Medes Islands Viewpoint Gravel Loop

The day begins on the old stone bridge at Sarrià de Ter, where the river’s murmur is the only sound before you clip in and head south. The first kilometres are a gentle deception, easing you along quiet tarmac while the Gavarres rise in the distance. Then the road gives way to the first red hardpack track, and the real ride begins. This is a loop for riders who like their gravel with a bite: 109 kilometres of constant undulation, 2,621 metres of climbing, and a surface that is nearly three-quarters dirt. If you are comfortable holding a line on loose descents and grinding up pitches that demand a low gear, this is your kind of afternoon. If you are not, the self-guided nature of the day will remind you quickly.

The route threads through the La Selva forests, where cork oaks and pines filter the light into a dappled, ochre glow. The tracks here are technical in a quiet way—not steep singletrack, but relentless rollers that sap your legs if you let your mind wander. You’ll drop into dry riverbed sectors below Sant Grau, where the surface turns to packed stones and sand, and the bike skitters beneath you like a live thing. It’s here that you earn the views. Near the Medes Islands Viewpoint, a dusty singletrack link cuts along the cliff edge, and the Mediterranean opens up below—a hard, glittering blue that feels like a reward for every metre climbed. The islands themselves sit offshore like dark humps, and the wind carries salt up to your face.

The ride softens as you roll toward Pals, a medieval hilltop town whose stone walls and narrow streets appear suddenly from the farmland. You’ll skirt the base, then dive into a web of farm tracks connecting the town to its surrounding hamlets. These are the bones of the route: compacted earth lanes lined with dry-stone walls, fields of maize and sunflowers on either side, the occasional tractor pulling a trailer of grapes. The surface is fast here, and you can finally push a bigger gear, letting the rhythm of the pedals drown out the earlier effort. There is a coffee stop at Cafe del Pont, a proper local bar where the owner will nod at your dusty jersey and set down a cortado without asking. It is a brief pause, but a necessary one.

The final stretch returns you to the forests, where the red hardpack tracks reappear like an old friend. The light has shifted by now, longer and amber, and the shadows of the pines stripe the path ahead. You’ll climb once more, the last real effort of the day, and then descend toward Sarrià de Ter with the river guiding you home. The loop is hard, make no mistake—it is not a casual spin. But it is honest work, the kind that leaves you tired in the bones and clear in the head, with the taste of dust and salt and coffee still on your tongue.

Ride highlights

• A dusty singletrack link near Medes Islands Viewpoint
• Farm tracks connecting Pals and the surrounding hamlets
• Dry riverbed sectors below Sant Grau
• Red hardpack tracks through La Selva forests

How the day unfolds

1. start

   Bike fit and briefing

   Meet your guide at Sarrià de Ter bridge, dial in saddle height and run through the route for the day.

2. +30m

   Out through La Selva forests

   A steady warm-up along quiet lanes into La Selva forests.

3. midpoint

   Cafe del Pont stop in Pals

   Coffee and a snack at Cafe del Pont in the heart of Pals.

4. final

   Back to Girona

   A gentle return leg with the best light of the day behind you.

What is included

On the road

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