Talaia de Puig-Castellar

The privileged location of the Puig-Castellar and the path that will take us there allow us to enjoy fantastic panoramic views on the massif of Collserola, the city of Barcelona and a good part of the plain of the Vallès. To this natural attraction we have to add the cultural incentive, since the highest part of the hill also holds the pleasant opportunity to visit the remains of the Iberian village of Can Castellar.

We go out on the other side where it is the building of the station, we cross the carrer Guadiana parallel to the train tracks and we take the carrer Vilomara until its confluence with the avinguda de la Ribera, that we will continue to the right until we reach a roundabout. Once there, we turn left and take a road that crosses the river Besòs.

On the other side of the bridge we turn right on the promenade that runs along the bank of the river, where we find the red and white marks of the GR 92 that will accompany us almost to the top of the hill of Puig-Castellar. We go ahead by the promenade until we find a small torrent that comes to us through the left. Despite the marks of the GR marching by the left are not very clear, and the disappearance of buildings by the same side, they help us to locate this point fairly easily.

We leave the walk and cross a field until we reach the road BV-5001 and to the front door of the wastewater treatment plant of Montcada i Reixac. From here we cross the road with much care and pass by in front of the Torre dels Frares. A few meters further we find a chain that restricts the pass of vehicles and a sign that indicates that we enter within the space of the Parc de la Serralada Litoral. We will follow this track until we find a path in a south direction to the right and which goes up signalled with the marks of the GR.

After a stretch of steep climb we arrive at a small plane where we find an electrical tower and where we left right up down a track. We continue up following the ridge line that gradually gains height and that allows us to enjoy a great panoramic views over the city of Montcada and a good part of the Vallès. After this stretch of steep climb the path leads to a wide track where we will not be following the GR that goes on the right anymore and we continue straight on along a track that moves in a flat way in a south-easterly direction.

After a few minutes we find a track on the right that is closed with a chain to prevent the access to vehicles. Following this track, we arrive a few meters ahead at the entrance of the Iberian archaeological site of Puig Castellar. It surrounds the summit of the hill where we are going to and that we will be able to visit before we arrive. Once on the top we will be able to enjoy exceptional panoramic views over Barcelona, Collserola, a good part of the plain of the Vallès and the hill of Montcada as well as Sant Llorenç del Munt and Montserrat in the distance.

We go down of the summit and we come back to the crossroads where we found the chain. Once there we follow the track on the right in the direction of the hermitage of Sant Climent, visible in front of us. A few meters ahead, we find a new crossing where they converge four tracks. We will have to follow the first track that goes on the left in northwest direction. This track goes first in a plain way and later in a steep climb transforming itself in a narrow path that leads to a wider track that we will follow to the right and down. In short, the track that we follow flows into another that we will continue to the left and that passes in front of Can Filosa, an ancient house of modernist style. Following this track we will arrive to the Torre dels Frares in a few minutes, from where we will go back by the way we have done one way until we get to the train station of Montcada.

We find a suitable place to make a stop in the tour at the viewpoint of the Iberian archaeological site Puig-Castellar.