04 - La Ruta Minera. La Pedraforca (des de Berga)

The "Ruta Minera" was for a few years a cycle tourist test that ran through some of the toughest ports in Berguedà. Here, we will reproduce a large part of that route leaving aside the most eastern part, although those who want to add kilometers to their legs can retrieve the full version. In this case, we keep the passage through the Coll de Pradell, a true jewel of this route, and epicenter of the mining activity that for many years concentrated a large part of the economic activity of the region.
To minimize the time spent on the C16, a road with heavy traffic during peak times of the week, we will go around in the opposite direction to the cycling tour. Still, we're bringing up alternatives if you want to experiment with more secondary roads. In short, what awaits us is a stage of high demand, especially during the summer months since we will chain long stretches without refreshment points. In these 118 kilometers we will ascend four ports although, we insist, the route offers alternatives to add a few more.

Our day starts in Berga to go up, already only on the way out, Port de la Mina, about twelve kilometers of constant ascent without exorbitant ramps. From here, and after passing the tunnel, we will take an irregular descent that will bring us closer to Sant Llorenç de Morunys, from where we will attack Coll de Port, with an affordable first part but a very hard final section. For the more daring, this ascent can be broken up by going up to Port del Comte first. In any case, the 10 kilometers of descent from Coll de Port will lead us directly to the Vall de la Vansa, lost and isolated, with a very small population and a long history of witches and healing herbs that sustain it. We will pass Tuixent and climb to Josa del Cadí, a beautiful town located on top of a rounded hill that seduces and captivates those who discover it. If it is possible to undo the spell, we will face the Alto de Josa on a road that seems to be trying to make its way without success.

When we crown, we leave behind our fleeting passage through the regions of Solsonès and Alt Urgell and re-enter Berguedà. And it is appropriate to celebrate with a stop in Gósol where we can admire the picturesque town center in which references to Pablo Picasso, known as Pau de Gósol for his stay in the town when he sought refuge there in 1906 due to medical prescription, are very present. In the square, the sculpture "La dona dels pans" evokes the work of the artist of the same name. The painter's stay in Gósol is crucial to understanding his work.
Once we resume the march, we head, now yes, towards the Coll de Pradell. Although it is probably the hardest port in Catalonia, we will attack it from its softer side. The subsequent descent down the face of Fumanya progresses between treacherous ramps, open-air coal mines and dinosaur tracks. Finally, we will reach the C16 and we will take it downhill, in a southerly direction, to overcome it faster. The alternative is to go up to La Nou, continue towards La Baells and avoid the road on a day of traffic. From here, what remains until Berga is a simple procedure.