El Far route. Ruta 6 Les Planes d'Hostoles

Located on the tip of a large cliff, with wide views of all directions, it provides the name lighthouse without a doubt, the Far Sanctuary is one of the places of greatest visibility of the country.

  • Modality
    • By foot
  • Region
    • Garrotxa
  • Towns
    • Planes d'Hostoles, Les
  • Time
    • More than 4 hours
  • Difficulty
    • Medium
  • Estimated duration
    • 2h45min (anada)
  • Distance
    • 5,4 Km
  • Hide elevation maximum
    • 1.107m
  • Hide elevation minimum
    • 339m
  • Ascent
    • 782m
  • Descent
    • 11m
  • Thematic
    • Brugent Protected Natural Area

Start at signpost G156 Les Planes d’Hostoles and head for ‘El Far (1h 40 min)’. Initially, follow the bike lane running along the old railway line that once linked Olot and Girona as far as signpost G155 Pont de la Torre Dusol, where you should continue on towards ‘El Far (1h 25 min)’.

Pass over the bridge that the people who lived on the slopes that run down from the mountain of El Far – an area known as La Costa – would use to avoid crossing the railway line when they came down to work in the textile factories along the river Brugent.

Walk uphill, always following the yellow Itinerànnia waymarking. Pass by an old limekiln and continue until you reach a crossroads known as ‘Quatre Camins’ (Four Ways). Keep straight on and in a short while you will reach the ruins of a house, La Serra, graced by a monumental holm oak. Once past this house, you reach another house, La Costa, with a large deciduous oak on the right.

Here, pick up a forest track that will lead you into an area of pastures; cross and head into the forest. Cross a gully, Torrent de Sant Cristòfol, to reach in a little while a curious large stone, La Pedra del Llamp or del Diable (the Lightning or Devil’s stone), which is cleaved in two. After this stone, the path climbs up to another large deciduous oak, El Roure de la Xuriguera, thought to be the tallest downy oak in Catalonia.

After this oak, turn left along an old track until you then have to continue along a path that starts to climb steeply uphill.

Pass by yet another large oak, El Roure d’en Comara, and continue climbing as far as the last of these huge oaks, El Roure de la Font de l’Àliga, where, a little further on, you will come to a spring, La Font de l’Àliga. The path continues to climb more and more steeply as it heads for the gap (grau) in the line of cliffs above known as Grau de Santa Anna or Grau Gros.

At the foot of the cliff you come to the broad footpath that runs up from the village of Sant Martí Sacalm. Here, your onward path starts to wind up through Grau de Santa Anna and very soon – even before you know it – you reach the small church of Santa Anna (eighteenth century). Here, turn left and follow the metalled road that connects Coll de Condreu to El Far.

Follow the road until, at a bend, you can pick up a path that runs along the cliff edge. Almost immediately, you reach the sanctuary of El Far, from where there are magnificent views of the Sau, Susqueda and Hostoles valleys, the mountains of Serra de Finestres and Rocacorba, the Girona plain and even the Mediterranean sea.

This building dates from the seventeenth century but documents talk of a church on the site from the thirteenth century onwards. Today, a restaurant stands alongside the sanctuary.

 To return to Les Planes d’Hostoles, simply retrace your steps.