From the monastery of Montserrat to Collbató (via the "cova del Salnitre")

ByRafa López Martín
On our way down we leave the Santa Cova hermitage behind us.
On our way down we leave the Santa Cova hermitage behind us.

On this journey, through the foothills of Montserrat, we will have the opportunity to visit the "Santa Cova". Our descent will take us through "les Feixades" with its breathtaking views and down the "La ".Salnitre Cave"to the town of Collbató.

Summary

From the monastery of Montserrat we will take the cobbled path or "camí del Rosari" which will lead us to visit the emblematic ".Santa Cova". From here a path will lead us along the slopes of Montserrat, in a vertiginous descent. We will pass by several caves or "baumas" until we reach the well-known and touristy "Baumas".Salnitre Cave". A little later we reach the first houses of Collbató.

Technical specifications

Distance: 7.8 km (ONE STREET OF ASPHALT MUST BE ADDED)

Timetable: about 3 and a half hours. Walking time without stops: 2 h 30 min.

Cumulative difference in altitude: +143 m/-479 m

Water: In the monastery grounds

Difficulty: Most of the route is downhill. Be aware of some steep and very eroded sections.

Suggestions: You can combine the tour with a visit to the monastery of Montserrat or with one of these two circular proposals: Circular from the Monastery of Montserrat to Sant Jeroni and the Albarda Castellana o Circular from the monastery of Montserrat to the Miranda de Santa Magdalena, passing through Sant Joan and Sant Onofre.. If, on the other hand, you want to do something more "modest", we suggest you: The "Creu de Sant Miquel" from the monastery of Montserrat.

Recommended equipment for the summer: Comfortable clothes, water and some food, sun protection and a walking stick for the descent.

How to get there?

Transport to the starting point:

The starting point of this tour is the Montserrat Monastery (see in Google Maps), which can be accessed in different ways:

- In the "aeri"This "aeri" is an aerial cabin or basket that takes five minutes and costs €8.6 one way and €13 return (adult). There are two ways to get there, by car or by FGC, and get off at the "Aeri de Montserrat" stop. See in Google Maps.

- On the rack railway (See in Google Maps): This train takes 15 minutes. Price: €8.1 one way and €13.50 return (adult). The rack railway stop can be reached by the FGC, at the stop at Monistrol de Montserrat (See in Google Maps) or by car, leaving it in the car park. free of charge next to the rack railway.

Transport from the point of completion:

- Bus company Monbus: Barcelona- Igualada line, pel Bruc. From Collbató to Barcelona, the adult ticket costs €5.75.

Itinerary

(0h00min; 0,0 km) Monastery of Montserrat (724 m). If we arrive by plane, we can start to descend along the cobbled path. However, we recommend a visit to the monastery grounds first. The rack railway will leave us a little higher up, right next to the Plaça Abat Oliba. Here you will find the entrance to the monastery grounds, several shops and a large yew tree in the middle. The monastery was founded in 1025 and houses a community of Benedictine monks and the choir of choirboys. There is also a museum, restaurants, cafés, hotels... We start to descend along the cobbled "camí del rosari". also marked as GR 96.

"Possible box on the GR 96."

This long-distance trail is known as the "camí romeu to Montserrat"The route has a long historical tradition, as it was part of the pilgrimage between Barcelona and Santiago de Compostela, stopping at the sacred mountain. In just over 57 km, divided into three stages, it starts at the foot of Collserola, crossing it and gliding across the plains of the Vallès before entering Montserrat. Another option for climbing to the monastery from Barcelona is the GR 6 or "Montserrat path" with its 52 km. On the other hand, the GR 5 or "path of the viewpoints" also starts or ends at the monastery.

During the descent to Collbató you will come across the GR 6 markers.

The first part of the path we walk down was paved and dug into the rock between the 17th and 18th centuries, thanks to the patronage of the Marquise de Tamarit. A little further down we see the upper stop of the "Aeri de Montserrat", an access system to the monastery built in the 1930s.

We descend the cobbled path. On our right, the statue represents Saint Dominic de Guzmán, founder of the Dominican religious order.

(0h10min; 0,5 km) Bypass GR 96 and GR 5 (650 m). We leave these long-distance paths to our left, which also take us down to the base of Montserrat, but through the Monistrol area.

