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Bescano lies along the River Ter 7kms from Girona and the nicest way to get there is via the bike track or "carrilet" which is an easy and scenic ride or walk. If you keep on the bike path you will come to a large factory called the Grober and if you take the next turn to the right you see a beautiful ruin of what was once an impressive house complete with a chapel and gazebo. Passing through an arch on the other side of the house you come to a canal with a restored flour mill next to it, behind which starts a track along the side of the canal.

Penedes is only just over an hour away from Girona but it feels more like France with impressive wineries (Bodegas) dotted around and vines everywhere. They are better organised than in our local Empordà wine area where wine routes and visits are strictly for those that are well informed and have a good guide (which I am so you will see winery visits here over time.)

Getting off the paved roads in the mountains above Camprodon and Ripoll is not generally recommended in winter with snow on the ground but if you have the right vehicle (a Land Rover in this case) and good maps it can be the perfect way to discover some hidden gems. As well as seeming to step back into a time when people lived in close proximity to their animals and the way of life revolves around these very animals, weather, seasons and church which is what is so different and appealing about this area.

Camprodon is about an hour"s drive from Girona up into the Pyrenees and only some 20 kms from the French border. It is also close to Vallter 2000 the nearest ski resort so at weekends in winter lots of skiers are wandering around shopping and looking for places to eat.
We are here to shop for local specialities too- on offer there are some mouth watering displays and quaint old shops which seem to be from several centuries back and still going strong.

Els Angels can be reached from many different sides as it is the highest point (484m) of the Gavarres protected area which straddles the counties of Girones and Baix Empordà. From Girona it is a hike of some 12 kms and is quite a climb considering you start at 40m altitude.

Some countries have kept family reunions separate from the present-giving commercial part of Christmas. Here in Catalonia the 25th and 26th of December are family days with nice meals and maybe a visit to church, but presents come on Three Kings day, or to be more precise on the night of the 5th and morning of the 6th of January.