Santa Margarida Volcano Loop, Fageda d'en Jordà, Croscat Volcano

Take the GI-524 road between Olot and Santa Pau and park in the "Àrea de Santa Margarida" car park (2.5 km west of Santa Pau). Follow the signs for "Volcà de Santa Margarida" and "Volcà del Croscat".

You can also get there by bus (RUMBUS) from Olot or Santa Pau on weekends, public holidays and other special dates.

Follow the signs for "Itinerari 1 Parc Natural" and, in part, the Itinerànnia signs.

(S/E) Leave the car park and take trail no. 1 which climbs up to the Santa Margarida volcano, heading south.

(1) Take the path on the right that climbs south-west, then west onto the "Cami Volcà de Santa Margarida" and pass the "Can Caselles" farm in the bend. Continue climbing through the forest until you reach the top of the crater on its northern flank.

(2) Take the path that descends slightly towards the south-east, then after 40 m, turn right onto the small path that descends steeply into the crater, heading south. The descent is gentler as it follows the inner flank of the crater. With the exception of the centre of the crater, the volcano is completely wooded.

(3) Take the path on the right, heading west, to reach the hermitage of Santa Margarida and its meadow, in the heart of the volcano. Then climb back up the slope on the path, heading south-west.

(4) Continue along the path on the right to reach the top of the crater.

(5) Turn left to follow the top of the volcano, then descend its south-western flank to the Bassols small pass, where you will join the GR®2 and GR®83.

(6) Take the road on the right to descend the GR®83 - GR®2, then climb up to the left to the Romanesque church of Sant Miquel Sacot (11th century).

(7) Continue along the road heading west, then leave it at the^first bend (100 m further on) to follow the GR® trail, still heading west. Reach the Sacot plain and the farms of the large Fageda cooperative. Go around them on the right.

(8) Turn left onto the road, heading south-west. Continue to follow the GR®83 to reach the Col de Can Batet.

(9) Continue along the path opposite, leaving the GR®83, to descend towards the magnificent beech forest of La Fageda d'en Jorda. It has developed on a lava flow from the Croscat volcano, which has given it a rugged relief composed of numerous characteristic mounds. In the forest, follow the markings carefully as there are many small paths.

(10) At the crossroads, continue straight ahead to reach the Can Serra car park. Pass by the monolith erected in memory of the poet Joan Maragall, then cross the GI-524 road via the underpass to reach the tourist information centre.

(11) Take the path on the right towards Volcan del Croscat on the Via Verda Santa Pau.

(12) Follow the path on the left, heading north, to leave the greenway and climb into the forest.

(13) Turn right, heading south-east, and continue climbing gently until you reach a small road.

(14) Turn left onto the road, heading northeast.

(15) Continue along the road ahead, heading east. You will then see the northern flank of the Croscat volcano, which bears the marks of numerous volcanic material extractions. Please note that in this very busy and fragile area, it is strictly forbidden to walk outside the marked trails!

(16) Leave the road and take the path leading to the Volcà del Croscat and its information centre.

(17) Pass between the buildings to follow the small marked loop in the former mining area (gravel pits). The 160-metre cone of this Strombolian volcano is the highest in the Iberian Peninsula.

(17) Then take the path that climbs westwards and then south-west.

(18) Descend to the left between the fields, heading east, to join the small road that passes between the Masnou inn and the Santa Margarida bar-restaurant. Reach the main road GI-524 and cross it carefully to return to the car park where you started (S/E).

To get the most out of this route, we recommend visiting in spring, summer or winter, as the area is busiest in autumn. In summer, however, it is advisable to set off in the late afternoon.

The Collelldamunt fountain, located in the car park at the start of the route (Àrea de Santa Margarida), is the only fountain on the route. Toilets are available in this car park and at the Fageda d'en Jordà tourist area.

RUMBUS bus: public transport service operated by TEISA, for the route: Les Preses - Olot town centre - Fageda d'en Jordà - Santa Margarida area - Santa Pau. The ticket allows you to make an unlimited number of trips throughout the day, enabling you to discover all the attractions of the central area of the Garrotxa Volcanic Zone Natural Park at your own pace.

The Santa Margarida volcano is a phreatomagmatic volcano. It last erupted around 11,000 years ago, opening up a large circular crater in the centre of which stands the Romanesque chapel that gave the volcano its name. Except for the crater, which is now a meadow, the rest of the volcano is covered with beech trees in the sunny areas and mixed deciduous woodland in the shady areas.

Sant Miquel Sacot: 11th-century Romanesque church.

La Fageda d'en Jordà is an exceptional beech forest due to its location on flat land at a low altitude (550 m). It actually extends over a lava flow from the Croscat volcano, which has given it a rugged relief with numerous characteristic mounds up to 20 m high, known as tossols.

The Croscat volcano is a Strombolian volcano. Its cone, 160 m long, is the highest on the Iberian Peninsula. Over the years, its flank has been subject to extensive extraction of volcanic material, leaving an impressive scar (gravel pits). This is a very fragile area where it is forbidden to walk outside the marked paths. The information centre, which has an exhibition on the restoration of the volcano, is located on its northern flank.