Olivella Castle Loop

Our route starts on a dirt road leading through vineyards, then enters a forested area. A short side trail takes us down to visit a large cave, then back up to the main trail.
We make our way through a karst and scrub habitat, dotted with the occasional strawberry tree. We climb uphill, admiring the Old Castle of Olivella, dating from the tenth century and part of the system of defensive castles built during the reconquista, when Christians were trying to retake Spain from the Muslims. We can go up to the remains of the castle and get gorgeous views of Montserrat and the surrounding area.
Descending, we come upon two basins of water, used in the 19th century for washing laundry. This is an excellent area to look for frogs, salamanders, snakes, and tortoises. There may also be horses, part of a program to establish a wild horse population in that part of Garraf.
The path enters the forest, and in spring and early summer this is a good place to find violet bird's nest orchids and man orchids. Eventually we climb a small hill and find ourselves with nice views over the medieval village of Olivella. The path descends until we reach a grassy meadow, and here and along the side of the road we'll find bee orchids in spring and early summer, and autumn ladies' tresses orchids in September.
Returning, we follow a path at the edge of the forest which overlooks large vineyards.
Animals that we might see on this route include birds of prey, robins, several types of warblers, viperine snakes, common frogs, fire salamanders and their larvae, and Hermann's tortoises.