Table of Contents
Day 3 of Pyrenees Hiking – Baga to Gosol
- Starting Point: Baga
- Ending Point: Gosol
- Distance: 24 kilometers/ 15 miles
- Altitude Gain/Loss (in meters): 1,160 ascent, 1,300 descent
- Est. Time on Trail: 6 – 8 hours
The first stage of the trail here is a gentle walk alongside a river flowing past Baga. The next 13 kilometers or so are spent gradually gaining altitude, until you crest onto flat stretches of alpine highlands.
Fantastic views of the Pedraforca mountain are to be had as you walk along sparse, rocky fields, and the last segment is a downhill descent into Gosol.
This awesome little town was once Pablo Picasso’s home for a few months. He was a busy man while living in Gosol, maybe inspired by the natural beauty surrounding the town, and his artistic output during that time was quite prolific.
Luckily there is a museum devoted to his stay while in Gosol right in the main square of the town, so make sure to stop by and pay it a visit. We stayed here for an extra day spending two nights at the Hostal Cal Fransisco, both to rest our weary legs, visit the museum, and to explore some of the outskirts of the town.
Among the interesting sites near Gosol are the ruins of a castle overlooking the town, the Castell de Gósol, and the Moli de Gosol, which is an ancient water mill that has been turned into a small hostel.
Where to Stay in Gosol
Hostal Cal Francisco, in Gosol, Spain is located right next to the Cami dels Bons Homes trail and is a three minute walk from the town center, making it the most convenient accommodation choice in town.
The hotel has WiFi, a bar and restaurant, lounge, playground, terrace, and 24 cozy guest rooms with private bathrooms, televisions, and heating. Teresa, who runs the hotel, was extremely gracious and took care of us for two days preparing special vegan meals, answering questions, and helping us with everything we needed. We loved our time here and highly recommend Hostal Cal Francisco.
Next is a breakdown of Day 4 of our hike on the Cami dels Bons Homes!
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Great article!! I’m in Spain now, learning a lot about its history but unfortunately won’t be doing this hike this time around. But next time, for sure!!
Thanks Goska! Where in Spain are you?
I hope you do get to hike the Cami dels Bons Homes, it was one of the best experiences we’ve had in our last 16 months of travel!
I’m so impressed that you did this hike and it looks as if you had fabulous weather. What a fascinating history. Did you see many other hikers on the trail?
Hi Carol! Thank you! Yes, we got really lucky with the weather!
We only saw one or two other hikers on the trail. It is an interesting experience because you are completely immersed in nature without another soul around for most of the time. It gave me the opportunity to do a lot of thinking and observing. Those five days were incredible.
HI Randi! I just came across of your article. We are planning to do the hike early this June but were wondering if one needs to book all accommodations ahead of time. Also, does one need to be prepared to carry much food or are there reliable sources of food on the path? From your article, it seems so.
Hi Tanya, I’m really happy you are doing this hike. It is an amazing experience and can’t wait to hear what you think about it.
Regarding accommodations, I’d suggest that you book in advance. There are a few days that are strenuous and looking for a hostel/hotel is probably the last thing you’ll want to do. Also, I’m not sure if you’re planning on following the exact route we did, but if you book in advance you can get advice from each hostel/hotel to better map out your route. Additionally, you can reach out to the Cami dels Bons Homes Regulatory Counsel for guidance. They are very helpful! Let them know we recommended them.
As for food, I didn’t bring a thing with me before arriving. The Regulatory Counsel was amazing at communicating with each of the hotels/hostels to accommodate my dietary requirements, and there was always something for Michael to eat. Each day the hotel/hostel we were staying at packed a lunch for us, and we ate breakfast/dinner on-site. Once you’re on the trail each day, there are very few places, if any on some sections, to get food. So, you do need to bring lunch/snacks each day.
I hope that helps, feel free to send more questions over and have an amazing time.
Dear Randi, thank you so much for your extremely helpful response! It looks like The Regulatory Counsel is a very helpful place indeed. We would like to use their services, but it appears they are only available in Spanish. Can we write to them in English? We speak French but not Spanish. And how do they work? If we give them our dates and itinerary, will they be able to help us with booking our accommodations? what other help were you able to get from them? Thank you for your help! Tanya
Dear Randi, many thanks for your very helpful reply! Your pictures and description of the hike made us even more excited about the hike. If you don’t mind, I have a few more questions. The Regulatory Counsel appears like a very helpful place indeed, but they appear to be in Spanish only. Is it possible to write to them in English? What kind of services/support do they provide? Can we give them our itinerary and ask their help with booking accommodations?
Tanya
Hi Tanya,
We communicated with them in English. They are the same as a tourism board for the area. You can request information from them about the area and hiking. Regarding accommodations, they may be able to make suggestions on where to stay or you can see the individual articles (Day 1, Day 2, etc.) where we give details about where we stayed and booking links.
I hope this info is helpful. All the best.
Very good article indeed, both interesting and informative.
We have a great range of holiday properties in Catalonia and many of our clients like to do walks in the hills and mountains (we even have a group of geologists coming out to survey some mountain areas this summer) so we can help anyone planning a trip wanting somewhere with a private pool to stay.
All the best
Peter Horrocks – Villas du Monde
What a great hike and summary! I was wondering if you could let me know how you got yourselves to the starting town, Prullans. Did you rent a car and leave it there, and then get a ride back to it after the 5 days? I’ll be getting there from Barcelona so any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
Sara
HI Sara, glad you enjoyed the summary. We arrived in Prullans by train from Barcelona. At the end of the hike we, in the last town, we too a bus back to BCN. When will you be going?
We are bringing a tent. Is it possible to camp along the way?
Hi Randi! What a great read, really informative! I’m looking to do part of this at the end of May this year and was wondering if you could lend some answers on a few questions!
– How scarce is the water out there? Were the natural water sources safe to fill up from if using a water purifier and if not, were there any water dispensers along the route besides the towns?
– How successful would you say your experience was of resupplying in each town food wise? If you were to hike in the area again would you considering carrying your own food instead (freeze dried meals etc).
– How were the mosquitos/bugs? Especially at night!
– Were there any parts that proved surprisingly tricky for you? For instance, navigation (lack of signs/clear trail)/finding the trail to and from towns/getting to the trail from Barcelona/dealing with people in towns?
Thanks in advance!