EPO on foot. From Collbató to Corbera and ending in Viladecans.

REMEMBER: It is advisable to divide the route into several stages suited to your physical level. Keep in mind that you will be walking at 4 km per hour, and for every 300 meters of uphill elevation, you need to add one more hour of walking.

We will begin the route from the parking lot at the Aeri in Monistrol. We’ll follow the river along the roadside until we reach the pumping station that carries water to the Monestir. Here begins the narrow uphill path, which in some parts is so steep that it will require some scrambling. Soon, the panoramic view of the Llobregat valley and the Congost del Cairat will open up. We’ll continue climbing through a bushy area, more or less recovered since the 1986 fire. On our left, sheltered by a cliff, we will see the Santa Cova. We will continue until we reach the Monestir.

After leaving the Monestir, we’ll continue with a slight uphill towards l'ermita de Sant Miquel. This is the highest point of the route, where we can enjoy splendid views. We will descend along the corriol de les Feixades until we reach the Coves del Salnitre, l'Ermita de La Salut, and the charming village of Collbató.

Arriving in Collbató, from the viewpoint of the Balcó a Montserrat, we will enjoy views of La Salut, the Montserrat Massif, and the path to the Coves de Salnitre that we descended. It’s time to rest for a while, taking a stroll through the old town, just nearby.

We will continue towards Esparreguera, descending the Prelitoral Range. After crossing the town of Esparreguera to the west, we’ll enter the Prelitoral Depression, near Anoia. Without entering the plain of Anoia, we will absorb part of its landscape as we cross the cereal highlands above Abrera, heading towards Sant Esteve de Sesrovires.

The streams and brooks, with their lush and tender vegetation, cut through these small highlands. We will follow a beautiful example through the Torrent de Sitges to Sant Esteve de Sesrovires, and from there, we will begin a gentle descent towards the foothill where the Anoia River flows into the Llobregat: the red Serra de l'Altaix in Martorell.

We cross the Anoia River and prepare to cross the Serralada Litoral through Castellví de Rosanes towards Corbera de Llobregat. The landscape changes completely, and now, having left the vineyards of the Anoia valley, the forest cover becomes continuous, almost all the way to the town of Viladecans. In the Llobregat Valley, this mountain range is known as the Muntanyes d'Ordal, and further west, near the Penedès, it is the Serra del Garraf.

We will climb and descend the passes separating the towns of Castellví from Corbera, Pallejà, La Palma de Cervelló, Cervelló, Torrelles de Llobregat, Sant Climent, and finally Viladecans. Red cliffs in Corbera; spectacular views from the viewpoint over Pallejà, the jewel of Santa Maria de Cervelló, and a series of heritage elements dot these Muntanyes d'Ordal, looking out over the Llobregat.

Occasionally, we will find little corners with orchards and fruit trees near the brooks of Corbera and La Palma. Passing through Torrelles and Sant Climent, we’ll see the slopes of l'ermita of Sant Ramón, which are remnants of the cherry orchards that once covered the area. Inside the forest, we will notice dry-stone walls and terraces that tell the story of agricultural dominance, especially of vineyards, before the white pine forest overtook everything.

We will also notice the uniqueness of the ground we are walking on. Notice how we pass from the plain with brown sedimentary stones and pebbles to the mountain with white karstic rocks, red sandstones, conglomerates, or gray limestone and schists.

Finally, we reach Viladecans, at the foot of the Litoral Range, with views of the sea, and we still have to discover the third geographical unit of the route: la Plana Deltaica del Llobregat.

Now, along del camí de les Filipinas, we will cross the entire plain of vegetable fields until we reach the protective coastal pine forest. On the other side of this strip of pine trees, we’ll find the dunes and the beach