OLIVELLA, AN IDEAL PLACE FOR TRAIL RUNNING
Olivella occupies a good part of the Garraf Massif (Garraf Natural Park), belonging to the Coastal Mountain Range. Its location and good network of trails give it excellent access to the Garraf Natural Park. The Mediterranean climate allows training with optimal temperatures all year round, only in summer we will have to start early to avoid the high temperatures.
The routes that we propose take place largely within the Natural Park, and depart from two different locations: the esplanade above the Olivella football field, in Mas Milà; and the old town, in front of the Town Hall. They are routes that you can maintain high paces, without any technical difficulty, suitable for all types of runners. You will find a very good combination between track and path, always between pine forests and vineyards, with views of the sea from some points, and passing through old farmhouses. All in all, they will make it a unique experience.
MARGALLÓ 12K
Total distance: 12 km
Elevation gain: 250 m.
Start point: Mas Milà
Finish point: Mas Milà
Min. height: 107 m.
Max. height: 272 m.
Description of the route
MARGALLÓ 12K
This route is excellent for quality workouts of about an hour at high paces. The entire route is good running, with a fantastic combination of colourful and varied track and trails that will delight the most demanding runner.
We leave the esplanade, where we can comfortably leave the car, and where we will find the sign of the starting point of the OTR races, starting point of all the circuits that leave from Mas Milà. We go down the cemented path to pass over the Riera de Begues that will accompany us for the first 800m of the route. We will leave the helicopter raft on the left and continue along the Fondo del Querol track. We will continue in a gentle ascent and we will pass the Pla dels Roures until the intersection of Roures de la Cotxa where, on the left, we will find the first somewhat steeper climb that will make us slow down and increase our pulsations. Just starting the climb, we will find a path on the right that is where this route separates from the Margalló 30K, but we will continue to the left, up the track for 800 m. On the top we will find the ruins of what was the Rourell farmhouse with good panoramic views. We will easily descend to the bottom of the Pou del Rourell and immediately we will be climbing again through the Serra del Cementeri. We will leave the cemetery on the right hand side and we will make a last climb, the steepest and top of the race. As soon as we begin to descend, we will find a steep left-hand curve, the point of separation between the Margalló 12K and Margalló 23k routes. We will go down the cement track and, as soon as we find some houses, we will find on the left hand side a narrow street / path that separates the houses and that goes directly to the old town of Olivella. We will continue straight until the Plaça de l’Ajuntament. We will pass in front of the Town Hall, where there is a fountain in which we can refresh ourselves, and turning to the right we will find the directions for Torrent del Pont. This beautiful path will take us away from the old town and going down we will have to be careful not to pass the path on the left that turns almost 170º. We will continue along the path until we reach the road, which we will cross with caution. We will continue along a flat path that will look like an exhibition of the typical palm tree of the area, the palmetto. We will arrive at the cement track of Cal Muntaner where we will turn sharply to the left. At this point is where the route again coincides with that of the Margalló 23k and 30K routes, sharing the route until the end. We will continue down the track until we reach the BV-2111 road, where we will stay a few meters on the right bank to go down the path that, all the time parallel to the Riera de Begues, we will not leave until we reach the starting point again.
OLIVELLA 16K
Total distance: 16 km
Elevation gain: 355 m.
Start point: Ajuntament d’Olivella
Finish point: Ajuntament d’Olivella
Min. height: 140 m.
Max. height: 303 m.
Description of the route
OLIVELLA 16K
This route will take us through tracks and trails of great beauty and easy to run. That is why it will make us enjoy both landscapes and high rhythms a lot. The constant slides of the second half can be perfect for fartlek training.
