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Can Morgat and Puig Clarà

A waymarked walking route included in the Itineraries of the Protected Natural Area of the Lake of Banyoles, a unique natural area that offers enormous geological, ecological, landscape and cultural value.

This route takes in the Romanesque church of Santa Maria de Porqueres, the lagoons of Can Morgat, as well as the possibility of enjoying spectacular views of the Lake of Banyoles from the summit of Puig Clarà, at 315 metres above sea-level. 

The church of Santa Maria de Porqueres is one of the region’s best examples of Romanesque architecture and is located at the “top of the lake”, according to the old documents. The first mentions of the church date from 906 AD. It has a single nave with a semicircular apse and a barrel-vaulted ceiling. A portal with three horseshoe arches and a bell tower that originally had a square base. 

To the left of the church, beside the road that does the circuit of the Lake, there is also a square-shaped conjuratory with a four-sided roof crowned with a metal cross. Built in the 17th-18th century, it was used to bless the fields, implore for protection against storms and ward off evil spirits.
 
The lagoons of Can Morgat are an example of the recovery of wetlands that had been drained in the past for farming. Here, it is only recently that aquatic life has returned from where it had been expelled by the hand of man; it is a step forward in restoring a landscape that is much appreciated by the local people and where it is possible to see a number of bird species and other animals that live there.

The lagoons of Can Morgat consist of a group of 4 man-made pools and water meadows adjoining the stream of Can Morgat or Can Ordis, in the municipality of Porqueres: the Llacuna d’en Margarit, the pool of the spring of Can Morgat, the Llacuna de l’Aulina, and the Llacuna de l’Artiga. They were restored as part of a European Union LIFE-Natura project in 2006, developed by the Consorci de l’Estany to recover the aquatic environments in the vicinity of the Lake of Banyoles.

At 315 metres above sea-level, Puig Clarà has become a fantastic vantage point for viewing the west part of the Lake of Banyoles. It is part of a group of small hills dating from the Eocene that surround the Lake of Banyoles, including Sant Patllari, the Puig de les Gitanes or the Turó de Can Morgat, which mark the perimeter of the catchment area of the Lake.

It has two wooden viewpoints that give impressive 360º views of the Lake of Banyoles, the town, part of the Empordà region and the Pre-Pyrenees and Pyrenees. 
 

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  • Time required to complete the route: 2 hours
  • 7.0 km
  • High
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