Camino de Ronda – Costa Brava Coastal Trail

July 20, 2012 31 Comments »

camino ronda hiking trail spain
Camino Ronda hiking trail near Llafranc

I arrived in Costa Brava the day after I finished walking the Camino de Santiago, it was an abrupt transition – so when my hosts, the Costa Brava Tourism Board, said that I could go hiking in the area I was excited but my feet had a different plan.  My feet wanted to simply relax and enjoy being driven around!  However, after a couple of weeks of enjoying the gastronomy treasures of Costa Brava and seeing the area by wheeled transportation, I was ready to put back on my trail shoes and do a hike.

I was surprised to learn about the extensive hiking trail called Camino Ronda – a 220km walk from Blanes to the northern city of Collioure near the border of France.  This extensive and well-marked trail goes by many names – Camino de Ronda, Costa Brava Way, and GR-92 (Grand Randonee).  It is mainly a coastal hike that takes you to the little coves and hidden beaches of Costa Brava as well as fishing villages and inland landscapes.  There is lodging along the way and it appears to be very well-marked and supported with resources.

I walked a very small portion of it one day to get a feel for the trail and to stretch my hiking legs again.  I started in Calella de Palafrugell and walked up to the Llafranc lighthouse and then turned around and came back down.  This was enough to get it under my skin and start planning to come back and walk the entire 220k in the next few years.  The views are stunning, and the terrain varied, plus at any moment you can cool off in the turquoise waters of the Mediterranean!

I’ll be back for more – but in the meantime, I’ll tempt you with photos of the portion of the trail I ‘test drove’!

fishing boats calella de palafrugell costa brava spain
Fishing boats line the trail in Calella de Palafrugell
The trail runs right along the Llafranc beach
Eye candy – the trail goes right along the beach in Llafranc
The rugged coast
The rugged coast of Costa Brava
fishing boat in calella de palafrugell
Get up close to the boats in Calella de Palafrugell
camino ronda sign trail marking
Camino Ronda trail signs keep you going the right way and estimated times
camino ronda beach front trail
The trail runs right along the beach in places
camino ronda view of Llafranc bay
View of Llafranc Bay from the trail
costa brava trees
Trees provide some shade along the trail
Sant Sebastia lighthouse
My destination – Sant Sebastia lighthouse

This is not a heavily touristed trail (which makes me even more excited to walk it!), so there are few English resources on it.  The Tourism Board does offer a comprehensive trail book that is wonderful.  Plus you can learn more about it in these blog posts and videos.  Maybe you’ll get interested enough to come walk it with me in the future!

The Scenic Costa Brava Coastal Trails

Walking and Hiking in Costa Brava

Video (Spanish) – trekking the Camino de Ronda

Listen to more about the Camino Ronda and Costa Brava on the Amateur Traveler Episode 339 – Travel to Costa Brava, Spain

My travels around the area were supported by  Visit Costa Brava.  However, all of the opinions expressed here are my own.


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