We will leave the Plaça Major d’Olivella, in front of the Town Hall and take the path marked as Castell Vell. We will quickly leave the town behind and go down the path to the road, which we will cross with caution. We will follow the indications and begin to climb to the Coll de Triador. We will go down the Camí del Pou Tancat and when we reach the Fondo del Rector we will turn to the to take the path that will leave us to the Barret del Rector (rock formation that some researchers have considered as remains of a dolmen, and that due to its hat of a rector profile receives this name, barret=hat). We will continue along the track parallel to the Torrent de la Llaureda and soon we will take the path on the right hand side that will make us skirt the Riera de Begues for about 2 kms. From here, we will continue along the track but now on a clear ascent to the top of the Serra dels Carlins pass. When we gain altitude, on the right hand side we will have excellent views over Santa Susanna. We will continue straight on towards Arboçar. We will follow the track of the Camí del l’Arboçar and from there we will continue all the time the track that borders the Riera dels Pelagons in a gentle descent but with constant slides and surrounded by exuberant vegetation. The track ends at the Olivella road that we will border on the left a few meters to finally cross it and go down to the stream before crossing the bridge, which we will pass underneath. We will continue on the track that runs parallel to the Riera de Begues and that in just over 2 km will end up hitting the road again. We will pass a few meters along the left shoulder and then we will take the Can Montaner path. When we are arriving at the farmhouse, we will take the path to the right that will take us well signposted to Olivella, but not before taking a beautiful and shady path that uphill and through entertaining terrain will lead us to the starting point, the Plaça Major d’Olivella.
MARGALLÓ 23K
Total distance: 23 km
Elevation gain: 585 m.
Start point: Mas Milà
Finish point: Mas Milà
Min. height: 107 m.
Max. height: 400 m.
Description of the route
MARGALLÓ 23K
This route is excellent for resistance training at high pace. Most of the course is good running, with a fantastic combination of beautiful and varied track and trails that will delight the most demanding runner.
We leave the esplanade, where we can comfortably leave the car, and where we will find the sign of the starting point of the OTR races. Starting point of all the circuits that leave from Mas Milà. We go down the cemented path to pass over the Riera de Begues that will accompany us for the first 800m of the route. We will leave the helicopter raft on the left and continue along the Fondo del Querol track. We will continue in a gentle ascent and we will pass the Pla dels Roures until the intersection of Roures de la Cotxa where, on the left, we will find the first somewhat steeper climb that will make us slow down and increase our pulsations. Just to start, we will find a path on the right that is where this route separates from the Margalló 30K, but we will continue to the left, up the track for 800 m. Up we will find the ruins of what was the Rourell farmhouse with good panoramic views. We will easily descend to the bottom of the Pou del Rourell and immediately we will be climbing again through the Sierra del Cementerio. We will leave the cemetery on the right hand side and we will make a steep climb. As soon as we begin to go down, we will find a steep curve to the left, the separation point between the Margalló 12K and Margalló 23k routes, which in this case we will turn right along a path that will take us to the Masia de Can Camps. We will continue at the track and a few meters later we will be inside the Garraf Natural Park. We will ascend by track to Mas de Aliona and after a small climb we will arrive at the Cuatre Camins (four tracks) junction where we will continue to the left for the GR-5, a rocky path that in a gentle but constant ascent will take us to Can Grau, a nature school and astronomical observatory. We will continue up the GR-5 until we find a wide track, the highest point of the route and where, if we turn around, we will enjoy magnificent panoramic views of the coast, which to the south will allow us to see El Montsià on clear days. We will continue along the GR-5 track until we reach the detour on the left with the indication of Santa Susanna. We will go down a long rocky path, where we will have to be careful when it is wet. It will take us to Santa Susanna, an elevated farmhouse on a small hill, dominating its extensive estate. We will skirt the vineyards and the track will take us up the Coll de Trencaportells. We will continue to Mas Vendrell and, at the top of the track, we will arrive at the detour that on the right hand side can, optionally and off-route, go up to Castell Vell, with spectacular views of the Olivella territory. We will continue down the track and we will take the indications of the Font del Rector, where the fountain and some old washhouses are located, usually with water to cool off if it is hot. We will continue along the path that will return us to the track at a point where we will find the Barret del Rector (a rock formation that some researchers have considered the remains of a dolmen, and which due to its profile is known as the Rector’s hat). We will continue along the track, and optionally we can visit the Cal Muntaner Cave; it is worth going down to see it and stopping for a few minutes. We will continue along the track until we reach the Cal Muntaner farmhouse. It is at this point that the route again coincides with the Margalló 12K circuit route and that they will no longer separate until the end. We will continue down the track until we reach the BV-2111 road, where we will stay a few meters on the right bank to go down the path that, all the time parallel to the Riera de Begues, we will not leave until we reach the starting point again.
