From Llaés to the castle of Milany along cliffs and caves. Route 14 Ripollès

The route begins at the Hostal de Llaés where you find the R7 sign. You must go towards Vidrà. Initially the route goes along a little path climbing up until finding a dirt track, nowadays full of weed. Follow this track above some cliffs until you arrive at a wide curve from where you have to take a little path that after some short zigzags climbs up to find a second track, this one very grassy, which you have to follow to the left. It climbs gently towards the north ending in the middle of a wooded area.

At this point you must take a little path on your right that steeply goes uphill. You will arrive at a third track in the middle of a dense beech forest. Go left until arriving at the R8 sign Coll d'Oli. Follow the PR white and yellow marks in the direction of Vidrà to your right. (PR stands for short-distance hiking trails). Shortly after ten minutes you will arrive at an area of large meadows where you will see the shrine of “Mare de Déu de la Cau”.

You must cross a track to climb up through the forest, always following the PR marks. The path goes uphill to the ridge passing across beech forests and fields with plenty ferns. You must be vigilant as there are some narrow passes, flyovers and short climbs. You will arrive at a field where you will see a massive beech, the “Font de l'Obi” spring and a little pond. Continue through the fields until arriving at the R9 sign Castell de Milany. From here you can see the ruins of the old medieval castle standing on a rock. It was the residence of the lords of Vallfogona and Vidrà. If you want to visit the ruins you will have to follow the PR marks allowing twenty minutes for the round-trip. Once on top of the rock, in a cloudless day, you can enjoy breathtaking panoramic views over the Pyrenees, the transversal mountain range and most of the inland mountains.

To continue the route you must leave the PR marks and from the R9 sign go down across the fields in the direction of Santa Maria de Besora and La Farga de Bebié following the yellow marks. Head towards the “Milany” farmhouse, just below the trail among pasture fields. Leaving a livestock pond to your right you will arrive at a track, R192 Casa de Milany. Follow the track to the right and a few meters further ahead take a wide path going amid dense vegetation leading you to a field just underneath the track you were following earlier on.

Stay alert at this point and follow the marks to find a little path that enters into a forest. It rapidly descends until arriving at a narrow pass above a cliff (be careful as it can be a slippery path). After carefully crossing the pass follow the path zigzagging downhill until arriving at the bed of a stream where there is a cave. Follow the path further ahead above the cliffs until you find a level that will allow you to go down and to get closer to the Fleus cave. To get there you must follow a path closed off with a yellow X, the cave is just a few minutes away.

Continue along the path, first among old cultivation terraces and then through a forest. While going downhill you will see another path that n ten minutes would take you the Baumasa cave but the route goes down to the ruins of the “Burbau” farmhouse from where you must take a wide track to your right. After just over a kilometre the yellow marks divert to a wide track going down to the left and that in five minutes would take you to the Teixidor cave.

Pay attention at this point as the proposed itinerary leaves the yellow marks to continue along the track to the “Teixidor” farmhouse. Two kilometres after this large house you will arrive at Llaés, the beginning and ending point of this circular route.