousand years to go before the Romans appeared around here. Then, get back to pedaling.

One of those places where it's worth slowing down a bit and looking around. Towering trees, dense forest, and a light that, when it filters through the canopy, makes this stretch spectacular. In summer, the shade is also greatly appreciated. And you're in Vallgorguina, land of forests, dolmens, and old witch stories. Very close by, in Pedra Gentil, tradition says that covens and witch gatherings were held. I don't know if any remain, but if you pass through here with this light, you perfectly understand why so many legends were born in these woods. A beautiful stretch to enjoy by bike without rushing.

One of the springs of Montnegre, although when I passed by it was dry.

In the heart of the forest of the Montnegre i el Corredor Natural Park, this old barn converted into a restaurant offers a break and a slice of bread under a roof of old beams. It is said that the owner Paco, when he was still a young hiker, found an old fragment of rural pottery here - the remains of a demolished farmhouse - and placed it on the bar to remember the legacy of farmers and carpentry that surrounded the place. Today, when you eat grilled food and immerse yourself in the calm of the forest, you can feel that trace of history and artisanal work that persists between tables and bites.

Mystical. A dilapidated church, not at all small. Obviously an animal stable.

They've now built a staircase to access the Dolmen... With this staircase, just a few meters long... It seems they'll save the site from erosion... Sometimes the conservation and environmental councils are pitiful... It seems the only ones degrading the paths... are hikers and bikers... When we're fed up with seeing how the water destroys the paths to the point where we can't pass... 🙃