Costa Brava Cycling - Day 4

Our hotel, Molí del Mig was lovely and we were a little sad to be moving on. But our bikes were calling, mine more so than Nicole's and so we said farewell to Torroella de Montgrí.

Our route started with what I described to Nicole as a slight detour to a coastal lookout. I did not mention the lookout would be on top of a hill and the hill looked steep. The hill was very steep and we zigzagged our way slowly to the top. Nicole was in struggle town which I later discovered was mostly due to the fact that she was using the big cog. Anyway, we made it up the hill to Torre de Montgó. A tower built in 1598 to protect the town below, L'Escala from piracy. The tower was locked but the vantage point provided views of L’Escala, Sant Martí d’Empúries and the Bay of Roses. After seeing the views Nicole forgave me for making her climb a really big hill.

We then rode along the water front promenade of L'Escala. We loved this section of the ride because we got some beautiful views and a dedicated bike lane which meant no pedestrian dodging. We stopped to take a photo after failing at the selfie game we asked a nearby pedestrian. She spoke no English and I don't think she has ever used a smart phone. She tried to use the camera lens as a view finder and took a lot of confused selfies. She got there in the end and took a surprisingly good photo. Or alternatively Nic and I are just very photogenic.

To finish today's ride it was mostly highway riding but we were lucky. The highways had wide shoulders and we were able to ride two abreast. We visited a few more little quaint Spanish country towns. Some no more than four or five houses and a church. The towns we rode through were Viladamat, L'Arbre Sec, Torroella de Fluvià, Riumors, and Fortià.

After riding a tidy 50km we reached our hotel, Hotel de la Moneda in Castelló d'Empúries. This family run hotel was lovely and their service exceptional. They didn't speak English (a running theme in rural Catalonia) but made us feel more welcome than anywhere else we have visited.

The town, Castelló d'Empúries was once the capital of the Empúries region (local name for Costa Brava region) as the previous capital, Sant Martí d'Empúries, was too easily sacked by pirates. I also saw a sign that sign that said in the early 1800s Napoleon's Army fought here, but I have never been one for military history. My favourite things about this town were the maze like streets and the beautiful church, Santa Maria de Castelló.Read more