Spanish City Streets to Mountain Peaks: A Solo Female Traveler's Guide to Catalonian Van Life
The best hikes, park ups and activities for an epic Spanish adventure
If you’ve been pondering where to go on your next solo adventure, I’m here to answer your question!
After recently spending 8 days back in a Roadsurfer camper van, exploring Catalonia (and a few extra spots) I can confirm that saying hola to a Spanish adventure is a pretty great option if you’re a fan of beautiful hikes, coastal park ups and, of course, tapas.
Despite travelling quite a lot I’ve somehow managed to avoid mainland Spain until the tender age of thirty four so when I was planning my next trip I knew that top of the list would be stomping around Spain and specifically the Catalonia region.
So I’m going to be that toxic (but awesome) friend and share with you some pretty awesome inspo for your own solo adventure, so grab yourself a van, stock up on the Sangria and get ready to make some awesome memories.
Day 1 - Go for a tourist run in Calella
After picking up my humble steed and getting it loaded with all the essentials from Aldi (think water, paper towels and of course chocolate) I headed up the coast to the coastal town of Calella. About 1 hour North of Barcelona on the Costa del Maresme, Callela has kilometers of wide golden beaches and a great beach promenade. I couldn’t resist stretching my legs after travelling all morning and going for a tourist run along the beach to take in the sights. Starting at the lighthouse I followed the coastal path north on an out and back. This route follows the course for the annual Ironman event that is held in Calella and while my 13km jog at best felt like a good effort it’s pretty humbling to even consider what competing in an Ironman would be like.
In the evening I parked the van up on the beach and waking up the next morning, opening the boot and getting some early morning work done with the ocean waves behind me was a pretty great way to start the day.
Day 2 - Hike to Sant Jerome & Explore Montserrat
On day two I decided to explore Montserrat. After packing up the van I headed about an hour North West of Barcelona into the mountains to check out the Monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat and hike to the 1,236m mountain. The views driving up to the parking already give you the feeling of being tiny and the rock is so unique.
Once you arrive at the parking lot (you do have to pay 20 euros for a van) you can battle the tourists up to the monastery where the hike starts. The route I took takes you on a circular to the Sant Jeroni summit. There is an initial steep ascent of several hundred meters but there is the option to get a funicular to skip this bit. The paths are well maintained and signposted but if you are looking for some diversity in the terrain and getting away from the crowds I would suggest following the route I took rather than the more popular out and back.
I absolutely loved this hike and it was a great inital introduction to what Spain has to offer in terms of terrain and hiking without huge amounts of travel time which meant I could head back to the coast for the evening to eat dinner with the crashing waves and salt water at my tyres.
Day 3 - Head South towards Valencia
So although this was a solo trip, I had a gatecrasher for a couple of days in the form of a friend who flew out to join me. In the morning I swung by Barcelona airport and picked up Tom and we decided to break away from Catalonia (and a rather questionable weather forecast) towards sunnier skies in Valencia.
With no specific aim we headed down the coast and ended up in a pretty vibrant coastal town called Peñiscola. While we were there there was a buzzy atmosphere as they were hosting a triathlon and the unique layout of the land with a stunning castle overlooking two beaches made for the perfect spot to watch the sunset from high up.
After strolling through the old town we ended up parking up in probably one of my favourite spots of the trip surrounded by the azure mediterranean waters for the evening with the glowing lights of Peñiscola in the distance.
Day 4 - Discover a Roman Aquaduct on the Ruta del Agua
Today we hit the trails to follow the Ruta del Agua (water route) which we started in the sleepy village of Calles. Again this hike is relatively well signposted and there are many ways to shorten this circular route by starting in Chelva which gets you closer to the most exciting part of the hike.
That being said we discovered some old abandoned buildings along the initial part of the route which were fun to explore and walking along the river was peaceful and bursting with a variety of plants.
The gem in this this hike really is the large roman aquaduct you will have to cross just over halfway round. It is really quite impressive and like many features I experienced on hikes in Spain, left relatively untouched. After you cross the aquaduct you follow the gorge via tunnels carved into the side of the cliff before descending into the bottom of the gorge and returning back to Calles.
We really enjoyed this walk and although not particularly challenging it was a great day out and a good opportunity to experience some of the history in the region with the gorge really being the ‘pièce de résistance’.
Day 5 - Get Blown Away in Montanejos
Originally we headed to Montanejos to check out the Fuente de los Banos thermal pools but quickly became completely distracted with the circular route we decided to do beforehand. What initially began as just an opportunity to stretch out legs and check out a reservoir turned into a really fun day and we both agreed one of our favourite walks together.
