Els Degotalls Path

Els Degotalls is the flat walk at Montserrat. It leaves the sanctuary precinct along the Monistrol road and runs almost level, parallel to it, to a corner where the rock wall drips without stopping; hence the name, which in Catalan means "the leaks". It is 3.2 km out and back and about 50 minutes according to Montserrat Visita. It is the outing for anyone who has come with small children, with older people or without mountain footwear, and for anyone who wants to escape the crowd in the square for half an hour without climbing a single step.

From the Mirador dels Apòstols to the dripping wall

You leave the precinct along the road towards Monistrol and pass the Mirador dels Apòstols building, the one at the entrance. At the sharp bend that follows, take the path on the left: it runs parallel to the road, heading north-west. In about 25 minutes you reach the Els Degotalls corner. Above the path, about 200 metres higher, are the Llanos de la Trinitat, and from those walls falls the water that has been shaping the rock. On the other side the plain opens out, and at the far end, on clear days, the Pyrenees. You return the same way.

Verdaguer, Maragall and the Virgins of Catalonia

The path is full of small monuments. There are stelae and medallions dedicated to Jacint Verdaguer, the poet, to Joan Maragall, to the tenor Emili Vendrell, to Pep Ventura, the sardana musician, and to Pompeu Fabra, who fixed the standard of Catalan. Along the wall, a series of ceramics reproduces the invocations that the villages of Catalonia have given to the Virgin. For children it works as a game: counting ceramics and looking for names.

Holm oaks, box and a cool stretch

The path runs through a holm oak wood with box and laurustinus. In the dampest part, near the corner of the leaks, deciduous trees such as maple and elder appear, which change colour in autumn. It is also the first stretch of the Camino de Santiago that leaves the monastery.

Park rules and when to go

It is a natural park. Do not leave the marked path or take shortcuts, do not light fires, do not collect plants, stones or animals and do not leave litter. Mountain footwear is not needed, but the sanctuary asks for footwear suitable for walking. Groups gather in the square and the basilica at midday; first thing or last thing the path is quieter.

Before or after, in the same Mirador dels Apòstols building you have the Bar Mirador, open from 9:00 to 17:00, and on the second floor the Buffet Montserrat, from 12:15 to 16:00. If the walk feels too short, the Path of the Hermitages by Sant Miquel leaves from the other end of the precinct and climbs to the Sant Miquel viewpoint. If you sleep up top, the Cel·les Abat Marcet are a few minutes on foot.