Costa de l'Oratori's hike

The itinerary does not present any type of difficulty and is duly signposted. The route begins at Passeig del Mar where you can park your car in the car park (payment only in summer) or in the Horts car park (free). We will follow the edge of the town to the end and continue along the road to Cala Tamariua until it divides into two. From there we will follow the signs of the GR 11 (white and red lines) until the detour to the coast of l'Oratori. You have to follow this unpaved track until you find the path to the right that will take you down to the cemetery. We will continue along the path to the road, cross it and continue along the Pont Vell towards the area of ​​the orchards (els Horts) and from there to the car park and the Passeig del Mar.

1. EL PORT DE LA SELVA

Small coastal town on the northern slopes of Cap de Creus. It has all the necessary services to be able to enjoy the surroundings with peace of mind. As a traditional fishing village, its bay is home to the most important port in the Mar d'Amunt, where fishing and leisure coexist. Poets and writers, such as Foix and Sagarra, were captivated by the harmony of the landscape. The white houses staggered on the side of the mountain make up a postcard image, especially during sunset and at night, when the whole picture is reflected in the sea.

2. EL PAS AND LA LLOIA

El Pas is a cove with round pebbles and very clean waters, located below La Lloia itself, a promontory from where the entrance of schools of tuna into the bay was watched and the town was reported to start the traditional Art Gros fishing.

3. CALA TAMARIUA

It is the cove that remains in the background on the left. Inside it we can see the wound in the mountain of a gneiss quarry that provided cobblestones to the city of Barcelona at the beginning of the century.

Following the coast, we will observe the terraces, dry stone walls that the people of the country built during the expansion of the vineyard, to take advantage of every inch of land to plant vines.

4. VEGETATION

Once we leave the asphalt and start the path along the unpaved track, we can look at the vegetation, mainly made up of bushes, steppes, and other species typical of Mediterranean environments that adapt to the strong north winds and the salt that these drag. There are still some pine trees that have survived the forest fires that have periodically affected this area, and also some aromatic plants, such as thyme and rosemary, used in popular cuisine and as a home remedy to combat several affections.

5. THE COAST OF L'ORATORI

At the second turning to the right, we leave the unpaved track and enter the coast of l'Oratori. This was one of the access roads to Sant Baldiri and the surrounding farmhouses. Halfway down we will find the Oratori, a structure similar to a low obelisk with a sunken box at the top, which surely housed an image. It is said that it was the family of mas Puignau, who in memory of one of his sons who died in falling from his mare in this place, had it built.

6. THE MARINES CEMETERY

Among the green of the pines we find the cemetery of Port de la Selva, immortalized in the work of Josep M. de Sagarra.

"Des de les blanques parets estretes,
veus una mica de mar només;
i encara et poses tot de puntetes,
blanc cementiri dels mariners".

"From the white narrow walls,
you see only a bit of the sea;
and yet tiptoeing,
white cemetry of the marines".

7. THE PONT VELL (OLD BRIDGE)

This bridge had traditionally been the one that linked the monastery of Sant Pere de Rodes and the town of Selva de Mar with Sant Baldiri, els masos (the farmhouses) and Cadaqués. Currently, the stream passes a hundred meters.

8. ELS HORTS (THE ORCHARDS)

It is a very fertile area, where the properties are separated by reeds that turn the place into a true labyrinth.