Les Bisaroques and Font de les Tries. Route 2 Olot

The volcano of Bisaroques is the smallest of Olot’s four volcanoes. Although its horseshoe-shaped crater is not easy to see, you will be able to appreciate the blacks, browns and reds of its volcanic rocks.

0
  • Modality
    • By foot
  • Region
    • Garrotxa
  • Towns
    • Olot
  • Time
    • Less than 3 hours
  • Difficulty
    • Medium
  • Estimated duration
    • 2h20min
  • Distance
    • 8,1 Km
  • Hide elevation maximum
    • 577m
  • Hide elevation minimum
    • 405m
  • Ascent
    • 183m
  • Descent
    • 183m

The volcano of Bisaroques is the smallest of Olot’s four volcanoes. Although its horseshoe-shaped crater is not easy to see, you will be able to appreciate the blacks, browns and reds of its volcanic rocks.

Font de les Tries, known for the curative properties of its waters. Since time immemorial, local people have gathered here to partake of its delicate waters that are regarded as ideal for people suffering from kidney or stomach disorders.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, a local man, Lluís Fontseca Caxac, known as Culasso, sold these waters around Olot from a donkey-pulled cart. A càntir (an earthenware container for drinking water) of water cost 30 cents, or 25 for regular customers. He made two or three journeys a day to the spring but when he reached Font del Conill in Olot he was wont to cry “Aigua de les Tri...i...es!” (“Water from Les Tries!”)

The route begins at the bridge of Pont de les Mores (signpost G22) and then heads towards El Triai and junction O1 Rec del Revell, where you should continue on to the chapel of Sant Sebastià. Once past this little church, turn right on to Carretera de Santa Pau, then cross over and continue along Carrer Volcà Pedraguda, now in the Benavent district of Olot. When this street ends, turn on to Carrer Volcà Traité, where you will come to Itinerànnia signpost G162 Benavent, which indicates the route up the old trail to Batet.

 Here, you leave the paved street behind and begin to walk up a track with fields and vegetable plots on either side. Continue straight on until you reach junction O2 Camí vell de Batet, where you should turn left. Continue along a made-up road until the yellow paint marks send you left into an oak wood. Drop down into a clearing, which lies on the volcano of Bisaroques.

The visible part of this volcano consists of the cone (the small hillock to your right) but not the crater, which was deformed by the lava flow emitted after the main eruption of the volcano.

Once past the volcano, continue straight on downhill underneath an electric power line as far as a road where you should turn right to reach almost immediately junction O3. From here, head towards a spring, Font de la Salut, a perfect place to rest and enjoy the view.

Immediately after this font, cross a small gully that only has water after heavy rain. Continue following the yellow paint marks as far as signpost G183 sota font de la Salut, which points you right towards Xalet de les Tries. This path now heads through a wood of acacias, elders, oaks and sweet chestnuts and on to signpost O4, just beneath Xalet de les Tries, whose white walls and green glassy roof stand out well. Turn left here and head downhill to Font de les Tries.

The narrow path takes you into a clearing, where you should head left to reach the font itself. This carefully refurbished natural spring has numerous spouts – as well as a small cascade – through which the water surges out at over 100 litres per minute. On the left of the spring there is an engraving of Our Lady of El Remei by Joan Roqué i Cargol

Just above the font, turn sharp left and continue along a path running along the left-bank of the river Fluvià. Pass a football pitch and on to an abandoned building known as El Molí de la Torre. Here, there is a small bridge over the river, which you should cross. Then, continue along the right bank of the river as far as El Parc dels Nius, where the dirt track turns into a road. Here, cross the Fluvià again on a bridge over a road, Vial de St Jordi. Immediately afterwards, turn right along Carrer Terrassa and, once past Can Collell and following the yellow paint marks, turn right and pick up the path alongside the river. Where this path ends, climb the steps up to Parc Miquel Martí Pol at junction O5, and then continue along the river as far as the Santa Magdalena bridge.

Cross this bridge and turn left, again alongside the river, and walk on to Ronda dels Paraires and the bus station. Continue along the river on the Ronda, which after a while becomes Ronda Fluvià and then Avinguda Extremadura. Eventually, you return to G22 Parc de les Mores, the start and end of this route.