Salty sea breezes, colorful flowers that reminded me of bowls of Easter eggs, skies that stretched forever and ever, burning calf muscles, salty sweat running down my forehead, and methodical crashing waves; this what I experienced my last two weeks in Costa Brava Spain hiking the Cami de Ronda coastal trails. I finally accomplished my goal of hiking the Camino de Ronda from L’loret de Mar to Portbou at the border of France. My father and I completed the nearly 100 miles of hiking and became entranced with the landscapes and culture.
Introducing You To The Cami De Ronda
I recently was asked why I blog, and I thought a long time about what my answer was – after all, I’ve been blogging for a long time now and often the ‘whys’ change. After some introspective thought, I realized I blog now for the same reasons I started blogging 10 years ago; I want to introduce new places and experiences to people as well as have them overcome their fears around travel in general. This is what drives me to keep going and eek by a living travel blogging. I just want people to learn more about the great places in the world that don’t always get a lot of attention. So it shouldn’t be surprising one of my favorite parts about the hike was sharing and introducing the Camino de Ronda experience with you…my online audience.
It was an active couple of weeks on social media channels! But I heard from many of you that you were excited to learn more about this part of Spain and the hike. The ebook and more Cami de Ronda articles will be coming with all the info on how you can go about hiking this path too.
Until then, I have some images to tempt you from my Instagram feed from the last 2 weeks. Every hiking day I carried a pack full of first aid materials, rain gear, snacks, and of course my camera gear.
Here’s a small taste of what the Cami de Ronda in Costa Brava Spain looks like and stay tuned for much more information later this summer!
There’s many more great pics – just follow me on Instagram to see more!
A bittersweet day…our last day hiking #inCostaBrava begins now. Only a few miles left to reach #Portbou and we will have completed the #camideronda coastal paths – something I’ve wanted to do for 4 years. So happy I came back and finally did it!
Up early today before the sun to get this pic of the lone tree on Platja Mar Menuda in #TossadeMar . Don’t think I could ever be a pro photographer as I can’t keep their hours! I went back to sleep after this!
A Mediterranean blue paradise. We hiked across many beaches today on the #camideronda however this one we hiked way above it and enjoyed the beautiful views #inCostaBrava
I’ve caught very few sunsets while on the #camideronda because we are normally eating dinner when the sun is setting – but today in #Cadaques I was in the right place at the right time and finally got to see a colorful sunset!
The cliffs of Costa Brava can be wild…and high! This is as close as I would go to the edge without getting wobbly knees! Along the #camideronda trail #inCostaBrava
I’ve never seen water so inviting. Especially since I was working up a sweat hiking the #camideronda – this is actually part of the trail.
Hiking the #camideronda at this time of year means colorful flowers all along the way. After all your eyes get tired of looking at beautiful blue skies and water all day – they ned some variety!
The further we go north on the #camideronda the more wild and harsh the landscape becomes. The coves and beaches are just as beautiful but there are way fewer people! Yesterday while hiking from Cala Montjoi to Cadaques for 7 miles I saw only 2 people in the far distance and no one on the beaches.
A little bushwalking today on the #CaminodeRonda
Its going to be a fabulous beach weekend here #inCostaBrava ! We sadly only had time to pass through Aiguablava on the #camideronda today – but I did get my feet wet and take a few pics!
Who out there loves hiking?
Hiking through a cork forest near Palafrugell. Yes, this is where wine corks (and many other things) begin…
Today we changed terrain and entered the world of limestone along the #camideronda in the Costa Brava. A very technical day of hiking for us where your brain had to be engaged on the trail at all times. We scrambled over chunky limestone and visited a few coves. Then I cut inland and finished the hike today on the GR 92 – a long, tough day. I need a nap
The colorful Casino in Sant Feliu #inCostaBrava . Constructed in 1888 by architect General Guitart. It has an ornate Arabic feel to it. However this is not a gambling casino, its a community center, bar, and restaurant. When we walked in it was filled with old men playing cards.
Stairs and jaw dropping views…this was my day today hiking 17km of the #camideronda #kneecrusher
Who likes anchovies?! We experienced anchovies from L’Escala Costa Brava today – a region famous for their anchovies in salt. You can even tour the little family run factories in the area and have tastings!
See that sand down there…That’s my #camideronda hiking trail. The views today between Palamos and Calella Palafrugell are gorgeous. We went from secluded beaches like this one to high up on jagged clifftops. Even my.knees thought the views were worth it!
For some it was a beach day, and for us it was another #camideronda day! Day 16 on the trail was stunning #inCostaBrava ! Sure, the beaches were nice, but the landscapes and cliffs today were even better! Stay tuned for those pics! The red and white mark was our trail marking today the we followed!
You want your own beach?.Costa Brava has it! Take a walk on the #camideronda and make few beach stops along the way!
Sunset in L’lanca port.
Will miss these Costa Brava views…some of the best in the world. Hopefully I’ve given you a small taste of what this area is like over the past 7 weeks. Paradise!
By Anna Schlaht June 14, 2016 - 10:11 am
Woah. How incredibly beautiful! It looks like you and your dad had a great time on the hike, and how special that you got to do it together! My husband and I love hiking; the Camino de Ronda looks and sounds like a wonderful experience, so we’ll have to add it to our list of future hikes.
