Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Sant Pau de Seguries: Masía en Sant Pau, aka Hostal Dalt (Airbnb)

Bike Route: La Pobla de Lillet to Sant Pau de Segúries, 28 miles, 2800 feet of climb

The first 18 miles were back along the same route as the day before, this time starting with a 5-mile climb at a steady pace, following the contours of the cliffs with views of the valley below and the Pyrenees above. We stopped at the town spigot in Gombren to refill water bottles, and again at a cafe in Ripoll for cafe con leche, a ham sandwich, and a chocolate croissant.

The next 10 miles were on roads that were new to us, but in an area familiar from the riding we had been doing around Ripoll and Olot the past week. By mid-afternoon, we were in Sant Pau de Seguries, looking for our country guest house listed as Masia en Sant Pau on Airbnb. A couple miles above the town itself, we found the location Google had given us--across the road from an old church, on the old Roman road. But the stone guest house standing there had the name Hostal Dalt on a plaque, and an information post described it as a restored guest house typical of the old Roman road.

Our host arrived and let us in just as it started to rain, and we listened to the water pound the cottage for the next several hours, as the temperature plummeted and the dark crept in. We were sooo glad we had made it there before the storm.

Our stay at the hostal was a highlight of our trip. Our host, Carmen, had sent a message telling us she is a great cook, and asking if we would like her to make us dinner and breakfast, for an extra fee. We said yes, and we are so glad we did. Though Carmen does not live on the property, she has a full kitchen and a private lounge area there, and she stayed and cooked the most amazing meals. We completely enjoyed her four-course dinner made with fresh local ingredients, including squash soup, pizza, pork with cheese and mushrooms, and an orange sorbet made by a friend of hers. The table was beautifully set with candles, and classical music played quietly in the background. It was magical.

The heat had not yet been turned on, and our room was pretty chilly, but we crawled under layers of fleece blankets and had an excellent night's sleep.

The guest house has four rooms, but we were the only ones there. We would love to return with friends for several days of riding (and eating). The biking in this area is some of the best we have ever seen: small roads, little traffic, reasonable climbs (challenging but not so steep that you have to walk), incredible views, wonderful little towns and villages and hamlets, amazing people.

The views on the way from La Pobla de Lillet to Gombren (the first 5 miles down the mountain) were incredible. That's the Pyrenees in the distance. The border between Spain and France is only about 10  miles north from where we were riding.