MARGALLÓ 30K
Total distance: 30 km
Elevation gain: 815 m.
Start point: Mas Milà
Punto de llegada: Mas Milà
Min. height: 107 m.
Max. height: 534 m.
Description of the route
MARGALLÓ 30K
This route is excellent for long endurance workouts at high rates. Most of the course is good running, with a fantastic combination of beautiful and varied track and trails that will delight the most demanding runner. On clear days, the views from the top of La Mola are impressive: from the Pyrenees, passing through Montserrat, Garraf, the sea and, in the background, El Montsià.
We leave the esplanade where we can comfortably leave the car and where we will find the sign the starting point of the OTR races. Starting point of all the circuits that leave from Mas Milà. We go down the cemented path to pass over the Riera de Begues that will accompany us for the first 800m of the route. We will leave the helicopter raft on the left and continue along the track to the Fondo de Querol, we will pass the Pla dels Roures and we will continue in a gentle ascent to the intersection of Roures de la Cotxa where, on the left, we will find the first somewhat steeper climb that will make us slow down and increase our pulsations. Just to start, we will find a path on the right hand side that is where we will separate from the route that until now we have shared with the Margalló 12 and 23K route, We will continue until the intersection of Cuatre Camins, already within the Garraf Park and on the GR- 5, in this part a rocky path and that in a gentle but constant climb will take us to Can Grau, a nature school and astronomical observatory. We will continue up the GR-5 until it becomes a wide track. We will plan for a while and, when we begin to descend, we will pass the detour to Santa Susanna, where we will start a loop that after 10 kms will leave us at the same point. We will continue downhill and at the first bend to the right we will find the chain and the path that will take us up to the top of La Mola. Optionally, just before reaching the top we can take a path on the right that will take us to Balmes de la Mola, an excellent viewpoint sheltered from the north wind, where we can stop to eat, drink and enjoy the views before continuing. Once at the top, dominated by the watchtower, we can enjoy the views to the north with the Pyrenees in the background and Montserrat to touch. From here we will go down the track, with cemented sections, almost to Olesa de Bonesvalls, where we will take a path that will take us to the lower part of the GR-5 of the route and that we will have to go up, alternating track and trails, always going up to get back to the Santa Susanna detour, which we will now take. The route from here will coincide with the Margalló 23k route. We will go down a long rocky path, where we will have to be careful when it is wet. It will take us to Santa Susanna, an elevated farmhouse on a small hill, dominating the plain of its extensive farm. We will skirt the vineyards and the track will take us up the Coll de Trencaportells. We will continue to Mas Vendrell and, at the top of the track, we will arrive at the detour that on the right hand side can, optionally and off-route, go up to Castel Vell, with spectacular views of the Olivella territory. We will continue down the track and we will take the indications of the Font del Rector, where the source is and some old washouses usually with water to cool off if it is hot. We will continue along the path that will return us to the track at a point where we will find the Barret del Rector (a rock formation that some researchers have considered the remains of a dolmen, and which due to its profile is known as the Rector’s hat (Barret)). We will continue along the track, and optionally we can visit the Cal Muntaner Cave, it is worth going down a few minutes to visit it. We will continue along the track until we reach the Cal Muntaner farmhouse. It is at this point that the route again coincides with the Margalló 12K circuit route and that they will no longer separate until the end. We will continue down the track until we reach the BV-2111 road, where we will stay a few meters on the right bank to go down the path that, all the time parallel to the Riera de Begues, we will not leave until we reach the starting point again.
