Busy day today with two stops before we reached Olot. The first was to see the Pont de Llierca – a very photogenic Romanesque bridge. It was directly off a minor road but the parking was a bit difficult for a motorhome. Thinking the tree branches above could have ripped off the satellite dish …might not be such a bad thing. 😉
Next stop, Castellfollit de la Roca – a village built on the edge of a cliff that drops sixty metres to the river below. Very impressive from a distance but decided not to chance driving in to get stuck in the narrow streets.
On to Olot where we parked on the outskirts and headed up the back of someone’s allotments to the Volcà del Montescopa – an extinct volcano with a path all the way around the bowl shaped crater. I suppose it doesn’t really look like a volcano anymore but the views are great from the top and all the rocks are definitely lava. Most of this region – the Garroxta, is volcanic in origin although the last eruption was about 12000 years ago.
We debated whether to look around the town or not as we were parked on the wrong side of it. As we came down the many steps from the crater it all seemed a lot closer so we went in for a quick look. Nice colourful, vibrant old town hiding behind the modern industrial estates.
After lunch, we drove on a long and winding road to Ripoll, which was a surprise to us as it looked straight on the map! Stopped at Lidl for food, then headed up into the mountains. Good road, but thick fog as we climbed up. Fortunately we only saw one other car.
We had four bottles of cheap Cola poured in the drain so it got a good slosh around the bends. It’s supposed to clear the pipes and drains but I think we may as well have drunk it for all the effect it’s had!
Parked up near the French border now – can’t see much and it’s five degrees with sleet forecast. Think we’ll leave the heating on tonight!