Turó de Can Camps

Turó de Can Camps

Uplands of the Plana Vallesana. A comfortable and unusual route, taking into account preferences for walking on the shaded slopes of Collserola. Head up the Serralada Central Vallesana, featuring the slopes of Turó de Can Camps and Turó de Materic, (with elevations of around 300 m). The latter offers outstanding views towards Sant Cugat, Collserola and the Serralada Litoral. This small upland area, with completely different geology from Collserola, is a succession of gullies and crests dropping down to the plain where Sant Cugat stands, and from there to the Rubí watercourse. The Torrent de Can Marcet and the Torrent Can Camps are the most significant channels. They are dry for most of the year, and only occasionally in spate. The route heads up along the gently sloping crests, skirting and crossing a number of these channels. The two environments are clearly distinguished by the surrounding vegetation. The crests are wooded with Aleppo pines and the occasional umbrella pine, along with a wide range of shapes and forms of shrub (everything from low undergrowth of rosemary, to taller mastic and strawberry trees). The vegetation along the gullies and their cooler banks is quite clearly different from that to be found on the sunnier crests. Here oaks, holm oaks, elms, hazelnuts and the occasional poplar provide a close, shady and cool environment. It is also an excellent habitat for the local fauna: badgers at dusk and genets at night patrol the riverbanks and hedgerows, while birds such as orioles can be heard in the summertime, and woodpeckers tap away at the dead trees. The return route is via an important historic pathway which leads down the hill slopes: the Camí dels Monjos, or Monks' Way, rounding the outing off with a tale of the Monastery of Sant Cugat.