Indicative pole with all the possibilities to go down the mountain.

A little later we see the stop of the Santa Cova funicular. However, if there is one thing that will catch our attention as we descend, apart from the views, it will be the richness of the sculptural heritage. We will find several groups dedicated to the Rosario y Fifteen mysteries of Our Lady (of joy, pain and glory), built between 1896 and 1916. They are part of Catalan modernism, and their design is the work of architects such as Gaudí, Sagnier and Puig i Cadafalch.

The famous architect Antoni Gaudí was involved in the design of the first mystery of the glory or resurrection of Jesus.

We see the turning to the GR 5 on our left, but we continue a little further along the cobblestones.

(0h25min; 1,7 km) Santa Cova (620 m). Legend has it that it was in the year 880, when some shepherd children saw a light descending on the mountain of Montserrat. Accompanied by the bishop of Manresa, they found the statue of the virgin, known as "Moreneta", in a cave. The bishop wanted to move her to Manresa, but it was not possible after several unsuccessful attempts. So they decided to build a chapel to venerate her in her place of origin. The current chapel dates from the 17th century and once again we find the suffrage of the Marquise of Tamarit. Built on the mountainside, it houses the original cave with a replica of the virgin. The original can be found in the monastery. Inside there is a small cloister, the votive offering room (where we find the offerings of the believers), the sacristy, the pilgrims' room and the dwelling of the guardian monk. We go back to the turn-off.

(0h40min; 1,8 km) GR5 detour (605 m). We take the path that will make us glide and pass under the Santa Cova.

The views are spectacular, to our right the natural space of "Puigventós" and behind it the natural park of "Sant Llorenç del Munt i la serra de l'Obac".

A little further on, this path initially descends steeply over conglomerate (be careful with the ground surface!) and through low vegetation.

The path descends steeply in a zigzagging manner.
To our right is the "camino de la Quadra de Sant Miquel" which will take us up towards the "serrat dels Monjos" and the "pla de Sant Miquel".

We pass the Bellasona stream, where it is common to find wild goats feeding among the vegetation. We reach the area of "les Feixades" where the slope becomes gentler and we walk along a path that leads us under some impressive rocky walls. To our right we will leave the entrances to the Cabrafiguera caves, with different lengths, the small one 6 metres and the large one 15 metres.

(1h35min; 6 km) Cova del Salnitre ( 500 m). We pass underneath this well-known tourist cave. This cave is almost 1 km long, although only 500 metres can be visited. Inside we find the "Sala de la Catedral", 60×35 metres, so called because it is said that the cathedral of Barcelona could fit inside it, and nowadays concerts are organised there. The "Pou del Diable" (Devil's Well), a 16-metre passageway. The cave of the bats, where the name of the cave comes from, the saltpetre ("salnitre" in Catalan), was originated by the decomposition of the excrements of these winged mammals and was exploited by the monks of the monastery during the Middle Ages. Or other rooms that have their own name and history. If you would like to visit these geological formations, you can consult its webThe adult general admission ticket costs €8.5.

Legend of the Cova del Salnitre and the bandit Mansuet.

At the same time as the legend of the "Timbaler del Bruc", that is, during the war with the French, we would place the story of a blacksmith from Collbató called Mansuet. This character became a bandit and led a group of people to hide in the "Cova del Salnitre", and when the French army discovered him, he threatened to demolish the cave. At the mockery of the soldiers, he dropped a bronze cauldron into the bowels of the cave, which rumbled and caused such a reverberation that the French thought the cave was falling and even the mountain, fleeing in terror.

We pass through an area of stairs that will lead us to an asphalted road, a little before the bend, we will leave it to take a path. We reach the picnic area of La Salut and come to a road. Turn right onto a dirt track that will take you to Carrer de la Salut.

The first thing you see when you reach the town centre of Collbató is the church of Sant Corneli.

Following the GR markings, you will reach the "Plaça de l'Era" and the church of Sant Corneli de Collbató. Then we will go down Colón street and Muntanya street. Then we go flat all along Avinguda del Centenari d'Amadeu Vives until we pass under the A2 bridge. We go down Carrer de Montserrat and in a few metres we find the bus stop at Font del Còdol.

(2h30min; km) Collbató. Bus stop ( m).