Grand Tour of Catalonia Gravel - Stage 41

From the Foot of Montseny to the Forest Trails

We leave Sant Celoni heading south and pass under the AP-7 highway to reach the Olzinelles Valley. The road is narrow and quiet, lined with holm oaks and pines in a green, lush setting that preserves the essence of Montnegre. Just before the village, we turn right and begin the climb up a forest trail that leads through the woods to Coll de Can Poliva (471 m). The atmosphere is Mediterranean to the core: dusty paths, the scent of pine and rosemary, and occasional views that open up between the trees.

From the Forest to the Coast—Through the Maresme

After the pass comes a steep descent to Sant Iscle de Vilalta. There, another challenging climb begins, leading us to the Sender dels Miradors—a high-altitude trail from which the sea is already glistening. The trail descends toward the Maresme, through forests and fields, until we reach Canet de Mar—a coastal town with a rich Modernist and maritime tradition, known for its arts and crafts and the architectural legacy of Domènech i Montaner. We continue along rural paths that cross small streams until we reach Arenys de Munt, where we join the road to Coll del Pollastre (267 m). The climb is short but winding, offering magnificent views of the coast. The reward: a fast descent to Mataró, the capital of the Maresme—once a Roman settlement and today a vibrant city with a significant modernist heritage, including the Nau Gaudí, Gaudí’s first work.

From Mataró to the Vallès Oriental

We cross through Mataró and continue on to Argentona, where we finally leave the coast behind and climb back up into the Serra Litoral. Part of the climb to the Coll de Parpers follows the road, then we take a dirt track that crosses the mountain range toward Vallès. The terrain alternates between scrubland, forest, and open areas until the descent to Cardedeu begins—a village with an agricultural past and a modernist heritage, where masías and Noucentisme-style buildings have been preserved amid fields and avenues of plane trees. On the plain, the landscape becomes rural again: paths winding through grain fields, streams, and farmsteads, accompanied by the Riera de Cànoves and the Torrent del Pla. The final kilometers climb gently to L’Ametlla del Vallès—the end of the stage, nestled between fields and forests, overlooking the Vallès plain.