Stage 35: Malniu - Guils - Puigcerdà.
(0h00min; 0 kms) Refugio de Malniu (2.130m). Drinking fountain. Set out from the refuge by the track that heads down to Merangues. Leave it shortly afterwards and continue left, along a path that heads across undulating terrain dotted with pine trees, until you come to the track that goes from Malniu to the Guils-Fontanera cross-country ski resort. You follow it on the left (east).
(0h55min; 2,7 kms) Refugio de la Feixa (2.165m), At the foot of the track, 100m further down, there is a drinking fountain (de la Feixa). The GR11 does not reach the refuge, but turns right 200m before, crossing grassy fields (Pla de la Feixa). You cross a path that comes from the refuge in a north-south direction, and begin the long descent to La Cerdanya. After 1 kilometre you cross a track at Pla de la Fontanera (close to the ski station) and cross an area that was affected by the fire in Puig de Peransau. A quick descent takes you to Guils, and towards the end you walk parallel to the Mata de l'Ós torrent.
(2h50min; 9,4 kms) Guils de Cerdanya (1.380m). Drinking fountain. From this point to the end of the stage, the GR11 heads along the bottom of the wide Cerdanya valley, passing crop fields and mostly follows the GIV-4035 road. You pass the small village of Saneja, where there is a drinking fountain at the entrance and another drinking fountain in the square. You follow the road to...
(4h00min; 14,4 kms) Puigcerdà (1.155m).
At thebeginning of the stage, you have the Refugio de Malniu (/).
In Guils de Cerdanaya, Restaurante El Picarol (//), also has rooms.
In Puigcerdà there is a choice of accommodation. We recommend Hostal Fonda Prat ((+34) 675 629 882 / (+34) 637 972 165; hola@fondaprat.com). Next to the GR11. It is very clean and homely, and also has a living room, a dining room, an equipped kitchen for the use of guests and free wifi.
Where to eat:During the stage, in Guils de Cerdanaya, we recommend Restaurante El Picarol (//). For a reasonable price they offer home-made food, à la carte, menu of the day, vegetarian options, grilled meat and Catalan pizza.
Other services:In Puigcerdà you will find everything you need.
Transport:Malniu mountain refuge is accessible by car from Malniu via a forest track (10kms).
To get to Puigcerdà, the bus company Alsaprovides 2 bus routes: Puigcerdà-La Seu d’Urgell-Lleida and Llívia-Puigcerdà-Barcelona. Another company, Autobuses Teisa (/) runs bus services on the Puigcerdà-Girona line, with 1 bus per day on working days. This bus stops in Planoles, the end of the next stage.
If you choose to travel by train, Puigcerdà is connected to the line: Barcelona-Vic-Ripoll-Ribes de Freser-Planoles-La Molina-Puigcerdà-La Tor de Querol (RENFE).
