From Port de la Selva, I set off to Llançà, to the train station, in order to get to the initial point of the Trans Pyrenees tour. I intended to make a short stage of 30 km between Cap de Creus and Llançà, but I will make use of my time and will make one stage and a half.
I start going up the Pyrenees and see the varying landscapes until I am at a certain height, where the landscape is now unchanging, everlasting plains, somehow surrounding Sant Climent Sescebes. I get lost there, and appear below Vilartolí de Dalt, where there are curious metal sculptures made by a local artist.
I go back to the marked trail and get to the dolmens area, where Menhir de Vilartolí is: http://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menhir_de_Vilartol%C3%AD
From this point, I go on towards Dornius, and this is the first minor change I make on the Transpyrenean route: when you get to Dornius, according to the classic Transpyrenean route, you should go northward, so that the Boadella Reservoir would be surrounded by a route of tracks in the northwest, and then going down towards Riberada d’Avall, and from that point, towards Sant Llorenç. Instead of taking that route, since the road surface was in poor conditions, I go through tracks that connect the southeast of the reservoir with Sant Llorenç de la Muga. This way is only 3 km shorter than the other, but plenty of time is saved and trails in poor conditions are avoided, and in my case, it was worth following this alternative route.
In the following graph, you can see the differences between the classic route —the top, blue line— and the alternative route through the reservoir —lower, green line.
Minor change of Transpyrenean (in green)
At the time I am making this stage, early October, 2012, big forest fires have broken up throughout the Alt Empordà region not long ago, and many of the mountain bike trails have been destroyed, so I have to improvise alternative routes, and that effort means a considerable delay as regards the stages I have planned.
I stop in Sant Llorenç de la Muga to spend two nights there, in “La Fradera” campsite, and visit the area on the second day.
Etapa 2 a Wikiloc: http://en.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=4972036
Etapa 3 a Wikiloc: http://en.wikiloc.com/wikiloc/view.do?id=4972091
GPS Track for Stage 2 download: http://goo.gl/85Pt00
GPS Track for Stage 3 download: http://goo.gl/Ya5BJS
Distances:
Port de la Selva – Llançà: 8 km
Llançà – Sant Llorenç de la Muga: 64 km
List of villages:
Download track 3 with QR BIDI
Llançà
Vilamaniscle
Rabós
Espolla
Vilartolí
Cantallops
La Jonquera
Agullana
Darnius
Sant Llorenç de la Muga
Price of accommodation: 12 euros.
References: Càmping La Fradera. Ctra. Albanyà km 2. Sant Llorenç de la Muga. Tel. +34.972542054