Colldejou, Baix Camp

About the place:

Have you ever been just under a windmill? The 50 meters height of these giants will take you back to the story of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Impressive!

In this spectacular scenery, with the Mola of Colldejou in front of you, you’ll have the opportunity to explain to the children how these mills generate power. Since it’s a windy place you’ll always see one of the propellers of the turbines in motion. Thanks to a mechanical system a generator turns and produces energy. The electricity that is generated is converted into a 110 kV electric substation and sent to the high voltage line that connects with Ascó with Reus. The 91 mills of the Trucafort park generate enough energy to give electricity to 25,000 families during the whole year. That starts to be a crowd!

A different way of approaching the renewable enegrgies and their (controversial) impact on the landscape with the children. (See photos)

Direction tips:

To access the GR7 which passes through the Trucafort park you should take a paved road that you will find on the T322 between km 17 and 18 between Colldejou and the Torre de Fontaubella. It is a path for authorized personnel, so we have to leave the car on the main road. Right at the entrance there is a small esplanade where you can park. You’ll have to raise about 200 meters to arrive to the fence where the trail marked with the GR in direction of Argentera begins.

The route that we propose will take you up to the windmill nr. 106, 800 meters further. At this point you will have a spectacular view on the Mola of Colldejou and if you have a good look, you can even see the castle which controlled the passage of the Carlist by the Sierra Llaberia during the wars of the nineteenth century. The road ends here. You have to undo the way to go back to the car. Those who want to continue enjoing the panoramic views can follow the GR7 over 6.3 km, to Argentera.

The best season:

winter, autumn, spring

Lunch tips:

If you want to enjoy of some more views, you can have lunch in the picnic area of Colldejou, which is located 3 km from the wind park Trucafort (T322 km14). Besides the panoramic views you'll find tables, a barbecue area, toilets, water and a small dry-stone hut. And if the picnic area is overbooked (something quite common on weekends), you can have lunch at  the rural hotel-restaurant Aire de Colldejou, a place where you can enjoy of a splendid traditional Catalan cuisine and indoor room where the children can do some games.  

More info:

Difficulty: very low
Type: linear route
Duration: approximately 40 minutes (round trip without stops)
Distance: approx. 1.6 km (round trip)
Accessibility: after the 200 meter of rise, it is a route that passes through a wide track with little unevenness. You can access with pushchairs although, there are areas with irregularities in the soil that can complicate a little the way.
Recommendations: it is an area without shade. Avoid peak sunlight hours. Take comfortable shoes and plenty of water with you.

Photo: © ExploraTgn.cat (See more photos)