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Santa
Pau is a truly delightful 13 century village which lies in the Garrotxa
Natural Park - a mountainous region of great geological interest and a
favourite haunt for conservationists due to the lush and varied plant
and animal life to be found in its forests of beech and evergreen oaks.
There are several Medieval buildings in this area and Santa Pau itself
is a fortified Mediaeval village with a former baron’s castle and
attractive old quarters.
In the square adjacent to Plaça Major,
Plaçeta dels Valls, you'll find Cal Sastre, a locally famous restaurant
with a few tables outside under the arcade. Fresh mushroom salad,
confit of wild boar, pigsfeet with chestnuts, fresh cheese Mató with
home-made blueberry jam, etc. Menus are available at the Can Tona, c/
del Pont below Plaça Major, just before the bridge. The food here is
good, served in a cellar dining room and accompanied by strong
home-made wine.
Sant Pau has an important information center on
the Plaça Major offering brochures and maps of the extensive and well
signposted footpaths that thread through the volcanic zone. This area
is a hiker's paradise, with a great variety of flora and fauna, and
numerous cascades and natural swimming pools for a quick and cold
summer dip.
Continuing west after Santa Pau, you'll come across a
large parking lot where many excursionists leave their cars while
exploring the footpaths. The main path up to the tiny hamlet of Sa Cot,
with its lovely medieval church, also passes the crater of Santa
Margarida, famous for the 13th Century chapel built in its center. This
is a 20 minute walk up a small volcano. The last stretch up to the
crater is very steep and can be hard going for those of you who are out
of shape. Nevertheless, once you've reached the top, various easy paths
take you through the heart of the volcanic zone, with lavic stone
crunching underfoot and minor craters off to either side. From Sa Cot
you descend into the Fageda d´en Jorda, a beautiful beech forest which
boasts a remarkable range of flora and fauna. More than 1500 species of
vascular plant have been recorded within the park, and a phenomenal 143
species of birds have been observed in the region. Forest dwelling
mammals include beech martens, wildcats, genets, badgers and wild boar,
as well as a number of small insectivores. Otters have also been
sighted along the rivers. Note that its best to visit this area during
the week. On weekends, especially in Fall, the park can be full of
Barcelonian day-trippers.
There are several restaurants between
Sant Pau and Olot. One of the best, at km 2.5 on the right-hand side of
the GE-524 is Hostal dels Ossos, a huge and busy family restaurant set
in a large masia with an ample vine-covered terrace and offering
delicious grilled meats, or bareja de carn, at very reasonable prices. |
