Sant Pere Sacosta. Route 1 Les Planes d'Hostoles

The parish of Sant Pere Sacosta has the privilege of being one of the
oldest and most remote inhabited villages of la Vall de Hostoles.
Located on the slopes of la Serra del Puig del Moro, on the north ridge
of el Far and below el Coll de Condreu.

  • Modality
    • By foot
  • Region
    • Garrotxa
  • Time
    • Between 3 and 4 hours
  • Difficulty
    • Medium
  • Estimated duration
    • 3h35min
  • Distance
    • 8,7Km
  • Hide elevation maximum
    • 814m
  • Hide elevation minimum
    • 348m
  • Ascent
    • 604m
  • Descent
    • 583m
  • Thematic
    • Brugent Protected Natural Area

Start at signpost G156 Les Planes d’Hostoles and head for ‘Sant Feliu de Pallerols (per Sant Pere Sacosta) (4h 20min)’. Walk up Avinguda de Narcís Arnau until the yellow Itinerànnia waymarking points you left onto Rambla de Dolors Moreno. Continue through the middle of the town as far as signpost G157 Les Planes d’Hostoles-Font de la Bomba.

 Here, head towards ‘Pere Sacosta (pels Camps) (1h 25min)’ through the town, passing by a spring, Font de la Vedruna, and on to Plaça del Doctor Tomàs Franc. Continue straight on until you leave the town and you pick up a metalled road that heads towards Sant Feliu de Pallerols.

 Walk past a small church, Ermita de l’Àngel, along this minor road until the yellow waymarking heads off into the forest.

 Pick up a path that passes through a mixed oak forest: from time to time you come to a clearing from where there are magnificent views over the Hostoles valley, the Pyrenees and the mountains of Puigsacalm.

 Keep climbing, always heeding the yellow waymarking, until you reach an area of pastures. Cross over and pass by an abandoned house, Els Camps. Once past this house, you come to signpost G154 Plans dels Camps, where you should head towards ‘Sant Pere Sacosta (5 min)’.

 Climb along a forest track until the yellow waymarking points you left into a dense holm oak forest, from where the path will take you almost immediately to the church of Sant Pere Sacosta.  The oldest written reference to this church dates from 1227 and declares that this parish was known as La Costa and that all the farms were subject to the local feudal laws.

 The major earthquakes that shook the area in 1427 and 1428 killed many people and destroyed numerous houses and other buildings, including Sant Pere Sacosta, which henceforth could not be used for worship. It was so damaged that a small wooden chapel had to be built alongside so that mass could be said. In light of the terrible plagues of the time and the fact that the area was only sparsely populated, it took a long time to rebuild the church. In the end, it was only partially restored, the final tasks consisting of the hanging of new bells (1604), the completion of the Rose Chapel (1683) and the construction of a new doorway (1762).

Masses were still held in the church right up to the end of the nineteenth century, at which time the baptismal font and the altarpiece consisting of a German Gothic painting with a central panel representing St Peter were still present. The church was further restored and renovated in 1987 by people from Les Planes d’Hostoles.

Once you have visited the church, retrace your steps to signpost G154 and head towards ‘Les Planes d’Hostoles (per mas Arús), (1h 25min)’. Here, the route continues along an old forest track until you come within sight of Les Planes d’Hostoles.

 A little while after passing the Itinerànnia signpost you come to the ruins of a house, Mas Arús. Leave the area of pastures and head into the forest, downhill along a track. Continue until the yellow waymarking points you left and into the village along a splendid footpath that passes through an area known as Les Vinyes (the Vines), where vines were almost certainly once cultivated many years ago.

 As you approach the town, an excellent view of the whole surrounding area unfolds in front of you. Continue straight on until you come to the first houses, where you should pick up a street that will take you back to signpost G157 Les Planes d’Hostoles-Font de la Bomba. From here, you only have to retrace your steps back to signpost G156.