A walk in the woods: Montseny Natural Park, Spain
If you go down to the woods today, you could be asked to hunt for badger poo. Or male ferns. Or legendary water maidens. Well, you could if the woods in question are in the Montseny Natural Park in Spain.
press trip*
El Montseny, in the Costa Barcelona region, has been named a biosphere reserve for its wildlife, plant life and archaeological importance – one of 22 in the country, and the only one in this area.
Our visit marked one of the few departures from the coast itself to take the Tordera River walk following the path past mini waterfalls, quiet pools and cork trees.
What set it apart from your average woodland walk was our guide, Helena, and her fantastic list of family-friendly activities to try. Starting in the picturesque village of Montseny itself, we were enrolled in a treasure hunt – except the treasures were natural ones.
Because if you walk through these woods, covering two main peaks and split into three areas by the rivers, you can wander from a Mediterranean habitat through central European plant life and up to subalpine conditions, almost as if you were hiking from Spain to Scandinavia, all without leaving the park.
And within the 30,000 hectares, you can find camping and hiking for serious enthusiasts, a pilgrimage route to Montserrat and the much gentler river family-friendly walk alongside La Tordera.
But much as I love a wander through woodland, I am not an expert on British flora and fauna, let alone Spanish.
What I needed was someone to tell me what I was seeing. And that was where Helena, one of the English-speaking guides from Ademc came in. The company, which offers guided tours of the area, has several different walks which are targeted at children as well as the option to tailor routes.
Ignore that fact that our group of bloggers might have been a few years (decades) over the intended age range, we had huge fun playing along.
Feeling smugly satisfied to be told the two laminated cards I’d picked were two of the park’s greatest treasures – pretty saxifrage with its white flowers, and a newt found only in Montseny – I soon discovered that their rarity and the time of our visit meant I was going to be lucky to spot either.
Fortunately, there was plenty more to see.
While wild boar, badgers, foxes and a whole array of birds live in the forest, the only signs of animal life we found were their droppings (including the discovery that figs were currently playing a major part in the creature’s diet) and a black cat, lounging elegantly in the sun under a cork tree with its valuable cork cropped carefully away.
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In the river and mini waterfalls we went pond dipping and I played around with the settings on my camera, to snap the running water again and again, before trying our hands as natural perfumiers.
Given a cup, pointed in the direction of several herbs growing wild and left to manufacture our own scents by mashing it all together with a pebble, I’d happily have worn mine.
Then we discovered Nature’s paintbox, creating our own mini works of art with the help of the plants along the water – reddish roots which turned purple on the page, yellow petals, greens, browns. Who needs crayons?
Finally, it was storytime. Sitting by a still pool, as Helena told us the legend of the water maiden who was enticed from her home in the dark water to marry a local man – on the condition he never reminded her of her origins.
Years passed happily, children came, until the fateful day when he broke his promise during a quarrel.
In the silent wood, the wind rustling gently in the leaves, it’s not hard to believe the deep pool could truly be the entrance to another magical world.
Somehow hours had passed. For us, time had not stood still and we retraced our steps back to Montseny village, for lunch at the Restaurant Fonda Montseny to refuel – our bite of a traditional ‘coca de crema’ pastry at the bakery that morning seemed a very long time ago.
Because if you go down to these particular woods today, there’s far more than one surprise to be found.
PIN FOR LATER: MONTSENY NATURAL PARK
Disclosure: My visit to Montseny and our guided tour was courtesy of Costa Barcelona tourism. All opinions and debatable artistic talents are my own.
Images copyright MummyTravels. With thanks to burr hand model Jenography and fellow artists One Tiny Leap, Travel Loving Family and A Modern Mother
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Looks super! It’s a great idea to have cards of natural “treasures” to look for; this would be a great activity with the kids. Gorgeous photos too. Thanks for the inspiration!
It was such a great idea – really simple but my daughter loves any kind of treasure hunt. And thanks!
This looks like a lovely walk with lots to see and do on route – thanks for sharing!
It was a gorgeous place – and the activities were really fun.
“debatable artistic talents”? I think you’ve definitely got some talent! I’m sure it’s not every day you would create art with nature itself, so I think you did exceptionally well. This place seems fascinating!
Ah thank you! And definitely not every day I scour the woods to create a piece of art – very fun to try though.
Lovely peaceful woods. I could see myself wandering out of there with pockets full of conkers and leaves. Of course it wont surprise you to know that it was the coca de crema pastry that caught my eye! Thanks for dropping by on #FarawayFiles
They were beautiful- no-one else seemed to be around either. And the pastries were delicious: it’s a sign of how much we ate that I was content with a taste…
I absolutely LOVE the painting with the natural elements – I could COMPLETELY get behind that – so beautiful. The whole post. And yum – those Spanish treats looked amazing. Thanks for sharing another great one for #FarawayFiles – loved it! Cheers from Copenhagen, Erin
It was so fun, watching the colours change and experimenting – lovely to get the chance to try it as an adult!
Poor you pulling the ‘best’ but hardest to find treasures. Lovely images. A guide also adds so much to any trip.
#farawayfiles
I know, I was so pleased with myself- she was a fantastic guide though, really transformed the walk.
Oh I love so much about this place – the helpful cards (I know nothing about flora and fauna either), the variety of environments and the natural crayons. I’m sure you all had a wonderful time but children are going to adore this.
#farawayfiles
It’s so perfect for families- kids would just have so much fun.
What a wonderful idea for a great family activity, Cathy. I love the idea of a guided nature walk through the woods and I my kids and I would be particularly keen on having a go at some art while we were there. Thanks so much for linking up with #FarawayFiles
It was such a lovely idea and so much fun to try out.
What a lovely read Cathy. Montseny was a wonderful surprise and Helena was truly spectacular! -a walk in the woods will never be the same 🙂
Thanks! Wasn’t she a great guide – I need her on all my woodland walks…
What a great post! These woodlands look amazing. And such a fun family activity. 🙂 #farawayfiles
Thanks! Really lovely.
That’s such a lovely walk – not only seeking the natural treasures in the park but also trying to make your own herbal perfume, trying out painting and especially the story time in the lovely woods. I can imagine it would be a wonderful experience for a family to experience together.
Such great activities- really brought the woods to life.
This sounds like the sort of thing kids would loe (and adults too, of course). One thing I always feel a little bit sad about when walking in a different country, is spotting some interesting looking plants and wildlife, and not knowing what they are. It’s a great idea to have a knowledgeable guide on hand. #FarawayFiles
Absolutely- my daughter always wants to know what kind of tree, what kind of bird, even what kind of dog is being walked nearby and half the time I have no clue!
Love the art work! So fun. I have always been drawn to the woods, having grown up in the woods of CT. Something forever mysterious about them, almost makes you believe the legend of the woman who married the local man to be true;).
Thanks! And definitely, sitting in the woods under the shadow of the trees, with the still deep pool beside us, you can believe in all kinds of magic.