^{The house we stayed in (the smaller one on the left)}

Catalunya | L’Alta Garrotxa

Over the weekend we headed into the mountains to take some time out from the city to a region called L’Alta Garrotxa, located just before the border with the Pyrenees, about an hour and a half drive from Barcelona. We arrived in a small town further down the mountain at a very friendly man’s house. He was the caretaker of the property we would be staying in. The property is only accessible with a 4x4 so he would take us from there to the house.

We hopped in our new friend’s vehicle and headed up the mountain. It was dark so I couldn’t get a gauge of the terrain but after 20 minutes of bumping around and rolling across the seats it was very obvious that without a 4x4 it would be impossible, and that we definitely were going to be isolated! It took 40 minutes or so before we arrived at the property. There were two houses - the one we stayed in which was a converted barn with a garage on the ground floor, the attic space had been beautifully converted into a living space, all relatively open plan. It was simple but elegant with all the amenities you would need including an amazing hanging wood burner! And then a larger house which was equally as beautiful but massive and much less modern inside. Power for both was provided via a Diesel powered generator.

The next day we woke to an amazing view across the field, mountain tops on the horizon, the sun beginning to break above the peak, illuminating the mist that was rising up from the trees in the distance. The caretaker had told us that the chickens only arrived three days before, they needed to be kept in the pen as there were wild animals around who might injure them, and also people who might steal them. Although isolated he told us of a story where someone had stolen a quad bike from the garage, which was now sporting a hefty iron gate infront of its doors!

After taking in the viewing and snapping a couple of shots we ate some breakfast, packed our day bags and headed out the door for a village called Talaixà (more here) - a 5km hike 750 metres uphill through woodland, across rivers, rocky terrain and fields. We were fortunate, on the way up it was pretty overcast and grey so it wasn’t too hot.

When we reached the top the sun started to come out and the sky began to clear. There was a beautiful house, the roof covered in turf so it blended in a nicely with the environment from a bird’s eye view. It was functional, unlike many of the buildings we passed, they also offered a refuge for hikers although we didn’t learn this until afterwards (also I mean for real hikers, not us daytrippers!). There were ruins of old buildings and a monastery, it used to be a tiny village dating back to the nineteenth century at least (read the wiki link above if you’re interested). Not to forget the very chilled herd of cattle chewin’ the cud and enjoying out the view too!

We stayed up the top for some time, sat by the monastery, eating some food and listening to the gentle chiming of the cow bells as they mowed the grass. When we decided to head back the sun was out, it was downhill from here, easy. We passed a guy from Czech Republic, he was walking the GR11 route which comes in from the French Pyrenees. Fair play to him, bloody nutcase!

I forgot to mention, the first night was a little bit cold. The caretaker had told us we should light the fire, he’d even prepared it for us, but we politely left it. I should stop a second to add a little more about this guy - he was clearly passionate about the area, and had spent a long time living in the region. He proudly told us that he’d restored and converted both the barn we were staying in and the bigger house next door and had also worked on some other projects too. He seemed kind and had a warmth to his personality - even though I don’t speak a lick of Castellano or Catalan, yet.

So, long story short, that night we lit the fire and I was a very happy man. I like a good fire!

The next day we headed the opposite way round to a ruin hidden within the trees across a small gorge which we could see from the monastery (second pic below). It was a shorter day as our friend the caretaker was coming to pick us up, but no less enjoyable. We headed back after checking out the ruins to pack up our stuff and get ready to go...

---

Hope you enjoyed reading, check out my profile for more stories.

Other links
The Charity
More Photography
Instagram