The Windy Route

A trip through the heart of the Montgrí surrounded by dry stone structures

When we think about the Montgrí, the typical silhouette of the massif with the unfinished castle crowning the mountain comes to mind. Behind this iconic facade of the Empordà, the massif hides infinite spots and stories to discover.

The following is a suggestion for a hike through the interior of the massif to discover dry stone structures following the Windy Route. This journey passes through areas which are colonized today by dense forests of wild olive trees, smilax, cistus, buckthorn, kermes oaks, pine trees, and holm oak trees which has once been pastures, vineyards, and olive groves worked with great care. The walk is easy, circular, and well-marked with green and white colored markers. It takes 2 hours 45 minutes, is 8 km long, and has an elevation gain of 128 m.

Placing one stone on top another, without the need for lime or mud mortar, simply ensuring that the stones are well fitted, is a traditional, inexpensive technique: all that’s needed is the knowhow, having the stone at hand, patience, and hours and hours of hard work.

The dry-stone buildings in Montgrí became popular between the 17th and 19th centuries. Farmers and shepherds who made use of the mountain resources built huts, shelters, windbreaks, resting areas, lime furnaces, roads for livestock, water dams, canals, agricultural clearings, beams, and more, to the point that dry stone structures represent half of all the cultural heritage in the Montgrí Natural Park, the Medes Islands, and the Baix Ter. //