La Ruta del Ferro is a green way that follows the old route of the railroad Ripoll - Sant Joan de les Abadesses - Toralles - Ogassa. We have organized the excursion with a route (worm) of 70 caches of micro size, with a route of 14 kilometers. It is not possible to make the route circulate, so it will be necessary to return by the same way or organize themselves with 2 cars or use a taxi transport to return to the point where the car was left. The route you only can be done walking or in bicycle. Whoever to be walking is recommendable to divide the route in two stages: Ripoll to Sant Joan de les Abadesses (9 kilometers without unevenness) and Sant Joan de les Abadesses to Ogassa (5 kilometers, with 200 meters of unevenness). The old station of Sant Joan de les Abadesses has been recovered as a refuge. For more information: http://www.rutadelferro.net/index.html Necessary material: Gloves. According to the time there are zones with many nettles. Water. Only there are 2 fountains in all the route. Cap and solar protection Notes of the creators: - To facilitate the system of registry the caches you only sign with Found it or Didn’t find it, except the cache 70 (last cache of the route) where you can explain experiences and general valuation of all the route. - This route has been prepared with much illusion for you. You have much taken care you with the caches - You can extend the route with 3 caches: located to Monestir de Ripoll (GC1R7YZ), another one to the Gorg de Malatosca (GC1Q3KN) and a last one to Ogassa, La Font Gran (GC1K4A1). Another information of interest: Lodging: http://www.elripolles.com/ Rent of bicycles bicicletes pirineu Ripoll. Carretera de Ribes, 11-B. Tel: 972 703630 http://bicicletespirineu.blogspot.com/ Centre BTT del Ripollès St. Joan Abadesses. Àrea d’Esbarjo de l’Estació Tel: 972 72 05 99
Service of taxi Coll Taxis -- 609 332 994 / 609 332 995 Taxi Josep Martín -- 659 437 430 Taxi Xavier Noya -- 696 041 732 Parada de Taxis -- 972 700 994 Turisme Office of Ripoll Plaça Abat Oliba, Tel: 972 702 351 Turisme Office of Sant Joan de les Abadesses Plaça Abadía 9, Tel: 972 720 599
The Route begins to Ripoll, closely together of the RENFE station. You will begin the route with two caches located closely together of the parking.
La Ruta del Ferro 1: Cua del cuc del ferro 42º 12.095 N 2º 11.579 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 1 You will begin the route to a bridge very near the parking zone. This bridge cross a river Ter.
Parking zone
Hint: Magnetic
Bridge on the Ter river
La Ruta del Ferro 2: Pont de Ripoll 42º 12.192 N 2º 11.655 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1 You follow in the zone of parking and found another bridge, this one of red color and a different structure from the previous one.
Hint: Magnetic
Bridge on the Ter river
La Ruta del Ferro 3: Inici del camí 42º 12.242 N 2º 11.781 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1 You are at kilometer 0 of our route, you can see the way clearly that you will have follow during all the route.
Hint: Under a stones The way
Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 4: El Ter 42º 12.310 N 2º 11.868 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1,5 Parallels to the highway and the Ter river we arrived at a new cache.
Spoiler Hint: hanging from the railing
The river The way
La Ruta del Ferro 5: La presa 42º 12.368 N 2º 11.967 E Terrain 2 Difficulty 1,5 Our left following the river we can see the dam, a zone where easily we will be able to see fishermen. Attention with the thorns.
Hint: Under the tree Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 6: Fundació Eduard Soler 42º 12.462 N 2º 12.141 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 1 You are to the Foundation Eduard Soler, founded year 1996. This one is a Center of Professional Formation of Mecanics, Electronics and Electricity.
Hint: Within the first cypress Fundació Eduard Soler
La Ruta del Ferro 7: Km1 42º 12.573 N 2º 12.283 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1 You are at first kilometer of the route, where we will have to cross the highway underneath, but first will find the cache.
