Route of the Ferro i del Carbó" from Ripoll to Sant Joan de les Abadesses

The Railway and Coal Route, in allusion to the important tradition of the forge in Baix Ripollès and the extraction of coal in the Ogassa mines, follows the route that the train used to make in the past. The 12 km of road have become an ideal and well-accessible path to enjoy the walk or by bicycle and to remind us of an industrial past of which today we are heirs. The Sant Joan de les Abadesses-Toralles section operated until the mines closed in 1967. The Sant Joan de les Abadesses-Ripoll section, for its part, remained active until its centenary year, in 1980.

• Kilometers: 14 km
• Route: Accessible
• Gradient: 1%
• Difficulty: Minimal
• Pavement: Asphalt agglomerate
• Maximum altitude: 777 m (St. Joan Abadesses)
• Minimum altitude: 682 m (Ripoll)

The route connects Ripoll, at 682 meters above sea level, with San Juan de las Abadesas (775 m). The entire route is paved and is flanked by vegetation; The total gradient is 160 meters and there is a gentle slope of 1%. This section of the road begins at kilometer 9, right in front of the old Sant Joan de les Abadesses station building. Leaving the station, about 300 meters away, the track crosses the Ogassa road and begins to gently ascend through the Malatosca valley, a tributary of the Ter river that originates in the Cavallera mountain range. Every time we cross a road, a cobblestone on the road pavement and good signage along the entire route will put us on alert. About 500 meters from the station the track crosses a GR (Great Route) and, shortly after, crosses the road again. The journey is placid and passes without problems until about two kilometers from San Juan, where the Toralles loader is located that received the coal from the Ogassa mining railway.