GR8 2CU BCN: on edge on Montserrat 2

I was surprised to find out that the summit of Montserrat tops out at around 4055 feet, only a few feet higher than Mount Sunflower, the loftiest 'peak' in my home state of Kansas. The key difference is that Montserrat dramatically erupts from a flat plain near the sea, whereas Mount Sunflower happens to be the marginally highest flat spot of a broad plateau (it is the only 'mountain' west of the Mississippi which it is possible to easily ski up).

The monastery complex at Montserrat is about halfway up the mountainside, tucked into a cleft that sees direct sunlight merely a few hours each day. I suppose if it was more exposed it would bake in the hot Spanish sun; that, and the site was probably selected because it would be easier to defend.

The monastery has a history of sackings and pillaging, from the Moors in the AD700s to Napoleon's army in 1811, with the Black Virgin supposedly tucked away safely each time. Don't tell anyone, but most experts agree the current statue is from the 1100s so it's not the original one which was said to have been carved by St Luke. These days the only people invading the site are hordes of pilgrims and tourists; the best way to escape the crowds is to embark on a hike atop the mountain itself.

And so it was we took advantage of the perks that came with our TransMontserrat ticket by boarding yet another one of the creative means put in place to tackle the impossible terrain: the Sant Joan (Saint John) funicular. With an incredible gradient of 65%, this is Spain's steepest inclined railway, whisking 120 people at a time 800 feet up the mountain slopes in about 5 minutes.

The carriages have panoramic roofs for interesting views of the monastery below as the funicular sweeps up the mountainside. Again, not one for those with a fear of heights!

The terminus of the Sant Joan furnicular is a rest area with a loo, a vending machine and several panels that both describe the local floral and fauna as well as show visitors how to strike out on one of the many trails that lead from here. Even at this lofty perch after disembarking the funicular we were still a long way from reaching the mountaintop; it would have taken another hour to reach the summit. I bet on a clear day after a rainstorm the views from there are tremendous, but we were happy to take a more leisurely saunter.

The information centre at the monastery hands out leaflets and maps with information about all the walking opportunities. We decided to strike out for a cluster of hermitages, the first one being that little building way over there on the ridge...

...but don't worry, the path in between is broad and surprisingly flat. I bet around 1 in 10 people who visit Montserrat bother to make the trip, because there were only a couple dozen people riding the funicular. They all quickly dispersed in different directions while I got some water from the vending machine, leaving us in near solitude as we soaked up the warm sunshine.

Montserrat by the way means 'serrated mountain' and there are many sawtooth ridges like this to be seen.

The hermitage turned out to be an empty shell of a building which, judging by the rubbish left inside, must be the after-hours party joint for the choir boys. Above it though are the remains of much older cliff dwellings,  where the monks would have lived over hundreds of years ago. We climbed up for a closer look...

...giving us a beautiful bird's eye view of the hermitage below...

...and the path back to the funicular (can you see the people on the path?).

From here the trail carried on in a loop, but we doubled back to the funicular rest area and picked up another trail to take us back down to the monastery. This turned out to be blissfully free of any hikers as we gently descended the slopes. There wasn't even a breeze to disturb us. The switchbacks meant we had ever-changing views in all directions.

Here we are looking down to the river valley which the train follows as it cuts through the terrain on its way to Barcelona on the horizon...

...while here are the stone fingers of the summit lit in glorious afternoon sunshine.

On the path itself we noticed this defiant reminder that Catalonia is indeed a different country!

At last the monastery reappeared in the distance, the last of the day's sunshine catching the rooftops. The descent probably took about an hour and was a wonderful way to connect with nature and recharge after nearly a week in the city.

Back at the monastery and we had some time to kill before the next cable car departed for the train station so we had time for the audiovisual presentation which was included with our combo ticket. This was quite simply a slideshow, a series of photos set to music but without any captions or narration. It was interesting to see photos of the pilgrimages, when even thousands more people visit the site.

After the slideshow, we walked past some very basic interactive panels on display in the next room, one of which was simply a map showing the locations of rooms which were off-limits to visitors. If I had paid the €2 to see it especially, I would have felt ripped off. Exit was through the gift shop and we were back at the cable car within 20 minutes.

I tried to suss from the maps whether it was possible to walk all the way down the mountain to the train station, perhaps using the other funicular to take us part way as it went down from the monastery to the cave where the Black Virgin statue was found. Back aboard the cable car, it was clear to see how impossible it would have been, judging by the sheer cliffs and tumbling pools of water below us.

For even more fresh air and sunshine, click back next time for a walk in the park plus I will finally reveal where we had our finest food experience in the city as it comes time to wrap up our trip to Barcelona.