The Towns

                                         El Port de la Selva

                   First view of El Port de la Selva coming from Cap de Creus lighthouse.

The first town we reached was Port de la Selva. In fact, our first view (see photo) of the town was quite spectacular. The road up to Sant Perè de Rodes can just be seen behind the housing estate on the far side of the bay.
El Port de la Selva is a small fishing village, scattered with little white houses and has formed part of Parc Natural de Cap de Creus since it was declared a Natural Park in March 1998. 

                                                          Llançà

Llancà is situated on the Mediterrean coast just north of Port de la Selva and has a population of around 5,000. It is an important fishing port and tourist resort. Most of the tourists are Catalonian although it is also frequented by a lot of French tourists, probably due to the fact that the Spanish - French border is only 15 km away.

                                                           Espolla

Espolla is a small town in Alt Empordà, Girona about 58 km from Girona city. It's situated at an altitude of 124 metres and has a population of around 400 inhabitants. Espolla is not actually on the GR 11 but is an option, especially if one feels too tired to make it to the next town along the trail and needs a good night's rest. It is situated about 4 or 5 km off the GR 11.
Espolla is known for breeding and raising livestock as well as its production of wine and olive oil. It produces high quality wine with Denominación de origen Ampurdán   (Designation of origin Ampurdán) and olive oil with Denominación de origen Oli de l'Empordá.

                                                             Vilamaniscle

Vilamaniscle is a small village in Alt Empordà in the province of Girona. It is situated at an altitude of 169 m and has a population of 171 inhabitants (2011).
Vilamaniscle is surrounded by forests of pine trees and cork trees. It's wine, which is highly considered in all the comarca, is Denominación de origen Empordà. Its olive oil is also very well appreciated.
Tourism in this area has increased in recent years and has led to more accomodation services being opened.

                                                                  La Jonquera

                                                                                  

La Jonquera is a municipality in the comarca of Alt Empordà, Girona. It is situated at an altitude of 112 m right by the Spanish-French border and has a population of around 3,000 people.
It is an extremely busy town which is full of shops and restaurants as well as several petrol stations along the main road through the town. It is also known as one of the biggest truck stops in Europe.
Some people probably think that La Jonquera is just made up of that main thoroughfare that goes through the town and is nothing but a big truck stop and a large shopping centre. However, if you care to venture around the adjoining streets you can find a certain charm about the place.
Sadly, the mountains surrounding La Jonquera were badly damaged by forest fires in July 2012.

 

 

 

                                                                     La Vajol

La Vajol is a small village in the comarca of Alt Empordà in the province of Girona. It is situated at an altitude of 546 m, which makes it the highest village in the comarca. It has a population of just over 100 inhabitants.
In the past, due to the nearby forests of chestnut and cork trees, cork was produced there. Soapstone was also produced from the mines.
Today farming and breeding lifestock (cattle) are the base of its economy.
On account of La Vajol being so close to the French border, several political figures passed through here on their way into exile during the Spanish civil war in 1936. Manuel Azaña, Lluis Companys y Juan Negrín were some of the more famous ones.

                                          Maçanet de Cabrenys

Maçanet de Cabrenys is a municipality of 67.88 km2 (the second most extensive in Alt Empordà after Albanyà, 94.43 km2) that belongs to the comarcas of Alt Empordà and Alta Garrotxa, Girona. It includes the villages of Tapis, els Vilars, Oliveda and Fontfreda. It is situated at the foot of the Eastern Pyrenees at an altitude of 370 m and has a population of just over 797 inhabitants (2010).
Tourism is one of its main sources of income together with construction, agriculture and breeding livestock. There is a very important mineral water plant where water from Les Creus fountain is bottled.

 

 

 

                                         

                                                       Albanyà

Albanyà is a municipality (94.43 km2, the most extensive in the comarca) in Alt Empordà situated at an altitude of 239 m. It has a population of 150 inhabitants (2011) and has been inhabited since prehistoric times.
Its main source of income comes from its crops of cereals, potatoes, legumes and fodder as well as pastureland.
In years gone by one of the main resources was charcoal, which was transported to the cities until bottled gas appeared in the middle of the 20th century. Around that time the population began to decline as neighbourhoods and masias were abandoned.

                         Beget

Beget is a village in Alt Garrotxa that had its own municipality until 1969, when it was added to the municipality of Camprodon.
It is situated at an altitude of 541 metres and has a population of around 35 inhabitants.
It is a particularly charming little village consisting of the traditional Pyrenean achitecture with houses made of stone and wood.
San Cristofol church is a splendid Romanesque jewel from the XII century and well worth a visit.

                                                 Mollò

 Mollò is a small town and municipality on the Spanish - French border in the comarca of Ripollès, Girona It is situated at an altitude of 1,181 mt and has a population of around 350 inhabitants. Molló forms part of Vall de Camprodon and is very near the ski stations of Vallter 2000 and Vall de Núria. Molló offers products of high quality such as lamb, beef and wild boar as well as its famous potatoes, which boast "Designation of Origin".
It also produces high quality cold meats. The Romanesque church "Santa Celcília de Molló", which dates back to the year 934, is most definitely worth a visit.