Bot, Terra Alta

About the place:

What do you think a following the river in Bot? Although most of the year you will find little water, there are small ponds and waterfalls that convert the path into an adventure.

And halfway we take you uphill to enjoy of  a superb view on the Hermitage of St. Josep (where you'll find  an attractive representation of the Passion of Christ) and the village of Bot. At the top you’ll find a curiosity: a crib.

A route to enjoy of some water in summer and exercise in stone skipping the rest of the year!

Direction tips:

The route begins at the leisure area of La Donzella in Bot, a source of water that grows between rocks. 

To get there, you have to arrive to Bot by the T-334 from Horta de sant Joan or the TV3531 from Gandesa. If you come from Gandesa you have to cross the village and just before leaving it, you’ll find at the left side the Station street. Take it. Follow it until you reach the area of leisure of the old station at the Via Verde. Cross the Via verde just between the station and the play ground following the indications to Sant Josep. After passing some farms, you get to a junction. Turn left and cross the river. After passing the bridge you will find a new fork. Stay right until you reach a reach a turnoff in the form of V. The road on the left takes you towards the hermitage of Saint Josep and the right towards the picnic area of the Forat de la Donzella. Follow the path to the picnic area. In about 200 meters you’ll arrive to the parking of the picnic area.  There is place for about 4 cars. 

Take the stairs to the picnic area. Then turn to the right to start following the riverbank. At 10 meters you’ll find a kind of fork. Follow the river to the right. Two minutes later you will arrive at a small waterfall. Stay on the left flank to be able to pass the waterfall. Four minutes later you’ll reach a place with more trees. On your right you will see a small trail that leads up the road where we came by car. This is the path we will take to return to the picnic area. But before going back, continue a little further river upwards until you reach a wider area. On the left you will find a trail that climbs uphill where you can enjoy of some nice views and discover a Crib left by a group of Trackers. It will take you about 10 minutes to reach the top.

To return to the picnic area, you get downhill again and return to the river. Go to the right leaving the wider area and returning to the place where we saw the path that takes you to the path where we came by car. When you see the path (now left) go upwards to the road.  On reaching the paved road, you turn right and within minutes you will arrive back to the parking area of the recreation area.

The best season:

winter, autumn, summer, spring

Lunch tips:

The picnic area of Forat de la Donzella is equipped with tables, benches, a fountain and barbecues. If you prefer to stop at a restaurant you can go to Mas Cigarrer (approx. 6 km) or the to the Hotel Can Josep at 2km.

More info:

Difficulty: medium
Type: circular route
Total distance: approx. 2 km
Duration: 30 minutes (no breaks, roundtrip)
Accessibility: Since we follow the river bank or you should be careful because the terrain is very irregular. Since there are some places with water, there are stretches where the rocks are slippery.
Recommendations: Use good walking shoes and go slowly always watching where you place your feet.

Photo: © ExploraTgn.cat