The river
Hint: In the wall
Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 8: El Mur 42º 12.698 N 2º 12.411 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 1 Parallel to the highway we can see a wall that it hides us a cache. Attention with the nettles. Gloves will be to you helpful. Hint: In the corner, to the bottom The way
La Ruta del Ferro 9: Area de Servei 42º 12.780 N 2º 12.469 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 1,5 Our left a service area and our right a brook that possibly has water if it has rained. Hint: Under the stone that there is next to the ditch.
Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 10: La Font 42º 12.874 N 2º 12.536 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1 A fountain will refresh you to continue our route. Here there is a hidden cache. Hint: in the trunk of the tree.
La Ruta del Ferro 11: Pedra gran
Fountain & Spoiler
42º 12.939 N 2º 12.622 E Terrain 2,5 Difficulty 1,5 At right you have a forest with a small unevenness that hides another cache.
Hint: Underneath the great stone to the face of the way, behind a tree trunk.
The way
Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 12: Mas d’en Bosc 42º 12.992 N 2º 12.738 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 2 You continue the route and You arrived at a zone called “Mas d’en Bosc”.
Hint: in the trunk of the tree. Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 13: La Soca 42º 13.036 N 2º 12.865 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 2 A great amount of trees was cut to construct this one route of the railroad.
Hint: In the cut trunk.
La Ruta del Ferro 14: L’estació
Spoiler
42º 13.089 N 2º 12.968 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1,5 You are to one of the stations of the route of Ripoll to Sant Joan de les Abadesses. Still there are the rest of the station.
Hint: Find an overture to the fence and find the cache in the stones. Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 15: El pedestal 42º 13.096 N 2º 13.088 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1 On a totally flat land we can see the rest of the old railroad.
Hint: Under the pedestal, to the corner.
La Ruta del Ferro 16: Branques
Spoiler
42º 13.091 N 2º 13.208 E Terrain 2 Difficulty 1,5 By the way you crossed many cyclists, skaters, people running and taking a walk. To a side of the way, one of the trees hides another cache.
Hint: Hung, to down. Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 17: 109-5 42º 13.049 N 2º 13.320 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1 The old signals of the railroad still are visible throughout the route, these indicate the kilometers until Barcelona (in this case 109).
Hint: Next to the signal. Signal
La Ruta del Ferro 18: L’arbre inclinat 42º 12.996 N 2º 13.425 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1,5 A humid forest follows you alongside during part of the route. In one of the trees you will find another cache.
Hint: To the base of the inclined tree.
From the cache Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 19: Tres branques 42º 12.956 N 2º 13.553 E Terrain 2 Difficulty 1,5 One of the trees of three branches hides another cache of the route. You must wear a good footwear and you must be careful, this forest has much vegetation and the land is very irregular.
Hint: Within the trunk of the tree of three branches.
Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 20: Túnel 42º 12.928 N 2º 13.758 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 1,5 You are to the first tunnel of the route, is a tunnel of 40 meters with a parallel passage, that at time of rains is totally flooded.
Hint: In the wall, when coming out of the tunnel.
Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 21: Tronc caigut 42º 12.938 N 2º 13.877 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1,5 In a very humid zone you found a trunk fallen, this one hides a cache.
The Way Spoiler
Hint: Within the trunk.
La Ruta del Ferro 22: Frontera 42º 13.008 N 2º 14.020 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1,5 You are to the border of Ripoll and Sant Joan de les abadesses. One of the trees hides a cache.
Hint: Boundary of hunting. Border of Ripoll and Sant Joan de les Abadesses
Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 23: Vista al camp 42º 13.053 N 2º 14.129 E Terrain 2 Difficulty 1 Along the way there are big farming extensions. A height margin difficult us its view.
Hint: Under the stone.
Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 24: L’arbre del pont 42º 13.150 N 2º 14.324 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 2 You arrive at another bridges of the route, we can cross this one it by above if you followed the way and you take the deflection of the right. A tree covered with entangled plants rests next to the bridge.
Hint: Hung of the tree. Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 25: El pont del Ter 42º 13.231N 2º 14.383 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 1,5 This one is another of the bridges that the old railroad crossed on the Ter river. The lateral footbridges have been retired. Attention, you must not needed to make any imprudence.