We look forward to reading more posts on your hike! Thanks for sharing such amazing snapshots of your journey!
By Sherry June 14, 2016 - 11:05 am
YES! I hope you do consider for a future hike. The cool thing is that you can make it as long or as short as you want. There are 5 day shorter version or take a couple of weeks like we did to do the whole thing! Let me know if I can be of any help!
By Jade June 15, 2016 - 7:15 am
Beautiful! I am keen to start having more hiking adventures again. Just gotta get Jake (who is 3 now) a little more trained up :D:D
By Sherry June 15, 2016 - 7:54 am
Get Jake in training!! This is a great hike – definitely keep it on your list for your future hikes!
By Leigh | Campfires & Concierges June 17, 2016 - 4:06 pm
A cork forest…who knew?!
Looking forward to all the details…I may have to consider this as a shorter alternative to the Camino Del Norte I’m researching for next year…
By Sherry June 19, 2016 - 9:50 am
I think the hiking terrain would be similar – but the Camino de Ronda and coastal trails are much less known…which is the part that I love. It has a different feel than the CdS though – so if you are looking for that pilgrimage camaraderie then you should probably stick to the CdS. However if you want to experience something different and a different culture in Spain (Catalonia) – then the Ronda is great!
By Anna June 21, 2016 - 5:06 am
Hello Shery,
your photos are great! It is a lot to see in Costa Brava trail. We are going to Camino de Ronda for 7 days. Please could you recomend us what part of Costa Brava is better/nicer/more adventurous? We are thinking about two possibilities – 1st: from Blanes to Palafrugell (south of Costa brava) or 2nd: from Roses to Palafrugell (Notrh of Costa Brava).
Thank you very much for help
By Nepal Kailash Trekking Pvt. Ltd. November 3, 2016 - 9:52 am
Wooowww, what a great beautiful landscape, so nice.
By Sherry January 26, 2019 - 8:31 pm
Hi Sherry,
My husband and I are traveling to Barcelona in April and would like to hike part of the Cami de Ronda. Which part do you suggest we hike for the best views and beaches? We have one day for hiking. Thanks for any help. We love your pictures!
By Sherry January 27, 2019 - 6:02 pm
Hello! So happy to hear you are going to do some hiking along the Camino Ronda when you are in Spain! My best advice for day hikes are here – https://www.ottsworld.com/blogs/top-5-cami-de-ronda-day-hikes-in-costa-brava/ hopefully that will help you narrow it down! Let me know what other questions you have!
By Sherry Allen January 28, 2019 - 11:20 am
Thank you so much for the information. I think we’ve decided on Sant Feliu de Guixols to Palamós | 10.8 miles | 5 to 6 hours OR Begur to Pals |9.6 miles| trails. Of these two, which would provide the most scenic sea views? Also if we hike to Palamos, would we be close enough to visit a winery that same day? Or if we plan to visit Girona for a day, would wineries be closer to visit that day?
Sorry for all the questions. Thank you so much for your advice.
Sherry
By Sherry February 4, 2019 - 10:58 pm
Sorry for my slow replay – just saw this now. The walk to Palamos will definitely provide more beach/coastal views – it’s gorgeous and you walk on some beaches too. The Begur to Pals is all inland – no coastal walking. Hope that helps!
By Arlene March 13, 2019 - 1:33 am
My husband and I are planning a trip to Barcelona for 6 nights in mid-October. Considering 2-3 nights in the Costa Brava and do one day of hiking for perhaps 2-3 hours. We have never been to Barcelona either so want to allot enough time there. We are more outdoorsy than museum go-ers so this might be a nice balance.
What village would you recommend staying in and what part of the path would be good for this length of time for a beautiful day hike?
We enjoy good food, shopping (me), wine. Not much for museums. I figure 2-3 nights would give us a “taste” of the area and at least one nice hike. We are late 50s and in decent shape. Did a really wonderful hike in the south of France years ago along the coast with gorgeous views. Loved it so much.
Do you recall where the photo was taken with the long steps? That looks amazing!
Thank you so much for your very detailed and helpful information. Appreciate any suggestions you have.
By Sherry March 17, 2019 - 3:15 pm
Hi Arlene! Sounds like you have a great trip to Costa Brava planned! I think you will love it! For day hikes I would look at this – https://www.ottsworld.com/blogs/top-5-cami-de-ronda-day-hikes-in-costa-brava
I think you’d enjoy Palamós to Calella de Palafrugell. I believe the steps you are talking about are in the Sant Feliu de Guixols to Palamós route.
Let me know if you have any other questions!
By Sherry Allen March 28, 2019 - 9:45 pm
Sherry,
I just discovered the ruins empuries and think I saw that they are on the E’startit to L’Escala route. Is this doable to hike this part of the route (I believe it’s 21km) and view the ruins ? We will be traveling from Barcelona.
Thank you so much for the information – our trip is 3 weeks away.
Sherry
By Sherry March 28, 2019 - 11:46 pm
All on the same day? That would be pretty exhausting as it’s not an easy hike that day. We did the hike, had a hotel in L’Escala and then went to the ruins the next day – that way you have plenty of time to view the ruins.
Hope that helps a little!