Empedrats, Cap de la Boixassa and the Adou del Bastareny

We leave the car in the car park of Cal Cerdanyola, a rural accommodation at the foot of the river and next to the Vientos del Cadí refuge, where the Cavalls del Vent route passes. It is usual for the car park to be full at mid-morning on weekends, so we may have to leave the car a little later.

We will begin the route of the Empedrats following the PR-125 that leaves next to the bridge that crosses the river, to the right. We will continue along a path that goes along the valley floor in the middle of a red pine forest and with several sections of spectacular strength bojedal. The route is a classic in summer for those looking for a place to cool off, since we will follow the river all the time.

After about 15 min, we cross the river by a bridge and in a few minutes we reach the crossroads of the Bullidor de la Leche. We deviate along the path on the left that crosses the stream through a wooden lever and steeply climbs a stretch of rock and a bojedal to reach the upwelling of the Milk Bullidor. It is a natural spring that comes out of a rock fissure about 3 meters high. It is usual to be dry if it has not rained for weeks or during periods of drought. Just below the jump, a spectacular rock channel forms in which the torrent descends as in a "slide" of water. In periods of heavy rains, this point becomes very spectacular and there is a small viewpoint to contemplate the water as it falls.

We undo the road to the detour where we have left the PR-125 and return to the Empedrats road (precisely at this point it is where we see that the original road was paved and hence the name has remained, this was one of the most common routes to cross the Berguedà in Cerdanya). In a few minutes, the road is encased in the Empedrats Strait and we will have to cross the stream up to three occasions. If it drops a lot of water, we may have to wet our feet at some point.

After this section, in less than a quarter of an hour we arrive at the Empedrats jump or the Horsetail, a waterfall with a pool that in summer is a good place to cool off. We cross the stream of the Fuente del Faig again and now we will go up the right bank through a rocky area where we will have to be careful with wet rocks if water falls. Just above the big jump, we found some other small jumps equally beautiful.

We continue following the marks of PR-125 and now we climb steadily while behind us are the walls of the Empedrats Strait. Above we find a detour to the right, but we follow the PR marks, to the left.

We continue climbing, now more gently through an area of pines and boxwood, and gain height from the torrent, to our right. Further up, we cross it again and continue through a thinner forest area, with some beech trees, until we reach the Fuente Gran d'Escriu (about 30-35 min from the Empedrats).

We continue, again, on the left bank of the stream and in half an hour we arrive at the Sant Jordi refuge (1h30-1h40 'from the beginning). The refuge is located in an area of meadows at the foot of the Moixeró mountain range. To the south, we see the whole valley where we have climbed, and upwards, we could cross towards Cerdanya through the Coll de Pendís, two hundred meters above.

However, we chose to go up to the Chief of the Boixassa. Therefore, from the shelter, we undo the road until we find the indicator sign where we resume the PR-125 southwest direction. We climb through a black pine forest, pass by a fairly large cave and reach a hill from where we will see our objective. We continue along the foot of the crests of the head of the Boixassa, and cross several canals of courts. We reach the ridge by the Boixassa Pass and discover that the solana slope is completely covered by boxwoods (hence the name of the summit). Now we will only have to climb the ridge along the easiest path until we reach the top in a matter of a quarter of an hour.

We reach the Cabo de la Boixassa (1820 m, 2h 30 'approx.) And we contemplate the wide perspective towards the south, the east slope of the Cadí and the Pedraforca. To get off, we undo the road to the Boixassa Pass and continue down following the PR path that goes down the southern slope in the middle of the boxwoods.

In a short time we reach the Coll de la Pelosa, point where you can access by forest track. Now we will only have to go down the forest track until we reach the bottom of the valley. We will see that soon after the marks of the PR-125 march down a path to the left: it is the fastest way to return to the point of origin, but to go to the jump of Murcurols and the Adou, the best is to follow the track.

When descending, we can shorten the wide ties that the road makes, but we choose to go down gently following the forest track. After almost an hour of descent, we pass by Monnell's house and arrive at the bottom of the valley. On the other side of the valley, we will see where the Murcurols torrent falls. To get to the jump, we will need to take a path to the right (local trail markings) that goes down to cross the Muga stream and goes up a few meters to reach the feet of the Murcurols jump (careful not to deviate at a point where there is a fence across the stream, we need to continue to the right).

The jump of Murcurols, the water has formed a curious slide of stone really original. In summer it is common to find it dry, so it is best to go after a rainy period.

We undo the path to the forest track and go down the valley floor gently until we reach the foot of the Adou del Bastareny in about 15-20 min. To get there, you will have to follow a very easy indicated path that runs along the river. This is one of the most spectacular points of the route since it is a natural spring that comes out of the middle of the rocks and that collects a good part of the underground waters of the Sierra del Cadí. During the thaw and after the summer and autumn rains, it is the best time to feel the roar of water coming out of the Adou.

We go back and continue along the forest track, planning smoothly. After 2 km more on the track and half an hour, we finally arrive at Cal Cerdanyola, the point of origin of this route.

Authoring images and text: Sergi Boixader