Hint: Hung.
The bridge
La Ruta del Ferro 26: Mas el Guanté 42º 13.321 N 2º 14.469 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 1 You are the entrance to Mas el Guanté, here you can drink or eat some thing. It is a restaurant and zone of outdoors activities.
Hint: Under a stone, next to the electrical structure.
The river
La Ruta del Ferro 27: La recta 42º 13.382 N 2º 14.590 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1 You are in a long straight line of the route, here the railroad took the highest velocity of the route. To the margin you will find the cache..
Hint: To the right of the way, at down, between trunks.
La Ruta del Ferro 28: Tres troncs
The way
Spoiler
42º 13.428 N 2º 14.702 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1 In the same straight line, to the margin that separates the way of the fields, you will find a tree with three trunks. Here you will find the cache.
Hint: To down of the three trunks.
La Ruta del Ferro 29: Km 5,5
Spoiler
42º 13.485 N 2º 14.844 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 1 You are to the kilometer 5.5 of the route. Here you can sit down. Closely you can find another cache.
Hint: Behind the tree. Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 30: Túnel de la C-26 42º 13.531 N 2º 14.958 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 2 You are in a old dangerous zone of the route, the tunnel was constructed for avoid to cross the highway. One of the sides of the tunnel, before entering you will find the cache. cache. Hint: In the inclined tree. Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 31: Travessa 42º 13.585 N 2º 15.079 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 1 By the way you can see old crosspieces that the railroad used. The crosspieces are the wood pieces that are put of traverse on the gravel, above those that are placed the rails of the route.
Spoiler
Hint: Under the crosspiece. You must up it.
La Ruta del Ferro 32: Creuament de camins 42º 13.618 N 2º 15.191 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1,5 The railroad in its route crosses many ways that finish to old houses and fields. These ways did not have rail crossings, so the train signaled acoustic whenever it crossed by them. . Spoiler Hint: To the left wall of the water-drainage.
La Ruta del Ferro 33: 112-7 42º 13.640 N 2º 15.319 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 1 A kilometrage signal of the old railroad hides another cache of this route.
Hint: Next to the signal.
La Ruta del Ferro 34: Vistes a la masia 42º 13.658 N 2º 15.444 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1,5 From the cache you can see one of old houses of the route. To our right a small stone margin hides us the cache. Hint: To the right of the way, under a stone.
La Ruta del Ferro 35: Hi ha Petroli al Pirineu? 42º 13.676 N 2º 15.559 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1,5 The way passes by points where the land is very vertical. These pending pronouncing of the land generate a great Earth instability, so that easily loosenings can take place, so east retaining wall was constructed to avoid incidents of this type to the railroad. Hint: In the tree.
La Ruta del Ferro 36: Pont 42º 13.695 N 2º 15.714 E Terrain 2 Difficulty 1,5 Another one of the bridges that the railroad crosses. This bridge has the new railings, the original ones are in very bad state. This bridge crosses a precipice formed by the torrent of Púdol. You can see that you have gained altitude to the highway. Also you can contemplate the perspective of the Serra Caballera to the north. Spoiler Hint: Magnetic.
La Ruta del Ferro 37: Toca fusta 42º 13.708 N 2º 15.832 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1,5 The great variety of vegetation that there is throughout the route makes of the stroll an interesting botanical study. Hint: To the root of the tree. Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 38: Tronc caigut 42º 13.723 N 2º 15.979 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1 In winter the precipitations in this zone are of snow. The meteorological inclemencies form a changing and evolutionary landscape that it is regenerate year after year. Spoiler Hint: Hung.
La Ruta del Ferro 39: El bosc 42º 13.748 N 2º 16.096 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1,5 You are direct to the station of Sant Joan de les Abadesses. In a very wooded zone a tree hides another cache. Hint: To the base of the tree.
La Ruta del Ferro 40: Mur del km 7,5 42º 13.803 N 2º 16.197 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1,5 You have initiate the straight line to the station of Sant Joan de les Abadesses. To one of the sides of this straight line you will find a stones wall that hides a cache.
