Works in the Greenway in installments until the end of 2010. There are alternative routes. Click here for more info>>
Km 0

From Olot (at 440m above sea level) the Carrilet Greenway is markedly downhill to Girona (at 70m), although there is a short climb near Olot to Coll d’en Bas at 600m above sea level. We therefore suggest you make the trip from Olot to Girona so as to be able to enjoy the 54 km long route through the verdant countryside with very little effort.
The route starts at Olot station where the old station building is in a perfect state of repair. The track leaves Olot alongside the river Fluvià and the Font de Sant Roc park before entering a tunnel under the Sant Roc hermitage.
At Km 2.5 we arrive at the Apeadero Sant Privat which still preserves its modest platform. From here a long straight track takes us through the dense cornfields that carpet these volcanic foothills. At Les Preses (Km 4), the trail becomes just another street in the village, but it is still easy to follow. Just outside the village, we find the station, now converted into an Environmental Information Centre, which is an obligatory stop-off for anyone wishing to find out more about the natural environment of the region
Km 7
AShortly after leaving the station the original railway route has been swallowed up by crop fields. But, never fear; the Greenway is well signposted and it is easy to follow a series of paths that, 500m later, take us across a road. From here we head for Sant Esteve d'en Bas (Km 7) beyond which we are forced to abandon the old railway route which the new road has cut into in a number of places. We now gradually start to gain height until, after crossing the new C-152 road with due caution, we find ourselves on the other side of the old road. On its weathered and almost forgotten tarmac we climb some gentle slopes before arriving at Coll d'en Bas, at Km 11.
In this section the railway lines used to run through a tunnel, but that tunnel has been since been widened and pressed into service for the new road. Meanwhile the old road climbs for about 1.5 Kms, providing some picturesque views of the Val d'en Bas, locally known as "La Suiza de Cataluña" (the Switzerland of Cataluña). After reaching the top of the pass we have an easy downhill stretch until we arrive back at the modern road on the other side of the tunnel. Here we rejoin the old railway route on the right hand side of the road, now separate from the new road and perfectly practicable (Km 12).
Km 14
A fairly steep downhill section brings us to the Apeadero Sant Miquel de Pineda, at Km 14. Here, next to the station platform, is the Roman hermitage of Sant Miguel, and beyond the trail the descent steepens as we drop down towards Sant Feliu de Pallerols. After crossing the river Bruguent, the old railway line runs close to the road above a narrow valley before reaching Sant Feliu de Pallerols. (Km 17), where the station still stands, although in a very poor state of repair.
The next stop along the way is Les Planes, after first passing below the thousand year old Castillo d'Hostoles, built on a commanding position high above the railway line. At Km 22 we arrive at Les Planes, where the railway describes a wide arc as it gradually loses height.
Km 22
After Les Planes we move on to one of the most attractive stretches of the railway. The trail drops steadily down through woods alongside the river, far from any roads or villages. We pass over bridges and through spectacular cuttings before arriving at the Apeadero de Font Picant, at Km 28. From the station a broad stairway leads down to where was a once a delightful hotel. Very close to here, thousands of litres of spring water is bottled every day to be drunk at tables all over Spain.
The trail, now narrower, heads towards Amer (Km 30), the logistical centre of the railway. The former workshops are now home to the local fire brigade, while the main station building, the platform, and its peculiar station bar are all in a relatively good state of repair. Scarcely a kilometre further on the railway is once again swallowed up by the road, but our Greenway avoids the traffic by using the old Camino Real (this track contains a number of steep inclines with a cement surface which may prove tricky for less skilled cyclists).
Once we reach the road again we need to continue alongside it until we reach the nearby bridge over the river Ter (300m .)
Km 34
On the other side of the river the El Pasteral railway station, at Km 34, marks the beginning of another, very different section. The trail now runs in a straight line through crop fields before reaching the town of La Cellera de Ter, 2 Km down the line. Just a kilometre later the old railway line crosses the Riera de Osor stream and enters the town of Anglès (Km 37). This town, with its medieval air, still has a station but has lost most of its railway lines to the new ring road. Our Greenway runs alongside this new road, but it is worth making a detour into its cobbled streets, redolent of their medieval past.
From Anglés to Girona the railway line used to run alongside the road with the river Ter on the left hand side, passing through a series of stations - Bonmatí, Bescanó, Salt – before finally arriving at Girona. Our Greenway follows much of this route, making its way between leafy poplar trees and such spectacular landscapes as the Paso de la Pilastra, at Km 49.
Km 52
From this point, just before arriving at Salt, our Greenway takes its leave of the old railway line in order to avoid the complicated urban routes through Salt and Girona. Instead we take a well signposted route along the banks of the Ter making use of rural tracks lined with poplars. We skirt around the town centre of Salt and, at km 54, enter Girona via the Parque de la Devesa where we need to take care when crossing the avenues at the entrance to the park. We suggest that you take a tour around Girona’s picturesque old quarter which will exercise your physical and, more especially, your cultural muscles. For those of you still wanting more, try continuing down to the shores of the Mediterranean at Sant Feliu de Guíxols along the Girona-Costa Brava Greenway.
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