Romanya de la Selva

Font Josepa

Into the hills for today's walk, which starts at the tiny village of Romanya de la Selva, inland from Platja D'Aro and on the edge of the Gavarres Mountains at 320m above sea level.

We parked near the pretty romanesque church of San Marti, which dates from the 10th century.



After a short detour to see the Font (fountain) de Prat, the route follows a well marked path (the GR 92.1 long distance path) which ascends gradually towards the Font Josepa, the focal point of this walk - and then continues on through the Gavarres. The springs are a feature of the area and are the result of a geological fault in the mountains.



At first the path is quite enclosed, but excellent views over the Gavarres are revealed as you go further up.



Eventually a short detour leads to Font Josepa, where there are a couple of benches under the shade of a tree to recover and enjoy the view. The white sign in the photo above certifies that the water is safe to drink.

We went a bit further on up the main track in search of another fountain, but decided it was getting too hot so we began the return leg. Rather than simply retrace our steps, we took the alternative route back to Romanya along a forestry "road" - i.e. a wide but rough track. This was easier walking in the end, but the initial price was a sharp ascent up to about 430m to negotiate a route round a large hill. Our reward though was some fine views south towards the coast.



From: Rother Walking Guide to the Costa Brava by Roger Budeler.

Map: Mapes Topografics (Piolet) Baix Emporda Sud.

Rating: Four stars. Great views. Wonderful butterflies ...


Sightings

Right from the start, we saw a series of large brownish butterflies with a flash of orange at the base of the hind wings. They had something of the gliding flight of the swallowtail about them. After a while I realised that we were seeing a species I had read about, but never previously seen: the Two-tailed Pasha. The two tails - which are reminiscent of the swallowtail - are clearly visible in the photo.



Almost as thrilling, was another large brown butterfly, this time with pronounced white bars across the upper side of both wings, but a drab camouflaged brown and white underneath. It was too big for a White Admiral, and the underwings were wrong. Later my butterfly book revealed the answer: the Great Banded Grayling.