Hint: 15 meters before kilometer 7.5 to the stone wall, covered, next to a trunk. Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 41: Creuament a 100 metres 42º 13.855 N 2º 16.299 E Terrain 2 Difficulty 1 Throughout the route of the railroad you can find a crossroads signals. These signals indicate the distance that you are of the crossing by the lines number that there are. Each one of the lines represent one hundred meters.
Hint: To the base of the signal. Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 42: Perquè s’han format? 42º 13.918 N 2º 16.411 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1 By the way there are diverse informative panels where very diverse information of the zone. In this point it is explain us the formation of the Pyrenees.
Hint: : To the base of the tree. Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 43: 114-5 42º 13.970 N 2º 16.516 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 1 You will find a original signals of kilometrage of the route. There are many throughout the route.
Hint: To the base of the signal.
La Ruta del Ferro 44: 144-7 42º 14.034 N 2º 16.634 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 1,5 Una señal se nos cruza a nuestro camino, esta vez está más escondida. You can see another signal, this it is more hidden.
Hint: Under the grass.
La Ruta del Ferro 45: El pont de St Joan 42º 14.083 N 2º 16.736 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1,5 A bridge helps us to cross a height unevenness and leave us closely of the station of Sant Joan de les Abadesses. Hint: On the floor next to the rail. Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 46: Prop de l’estació 42º 14.128 N 2º 16.814 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 1 You can see the first houses of the population of Sant Joan de les Abadesses. You are finishing the long straight line that finish with the station of Sant Joan.
Hint: on the floor next to the concrete signal.
La Ruta del Ferro 47: La politja 42º 14.191 N 2º 16.923 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1 This one is a rest of the railroad. You can imagine the utility could has this one, near the station.
Hint: Under.
Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 48: St Joan de les Abadesses 42º 14.283 N 2º 17.089 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 1 You are in the station. This place was one of the main stations of the railroad. you can see an original section of the route with his rails and rests of the station. This place is one of the points where there are more concentration of people, you are careful with the cache.
Hint: Under the railway. Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 49: La Grua 42º 14.340 N 2º 17.183 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 2 This is one of the loading cranes that were used to the station to load and to unload the Coal.
Hint: Magnetic, within the crane.
La Ruta del Ferro 50: Camí de mas Serradell 42º 14.460 N 2º 17.233 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 1 Attention, a signal warns us of a dangerous crossing with the highway. You are to a zone with great extensions of fields of pasture. Easily you will be able to see animal in this zone. You will have turn to the left until arriving at the highway, attention with the cars!
Hint: To base of the electrical wood.
La Ruta del Ferro 51: Paret 42º 14.546 N 2º 17.281 E Terrain 2 Difficulty 1,5 To a side of the way a sharp wall rises that it will make difficult the Gps reception.
Spoiler
Hint: To the wall, under a stone.
La Ruta del Ferro 52: Societat de caça del pirineu 42º 14.649 N 2º 17.299 E Terrain 2 Difficulty 1,5
After another dangerous crossing you arrived at a stop zone, closely together of the hunting society.
Hint: On the wall behind a stone.
Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 53: La pedra del bosquet 42º 14.735 N 2º 17.338 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1 You are a straight line where the land and the vegetation make difficult the views to us.
Hint: To the stone. Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 54: La corba 42º 14.829 N 2º 17.372 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1 We leave the straight line and we entered a curve section. A wooded zone hides a tree with the cache.
Hint: Hung of the tree. Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 55: Barrera 42º 14.935 N 2º 17.375 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 1 The barriers or rail crossings served to cut the transit when the railroad pass.
Hint: Under the rock with iron. Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 56: Estació de Toralles 42º 15.034 N 2º 17.367 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1 You are to the shipper of Toralles, this zone received the coal was coming from the mining railroad of Ogassa. In this point finalizes the section with asphalt and you initiated a more mountainous section.
Spoiler Hint: You must up the stairs, in the trunk, covered by a stone.
La Ruta del Ferro 57: Forta pujada 42º 15.146 N 2º 17.315 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1,5 You are to more hard slope sections. Little by little you will be gaining altitude until arriving at the unevenness that the delivery trucks did of the mine until the coal station.
