Route to Segadell Springs along the old Santa Magdalena path. Route 8 Vall de Ribes

A panoramic route with spectacular views of all the Cavallera Range. The Segadell springs are the source of one of the main tributaries of the River Freser, which for centuries has served to water the fields of the whole valley.

  • Modality
    • By foot
  • Region
    • Ripollès
  • Towns
    • Pardines
  • Time
    • More than 4 hours
  • Difficulty
    • High
  • Estimated duration
    • 5h50min
  • Distance
    • 13,9 Km
  • Hide elevation maximum
    • 1.632m
  • Hide elevation minimum
    • 1.147m
  • Ascent
    • 594m
  • Descent
    • 594m
  • Thematic
    • Vall de Ribes routes

The visit to the village of Pardines and the chapel of Santa Magdalena de Puigsac complement the excursion perfectly.

We start the route at the Plaça del Padró in Pardines, R130 Pardines. We walk along the main street and at the R131 crossing, Pardines camí ramader, we go straight on along the concrete path to Can Tinet, where we take the small path.

At the R121 Vilaró crossing we continue towards the Puigsac neighbourhood, from which we can see the chapel of Santa Magdalena. We climb up towards the Puigllangord hill, leaving to the right two crossings that would take us first to the Taga hill and then to the Can Roca ice well. We move on to the Orri Vell.

In an hour and a quarter we reach a high point from which we see the landscape of the head of the River Segadell. We pass in front of the Orri hut and continue below the Estela peak, where there is the Tarter Pool. To the left, some 80 metres away, there is the font Freda (“cold spring”). From the plateau from which we see the Tarter Pool, the path descends towards a stream that runs down from the coll de Pal pass: we cross it and continue along the path. Now the path zigzags though an area of small hills and we continue to the signposted Pd4 crossing. At the end of the hills we go straight on across the middle of the meadow. We are now in the Pòrtoles plains, where we see the three passes that close the valley: the collada Verda, the coll de Pòrtoles and the coll de Pal. The plain ends at a steep slope and we walk though a group of pine trees, to the left of which are the Segadell springs. When we reach the group of pines we find a series of paths that turn left and go through the grove: we take the highest one.

Inside the grove there are springs and small streams that form the Segadell river. Exiting the wood, we find more meadows and paths that lead us to the collada Verda Pd3 crossing, the old “royal road” that joined the Garrotxa, the Ripollès and the Cerdanya. Later on, to the right of the path, we see the font de l’Arç (“hawthorn spring”) Pd2. The path then makes a steep descent, a climb and another descent. After a while, to the right of the path and on a small plateau, we reach the fountains called Les Fontanelles, where there is a metal bench where we can sit for a while. Continuing down the collada Verda path we return to Pardines.