Our walk started in Montanejos and followed a pretty unremarkable mountain road until we reached the Arenos Reservoir. At this point we crossed the dam and headed down the the drainage point called El Chorro. It felt almost surreal to see so much water bursting out of a vertical cliff wall and being able to stand so close. The path we followed passed by the spray from the outlet and although we ran through we couldn’t avoid getting soaked but enjoyed drying off as we explored the stunning gorge and river bed that drains out of the reservoir. Our route was just over 17km with 578M of elevation and as I have come to expect of Spanish hikes now full of surprises, twists and turns.,
Day 5 - Brunch in Valencia
Highly in need of showers we spent the next morning in the city of Valencia and our first port of call was a local gym to freshen up ready for the long day ahead. As this was the mid point of my trip I used the opportunity to have a work session and get on top of some work in a cafe in Valencia. Before that happened we went for amazing brunch at Bastard Coffee & Kitchen which we can highly recommend (the portion sizes were incredible) and finished up with a stroll around Valencia before heading back to Barcelona to send Tom back to England and for me to reclaim my solo adventures for the last couple of days.
Day 6 - Get Your Steps in at Mont-Rebei Gorge
As luck had it the bad weather moved down South as I moved North and after parking on the beach near the airport for the evening I headed right to the very border of Catalonia and Aragon to the Mont-Rebei Gorge.
After 3 hours of driving as the road started winding towards the starting point at the beginning of the gorge I couldn’t help but feel so excited for the hike to come and I wasn’t disappointed. Mont-Rebei Gorge is incredible. The canyon walls are up to 500m tall and the path sliced into the side of the rock faces connected by two suspension bridges.
The classic out and back route in this area follows these paths and ends up at a dramatic wall of wooden steps that lead you to the canyon bottom. On my way back I decided to peel away from the crowds (this place gets very busy) and headed up the Catalonian side of the gorge to view the steps from the opposite side of the Canyon which was peaceful and provided some pretty beautiful views isolated away from anyone else. While not much to see here I would recommend adding this on if you are looking for a bit of extra distance and views.
This really was a beautiful day out but one thing that was really highlighted was the impact of the drought Spain has been experiencing for several years. The lack of rainfall has meant the river level in the gorge has dropped significantly and while there used to be kayaking in the river, they often don’t run anymore due to low water levels which is a great reminder to minimise water usage where possible when travelling (perfect for van life)!
While there are plenty of beautiful spots to park up near the canyon for the night I decided to head back to the coast, this time slightly North of Calella and parked up for the night in Lloret de Mar once again with the sound of waves crashing sending me to sleep - perfection.
Day 7 - Explore the stunning city of Barcelona
I started my final day by taking a coastal walk along the Camí de Ronda from Lloret de Mar. After a quick refuel in a beachside cafe and a shower at a local (pretty cool) gym I decided it would be crazy not to explore Barcelona itself before handing the van back.
I am so glad I made this decision as it truly is an amazing city full of unique architecture, lots of history and incredible food. I parked up on the beach and headed into Barcelona on foot (about a 15 minute walk). I ended up walking 40,000 steps that day just meandering the many laneways and streets of the city stumbling across one thing after another.
For me a highlight was exploring the Eixample and Gracia Districts as well as seeing the famous Sagrada Familia, something you just have to see in person if possible. For an insight into some of the local foods definitely hit up the Mercado de La Boqueria a public food market bursting with incredible fresh local foods, just don’t go hungry or your stomach won’t forgive you!
In conclusion, I have to say if you’re looking for an overseas trip that offers it all, Spain is a pretty damn good option. Incredible food, beautiful beaches and epic hikes and I only just scratched the surface. I think I could easily explore Spain for years and still find new and exciting things.
If the idea of solo campervan life sounds exciting then Spain is the perfect place to go. The Spanish are very tolerant of campervans so finding parking spaces was an absolute breeze and it was never overly busy, especially as I visited in the shoulder season of April/May. As a solo female traveller I never felt unsafe and the roads are easy to navigate especially when you have your apple maps linked up to the carplay in the van.
Campervan hire is an awesome way to explore so if you want to try out van life for yourself I recommend Roadsurfer. I have used them many times now and have come away from every trip absolutely ecstatic!
If you are keen to try it out you can use the discount code below which will nab you £75 off any booking in 2024. Check out their website here and use the code LUCY24 to grab your discount and go on an epic adventure.
In the meantime, I’ll catch you in the mountains! Stay legendary ✌🏻