- Location: Hiking for Pándols and Horses
- Municipalities: El Pinell de Brai
- Distance: 12 km
- Type: Circular
- Difficulty: Medium
- Duration: 5 hours
- How to arrive: The route starts in front of the Pini de Brai cooperative.
- Description: The route starts from in front of the Pinell de Brai Cooperative Winery. The town is accessed by the C-43 road, either from Gandesa (where the N-420 road arrives) or from Benifallet (where the C-12 road passes). 0.00 km (160 m). From in front of the Celler Cooperatiu you have to leave the town center in a NW direction crossing Carrer de la Carretera (N-230c) and go up a track that climbs the Sierra dels Horts. A sign (0.61 km) indicates the trail that descends on the left approaching the Pinell ravine without reaching it; it continues in the NE direction. 1.16 km (174 m), 20 min. Barranc del Pinell. You now cross the ravine and end up on a wider path, where you will then return (there is a sign). Continue up the ravine to the NW approaching the Carbonera bridge under which you cross the C-43 road. When you have crossed the bridge, following the signs to the right, you must go back a few meters to follow the path that runs parallel to the road. Later you cross the Gandesa ravine and, still continuing to the N, you go up slowly. You pass a few steps by a stepped step, you reach some meadows and, following the indication of a sign, you cross to continue up the Gandesa ravine following the road from afar. 2.45 km (237 m), 40 min. The hut. A panel next to a stone hut explains that during the Battle of the Ebro many soldiers took refuge, either digging the walls of the mountain or in stone huts, also used by shepherds and hunters. Continue along the same path (NO) and, following the path, you will end up going around a cliff and going up the Closa de Verano valley. 4.25 km (294 m), 1 h 10 min. Panel of the Closa valley. The name of the valley refers to the lack of natural outcrops on its SW slope; this peculiarity made it suitable for the rest of the troops who relieved the soldiers of the front, since it is easily defensible. Many recruits from the International Brigades and the Baby Bottle Cam passed through here. From this point, another panel also reports on the cave that served as a command post for the Lincoln Battalion. The cavity was used for almost two weeks in August 1938 to house the leadership of the 58th Battalion of the XV International Brigade, named after the historic President of the United States as volunteers. Americans. To access the cave you have to follow a path that climbs steeply through the trees. Return to the panel and follow the path to the SW. A little further on you pass an old plaque indicating the monolith in homage to the XV International Brigade, where you are going. Arriving at the end of the valley, you cross some large rocks and turn to the NE to climb to the mainstay of the Bear. You have to go back about twenty meters and, once high, turn west, passing small caves. 5.43 km (364 m), 1 h 30 min. Rest area. In a small embankment, between pines and beams, a rest area was established for soldiers who were not yet assigned to the front. Going up the path that opens up, turn to the N and you will find another panel that indicates the monolith of the International Brigades. It was built during the Battle of the Ebro in memory of the dead comrades of the company; it was restored in 2000 and accompanied by a small memorial with remains of utensils and materials from the period found on the site. We continue climbing to the NW to reach the top of the northern part of the Pàndols mountain range, which separates the Closa valley from the Teuleria valley. Above (5.83 km, 454 m, 1 h 45 min) there is a viewpoint with a magnificent view of the Sierra de Cavalls (NE), the Sierra del Pebrer (NO, which covers Gandesa) and the rest of the Sierra de Pandols (SW), where you have to go gliding between the valleys, always with the cliff on the right. The route temporarily coincides with the GR 171. 6.60 km (538 m), 2 h. Trench. One of the trenches that protected this possible access to the valley and the Pinell de Brai is crossed; it was excavated in the rock and reinforced with sacks. Continue west for 180 m and then, following the path, turn 90º to the left (SE) following the top of the Closa valley. 7.30 km (571 m), 2 h 15 min. Mirador de Pàndols. After climbing through the forest, you reach the top of the southern slope of the Pàndols mountain range. In front of a cliff there is a viewpoint: from here you can see the Pinell de Brai valley and the Llàfega and Valliplana mountains (SE / S) that cover the Ebro river; to the SW stretches the Pàndols mountain range, where you can distinguish Santa Magdalena and the monument to La Pau. Take the path where it has turned left (NE), following the Closa valley again but now along the southern slope; leave the GR 171, which goes to the right. You pass another trench (panel “Cota 581”) and continue straight, losing height. Arriving at the end of the mountain range, leaving a clearing on the left, you make a big zigzag towards the village and you lose a lot of height quickly. It is now gliding over a ridge that is oriented towards the Pinell de Brai and continues in a SE direction, seeing the road and the ascent path on the left. Passing by some olive groves in the Muntaneres area, you come to a wide dirt track, which you take to the left (sign; 10.21 km, 226 m, 3 h). The road from Muntaneres to Pàndols crosses fields of cherries, olive trees and almond trees, and gradually loses its height until, after a bend, it reaches the C-43 road just above the Carbonera bridge, where it was passed at the beginning. of the route. 11.19 km (185 m), 3 h 15 min. La Carbonera. In the walls you can see excavated caves, old shelters opened by soldiers to make up for the lack of resources. You cross the road under the bridge and retrace your steps until you find a vertical sign. Instead of crossing the Pinell ravine and going up to the Sierra dels Horts, continue straight and flat along the ravine. Pass the N-230c road below, leaving a track on the right and another on the left, continuing straight on. Take the next detour to the left (Carrer del Bonaire) going up to the cellar next to the laundries. 12.64 km (160 m), 3 h 35 min. Cooperative Winery, end of the itinerary. In Pinell de Brai you can visit the Celler Cooperatiu, a modernist building designed by Cèsar Martinell (1917) known as the cathedral of wine for its large dimensions, decorative details such as the ceramic frieze painted by Xavier Nogués and its spectacularity; the memory center Les veus del Front, which contextualises the role of communication during the Battle of the Ebro between sides, towards the rear and abroad; and the Fallen Houses, where the impact of the bombings of the war on the ancient people can be observed.
Track
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