El Puigsacalm, Vall d'en Bas Walk

Distance: 8.25 km   Ascent: 450m    Duration: 2 h 40 min 
Don't go at the weekend, it can get quite crowded up there!!

From the Collada de Bracons to El Puigsacalm 

In the surroundings of Puigsacalm we find the green, leafy, endless landscapes of the Pyrenean foothills as nowhere else in the wet regions of Catalonia. The view from the summit, 1515 m high, is of such extraordinary grandiosity and beauty that no-one can say they know Catalonia until they have climbed it. The route starts from Collada de Bracons. To get there we take C-152 from Olot to Sant Feliu de Pallerols and turn right along GIV-5273, the local road from Joanetes and La Vall d'en Bas to Torelló. 
Once at the top of the pass, we leave the car and take a road that heads north, negotiating a rocky edge of the main road. Ten minutes later we pass a path on the right that climbs up to the top of Tosell Gros hill. Further on, in a splendid beech wood, we pass another path on the left. 
After climbing for 45 minutes we come to Collada de Sant Bartomeu. Here we find a turnoff where we take the road to the right. After 1 hour 20 minutes we come to Font Tornadissa. Here the road veers east and climbs. Not far off is the road to Platraver and Sant Bartomeu. The track leaves the wood and continues along Manter flats. 
In just under two hours we come to Puigsacalm. If you are walking with small children, be careful they do not fall. The panorama is so extensive that we could use the magnificent view to give a practical geography class. 

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