A set of images from a walk up on the Collserola de Serra, the ring of hills that separate Barcelona from the inland areas of Catalunya.

The Collserola is not the most aesthetic of parkland areas, with low mediterranean woodland and scrub areas. There are numerous tracks all over, and navigation is easy, particularly if you use Organic Maps which unlike Google or Apple Maps, shows most of the possible paths.

This particular walk started improbably from the L1 metro stop at Baró de Viver, running up through the city to the Castillo de Torre Baró, along part of the Passeig de les Aigües, then finally inland passing through Can Borell before arriving at Sant Cugat, where it is possible to catch a train back to Barcelona.

There are many views over the expanse of the city, although photographically these are difficult to utilise since there are few clear points of visual interest that stand out from the background.

There were lots of fungi, but unsurprisingly nothing in flower. While I did not see any animals (although there are the ever present holes dug by the wild boar), there were quite a lot of birds, including several Robins which was surprising as I have not seen these in the city.

Most of the walking was quite quiet, aside from the heavily used Passeig de les Aigües and the final section from Can Borell to Sant Cugat. Away from these areas, it is possible to walk a considerable distance without seeing anyone if you are early enough in the morning.

The total distance was a shade under 20km, with the most difficult part being the ascent on to the hills from Barcelona itself – something that I have not been able to do for a while due to some health issues. But with careful pacing and an almost empty pack I had no problems at all at this time.

All images were taken with a 28mm compact camera and processed in DxO PhotoLab. While the colour treatment might appear muted, it is pretty faithful to how the Collserola looks at this time of year. I find it quite difficult to photograph here, as scenery is not the most photogenic and the low trees and scrub hide many subjects or make for some very difficult backgrounds to others.