The best MTB trails around Pujalt

The ascent to the castle and observatory of Castelltallat is one of the cycling classics of this sparsely populated area. In this mountain range there are only a few farmhouses, which contributes to the low light pollution and makes the installation of an observatory ideal. On the ascent, the views of Montserrat are spectacular.

I grew up there, long before the observatory and the archaeological works at the Castle. When we were little, it seemed to us that the idea that there was a castle behind the church was a chimera. When it was brought to light, it seemed like magic.

Good parking to leave the car and start routes through the area, either by bike or on foot. It is also a stopping point for many road cyclists en route along the old road.

The archaeological site of Sant Amanç de Viladés is made up of a Roman villa, an early medieval settlement and some remains from the Iberian period. The entire site is located on the southern side of a mountain range, crossed by the C-25 road in the section that goes from Rajadell to Calaf and which divides the whole into two parts: north and south. The importance of the Roman town of Rajadell is understood by the presence of a Roman road that connected the lands of the Manresa sector with those of Calaf and Prats de Rei (ancient Roman municipality of Sigarra). The route of this road had to necessarily follow the Rajadell stream very closely as it passed through the Roman town. Passing through this place is the most suitable for moving between the Bages and Anoia regions, as indicated by the Peric oratory, located at the foot of the N-141g and parallel to the Eix Transversal C-25. The appearance that the site has now corresponds to the plan of the Low Empire. Currently the road crosses the Roman site and divides the remains of the Roman villa into two sectors. The northern sector corresponds to the residential area or pars urbana, with an elongated structure, where the noble rooms and the set of terms are located. The southern sector is on flatter terrain and was intended for agricultural work, especially wheat and vines (pars rustica). At the western end of the villa there were bathrooms, characterized by different air-conditioned spaces, with areas of hot, warm and cold water and with the oven to heat the whole. The main body of the residential area consists of three rooms, one of which preserved a polychrome mosaic. The original is in the Museu Comarcal de Manresa, and a reproduction of part of it can be seen at Rajadell Town Hall.

This section, which runs between Molins and Rajadell, parallel to the train track, is well known and frequented by local cyclists.

Passage point on the route to Sant Joan de Vilatorrada, where we will find shade, a bench to rest on and a fountain to fill with water.

It is also usually called the castle of Sant Esteve because there was a temple dedicated to this saint. It is a five-minute walk from the town, on top of one of the slopes of the mountain that is at the top of the town.

From the Castelltallat Observatory we can observe magnificent views of the Pla de Bages and Montserrat.