Roca Foradada, the red stone arch beside the village

What it is

The Roca Foradada is a large natural arch opened by erosion in the reddish rock of the Muntanyes de Prades. It is 1.5 km from the village, along a short path with little ascent that the Town Council recommends for families. Next to the arch there is a picnic area and a small pond. It is an outing of a little under an hour there and back, plus the time you spend there, free and self-guided.

The path step by step

1. Tourist office. Leave the office, on Carrer Muralla, and take Carrer de la Caballa on the right. Follow a path lined with mulberry trees.
2. Hermitage of Sant Antoni. About 200 m along you have it on the right. At its foot is the Font de Sant Antoni, which always flows.
3. The pond and the tarmac. Continue along the street, which turns first right and then left, passing near a pond, to the start of a tarmac stretch.
4. The fork. Keep left, climbing the tarmac track.
5. The dirt track. Further up, take a dirt track on the right signposted to the Roca Foradada, with a chain that stops vehicles.
6. The Roca Foradada. The path crosses the woods and reaches the picnic area and the small lake. On the left is the arch.

Nearby is also the Font de la Foradada, which always flows and has a high iron content.

Combining it with the hermitage

It is route 5 of the Prades fountains, which links the Roca Foradada with the hermitages of Sant Antoni, Sant Roc and the l’Abellera hermitage. Both start from the same point, the tourist office, and share the beginning: if you have a morning, you can do both.

When to go

All year. In summer, go early or late in the day to avoid the heat. In autumn you can combine it with the autumn festivals on the Plaça Major. In the rain, the rock and the earth are slippery.

With children and with a dog

It is Prades’ outing for small children: short, with barely any climb, with a stone arch to get into and a lake on arrival. The last stretch is dirt: with babies, a baby carrier is better than a pushchair. Dogs can come, on a lead.

Before setting off

Bring water: the Town Council warns that the springs outside the village have no health guarantee, even though they flow all year. Don’t light fires in the picnic area and take your litter with you. In summer, check the fire risk level on the Generalitat’s Pla Alfa, which can restrict access to the woods.