A blast of an experience

Exploring La Garrotxa by gravel bike, from La Carpa in Banyoles

Banyoles is not only a great destination for a bike ride, but it is also an excellent location to stay and use as a base for (gravel) tours in Catalonia. With the Parc Natural de la Garrotxa one climb away, there is a world of spectacular gravel trails to explore before returning for a swim in Estany de Banyoles, and enjoying its neighboring town after a day’s ride.

The apartment of La Carpa, where we are staying, is merely a stone’s throw from ‘Banyoles Beach’ and offers a superb starting point for gravel rides in the region. In addition, the apartment is incredibly well-equipped to offer cyclists everything they need for a comfortable stay in Banyoles. Most importantly, the family-run house has large comfortable beds, and a modern kitchen that has everything necessary to prepare meals before and after riding.

For cyclist-specific needs, amenities at La Carpa include a washing machine and a gym. In addition, there’s a large bicycle storage area with a workbench and an outdoor washing area, secured with CCTV cameras that capture every angle, where one can come and go at any time with the 24/7 keycode pin pad.

The clock read 8:15am when we mounted our gravel bikes to set out on our journey through the dormant and demanding volcano field of La Garrotxa. We’re heading towards Besalú first, from where we start climbing very smoothly to get into the volcanic areas. The gravel is as smooth as the gradients in the first 30 kilometers of riding.

There are multiple volcanoes on this route, and the first one is the Volcà de Can Gingi, one that is easy to miss unless you pay a lot of attention to the color of the surrounding rock. The Volcà de Croscat, however, is impossible to miss and worth getting off your bike for. Indeed this volcano, together with Santa Margarida and Montsacopa, features among one of the largest and youngest volcanoes on the Iberian Peninsula at (only) 1,500 years old.

After our visit to Croscat, there is a stretch of asphalt that takes us to the village of Mieres before heading onto a nice gravel section that leads halfway onto the mythical climb of Rocacorba. Afterwards we have a delightful descent heading back into Banyoles for a refreshing swim in the lake, and then home.

Upon entering the apartment we sit on the terrace and gaze back over the lake we just swam in, reflecting on where we had ridden only a few hours beforehand. La Carpa was an instrumental asset in having a blast of a time here in La Garrotxa with our gravel bikes.

This story is part of Nafent Magazine volume 11. Read the full story in our digital or paper magazine. Go to our webshop to get yours.