Igualada – Panadella, 23 km

Elevation gain 450 m

Elevation loss 77 m

Total distance 51 km

I forgot to turn on Wikiloc for around 1.5km so I have added this to the distances mentioned in this post.

We have a gentle incline through residential outskirts that are rather more luxurious than those on the other side of town

After a few kms we reach the Church of Sant Jaume. You can see information here

After passing the last of the residential properties we come to a gravel track. The views around are spectacular, although shrouded in cloud.

But sadly, we are all too soon on the road again with little or no shoulder at all. Luckily it’s not too busy. Then a very quiet road alongside the A2 autovia with all the roaring traffic noise that entails. The birds put up a valiant effort to be heard above the roar.

At 6km we pass through the small but very pretty village of Sant Genis on a quiet road, now with more distance from the motorway so the sound is less imposing.

It is a dull fresh morning with lots of low cloud. The forecast warns us to expect rain throughout the day let’s hope we can dodge it

We reached the town of Jorba after 7.5 km at precisely 9 am with three church bells ringing us in. It’s a long thin town seemingly a only couple of streets wide, although it boasts several bars. We visited the first one which was less than special.

After our drink we continue along the road out of town and are guided around a motorway junction which feels very uncomfortable with cars whizzing off the motorway towards the roundabout we have to cross. Not all pleasant!

We stop at a service station (to use their services) at 12 km

And for the rest of the way we walked along the N11, mostly with a wide shoulder, and to be honest there wasn’t much traffic. But there was a continual incline all the way to our resting place at La Panadella, which is pretty much a pit stop for truckers where there is a service station and a couple of hostels. We picked the Bayona, but if this was the best choice then the other one must be pretty dire. Although the staff are very pleasant. €25 per person whether you take a single room or share so of course we opted for the rare privacy of single rooms. I’m very underwhelmed with my room which is extremely dated and although probably clean it is difficult to tell.

So we walked for about 23 km almost entirely on hard surface alongside, or in view of, the motorway.

Oh, and in the middle of it the weather forecast proved correct. After several claps of thunder the rain started and we quickly donned our wet weather gear. My cover hails from Lidl. Originally a poncho for about £10, which I altered to cover just my pack and chest, cutting away all the excess fabric that flaps around the arms and legs. Last camino I only used it once and it left a little to be desired. So this year I have made a few adjustments with the help of some elastic bands and a clip from an outgrown dog harness. It’s perfect! I am happy for my arms to be free as skin dries quickly enough. Today however that rain soon turned to very spiteful hail which gave a bit of a sting on my bare arms.

Hoping for a lot less road walking tomorrow!