GR 11 Day 47 El Port de la Selva to Cap de Creus

21st July 

FINISHED!

The lighthouse on the climb up from the coast

Yesterday was interesting, eventually the temperature started to drop after I had started to wonder if I could survive. About six cold showers in the afternoon helped. As it was getting dark I went to the restaurant for a plate of garlic prawns and they had a local band playing classic rock, they were quite good. It helped me sleep, or maybe that was the beer.

El Port de la Selva (a bit rougher)

The wind picked up to a northerly gale in the early morning to the sound of flapping tents and  peg hammering. I was packed up, filled up with porridge and away at a reasonable time.

Moody morning 

It was certainly very windy and I was getting blown about as I walked round the headland and climbed up and around the town.

Dry scrub 

The track continues through dry scrub to reach the stabilised remains of Sant Baldiri de Taballera. The number of these ruined chapels in this area is amazing.

Sant Baldiri de Taballera

There are acres of terraces, dry stone walls and little shelters in this area. There must have been a sizable population at some time, hard to see how they survived, there must have been more water.

Overgrown terracing

Storage hut 

The weather had been threatening for a while and a few heavy spots of rain with the increasingly black sky and odd rumble of thunder brought my jacket out of the rucksack for one of the few times this trip.

Still holding off

The wind increased as the thunderstorm approached, I thought it would pass to seaward but it was hard to stand up in the exposed spots.

Arrived now! Very hard to keep the phone steady 

As I reached the lighthouse there was an almighty flash and an almost instant crash of thunder to greet me and the heavens opened. What a fantastic finish!

Cap de Creuse lighthouse

It made the descent to the sea an anticlimax.

Everything was a bit rough

El Tejido didn't want to come out of my pocket but he thought it may be safe holding on to the rope

Minibus to Cadaqués, a quick look round and another bus back to El Port de la Selva. That was an interesting trip on a big bus that took up the whole road on every one of the many tight bends.

Cadaqués 

Back to the campsite, I could have made it easy for myself by leaving the gear there but I wanted to carry everything to the finish.

Some high-speed windsurfing at El Port de Selva 

Thankfully cooler than yesterday, still with a strong wind and the campsite is much quieter but as dusty as a desert with the wind. I will be black in the morning.

Nothing to do tomorrow!