Barcelona, ES Trail Run - Loop - Start Near Montbau Metro Stop

Walk or jog to the Oficina Diputacio entrance (gated but open to the public), just north and slightly west of the Montbau metro stop. Here the route begins as you start to run up a paved road, heading north through Campus de Mundet. Turning left (west) at the Facultat de Psicologia roundabout you will make your way to the start of a dirt road that turns to head northeast uphill, before turning back again to the northwest. (No cars are allowed on the dirt road as there is a chain where the pavement ends.) After several steep switchbacks you will be near the top of the hill where there is an intersection with access to a single-track trail to your right (a little hard to find) heading east back downhill. Take the trail down the hill, and turn left at a fence to follow the trail back northwest as it parallels Carrer Germans Desvalls up to a small park (Font De La Marquesa). Here you will turn left (west) to start back up another steep hill trail with several switchbacks near the top. The trail brings you to a dirt road near Mirador de Cerdanyola from where you will head south along the open ridge line, which offers beautiful views of Barcelona below. (Again, no cars seem to have access to this area.) The dirt road ends at the Centre d'acollida d'animals de companyia, where it can become a bit confusing, but head east toward the nearby sharp curve on BP-1417 (staying on the north side of the highway and watching for cars). Here, if you look carefully near the highway railing, you will again find access to a single-track trail heading back north into the woods. Taking the trail you will soon come to a junction, turn right (southeast) and follow the trail as it heads down to Mirador de Montbau. From here you turn left to get on a dirt road that heads back northwest, ending at Ermita de Sant Cebrià d'Horta. Turning right, you finally take Carrer de Sant Cebrià southeast, passed Escola Baloo, and back to the start. This completes a running loop of about 10km (six miles). This is a highly recommended route, mainly on single-track trail and dirt roads, with several solid hill workouts offering beautiful views of Barcelona. If possible, it is best to do this run in daylight hours as some of the trail-heads can be hard to locate, and be on the lookout for wild boars in the wooded areas! (Route recorded with Garmin Tactix.)