Spoiler Hint: In the stone wall.
La Ruta del Ferro 58: Vistes a la Masia gran 42º 15.253 N 2º 17.275 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 1 You finish the ascent and a much more level way, with fantastic views in a very mountainous zone leading us to the town of Ogassa. You will have to leave the way and you will have well-taken care of.
Hint: To the base of the tree, covered for stones.
Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 59: Forta pujada II 42º 15.363 N 2º 17.218 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 3 You arrive to another strong slope to follow the way. This section of the way is reinforced with a wood wall to one of its sides to avoid landslides on the land.
Spoiler Hint: Behind the wood wall.
La Ruta del Ferro 60: Excursió a la muntanya 42º 15.279 N 2º 17.168 E Terrain 2 Difficulty 1,5
Spoiler
You follow the way with a strong slope until arriving at an informative panel where the system of delivery trucks is explained that was used to transport the coal until the railroad. You follow the route and you will enter to Ogassa. You will find the cache to the mountain.
Hint: To the base of the tree.
La Ruta del Ferro 61: Soca tallada 42º 15.412 N 2º 17.100 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 1 The hard path have been completed, we are in a flat road that will lead us to the end of our tour, the Ogassa village.
Hint: Next to the trunk. Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 62: Mur i tanca 42º 15.507 N 2º 17.015 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 1,5 The way is protected by walls and fences, you have raised much, and the unevenness next to the way is very pronounced.
Hint: Under a stone, in the wall, where the fence begins.
Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 63: Pi 42º 15.493 N 2º 16.884 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1,5 You follow the route enjoying the green forest with great variety of vegetation.
Hint: To the base of the pine. Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 64: Xemeneia 42º 15.502 N 2º 16.763 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 1 You arrive at a zone where you found a old factory rests. The chimney and some walls are covered with vegetation.
Hint: Hung, at left side, to begins of the bridge.
La Ruta del Ferro 65: La fàbrica de ciment 42º 15.587 N 2º 16.825 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1 You are to the cement factory. Here you can see diverse mountains of stones, filters and mechanisms. Near there are a fountain and a viewpoint. Cerca de aquí nos espera una fuente y un mirador.
Hint: To the shrubs, between the signal and the pine, to two meters of the way.
Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 66: Pal elèctric 42º 15.692 N 2º 16.796 E Terrain 2,5 Difficulty 1,5 You find the rest of one of the electrical supports that took the electrical subminister of Toralles to Ogassa.
Hint: Taken care with the electricity. Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 67: Esplanada 42º 15.763 N 2º 16.693 E Terrain 1 Difficulty 1 You arrive at a wide zone of the way. Closely of Ogassa town. From here you can see the first houses.
Hint: under a rock.
Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 68: Túnel de dalt 42º 15.858 N 2º 16.662 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1,5 The last tunnel of the route, you are in Ogassa where you will finalize your route. Here you can see the 2 tunnels, by lowered delivery trucks (the down tunnel) and returned (the top tunnel).Aquí podemos ver los 2 túneles, por donde bajaban las vagonetas (el de abajo) i por donde
Hint: Rock wall, tunnel of above.
Spoiler
La Ruta del Ferro 69: L’hort de l’Escola Esquirol 42º 15.944 N 2º 16.615 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1 You are to the Ogassa town and the end of the route. The school Esquirol of Ogassa has an orchard taken care of very well by its students. Attention with the nettles. Hint: Hung to the base of the tree.
La Ruta del Ferro 70: La Mina d’Ogassa
Spoiler
42º 16.000 N 2º 16.518 E Terrain 1,5 Difficulty 1,5 You are to the entrance of the mine dolça, one of the Ogassa mines which removed coal. The coal was transported by means of a complex system (by the year) of delivery trucks until the shipper of Toralles. To Toralles once loaded the coal it was transported with the railroad until Ripoll (the Route of the Ferro). You will find the last cache next to the cascade.
Hint: Hung to the base of the tree.
Spoiler
