Taking advantage of the amazingly warm and sunny weather this Winter we took the bikes out for a run over the Muntanya Gran route from L'Escala to L'Estartit. This is a wonderful stretch of the Costa Brava that has remained unspoilt and is now a protected natural area. The road can be accessed from the Avinguda Montgò to the south of L'Escala (the resort area as opposed to the old town). Take the Avinguda Montgò and turn right when you see the signs for Camping Neus. Follow the road past the camping and on up the hill. After a few kilometers of surfaced road through lovely woods the road becomes a hard track that winds up the hill. On your left you will see some old military buildings that became a Buddhist community in the sixties and have now been left to the wind and sun. There are many routes through the Muntanya and hours of trails for walkers some of which plunge down steep bluffs and lead to tiny coves--the perfect spot for a quick swim and a picnic lunch. The climb up is pretty steep in the hot sun though so make sure you keep some water for the return journey.
The views are particular lovely from the GR route because from this high point you can see the sea. The larger and flatter old road is a pleasant ramble through woods and over the top till you can see the bay of L'Estartit on the other side.
It is a perspective that brings home the sweep of history as it draws together the Languedoc and Catalunya in a single canvas over the centuries of war and peace, conquest and adventure. I can observe the same mountain pass where Hannibal rode north with his elephants to conquer the world and the mountains where the kings of Aragon built castles such as Peyreperteuse and Quéribus (near Perpignan) to defend their realm against the French to the north.
