Step 25: Cervera – Igualada (37 km)

Accum. height uphill: 313 m. Accum. height downhill: 539 m.

Cervera: Km 0. Pallerols: Km 11. Panadella: Km 15.2. Santa Maria del Camí: Km 22.4. Jorba: Km 30. Igualada: 37 kms.

We say goodbye to Cervera and set off in search of the NII. The yellow arrows indicating the Camino de Santiago point in one direction, along the main street, but that way is an additional 2.5 kilometres so we follow a different route. Therefore, from the entrance of the church of Santa Maria, we turn right along the Costa de Sant Cristófol, which leads into the Costa de Sant Francesc d’Asis, and from there, we head straight to the NII, away from Cervera.

In 1.5 km we pass a tunnel, but we keep on the road, heading for Vergós. We do not enter the village but just before it, on our left, we come to a second tunnel which we go through. We follow the road to our right, parallel to the A2. We always keep parallel, although sometimes the trail diverts a little. We find another tunnel, which we do not go through. We continue on this route for another 700 metres and then it turns left, taking us away from the A2.

The road curves widely to the right, taking us back to the A2, at which we take the underpass. We come to a roundabout which we go straight across and turn in the direction of the houses of Sant Pere dels Arquells. Entering the town, we are surprised to discover a few jets “parked” in the small field on our right. We keep going until we reach the fountain of Sant Pere. At this point we turn left at right angles. A small sign on the wall indicates the way to Santiago. Once again, we go against the tide.

At about 200m from the fountain, once out into open country, the road forks. Our route is to the left. We follow its winding course without diverging from the road. At 1.6 kilometres we come to the L203, at which we turn left. We approach the NII. Just before we get to the road, we take the street that lies 90° to our right, and leads to Sant Antolí i Vilanova.

We cross through the town, exiting on the far side by the same road, heading for our next village, Pallerols. Once again, we follow our road straight through the village without diverting.

The road makes a 90 degree left turn and in 100 metres turns right again. We continue for 150 metres before taking another trail which starts 90 degrees to our left. On our right we pass a wooded area. We continue straight ahead, always keeping to our wide road. We pass through forested areas, maintaining the same route and disregarding the roads that join or split off from ours. At 1.7 kilometres we reach the service area of Panadella.

When approaching the NII we pass the gas stations and restaurants in La Panadella, and we continue as far as the roundabout which we cross in order to take the descending NII. After 5 kilometres on this road, we can partially see the town of Porquerises on our right.

We have no choice but to follow the NII, the Camino Real de Ignacio de Loyola and of many other pilgrims who used this road in the past as we do today. By this route we arrive at Santa Maria del Camí.

We keep on the NII and cross the bridge over the A2 motorway. After 600 metres, we cross the A2 once again, but this time underneath. We continue parallel to the A2 and walk past a petrol station. Continuing on this road, we arrive at a roundabout at which we turn right, following the NII.

We continue walking parallel the A2, reaching a large roundabout. We enter the roundabout and once past the A2 turn-off, we take the exit that connects to the NII, going in the same direction. We reach Jorba by the NII, crossing through the village on this road.  As we leave the town we take an asphalt road on our right. This is an old road, fairly parallel to the NII, which provides some relief from so many kilometres of asphalt and road traffic. A football field greets us on our right. Do not leave the road, which takes us to the houses in Sant Genis, on our right.

We enter the village and cross the main road. We follow the same road, crossing over the A2 on the bridge.  We continue straight and at the other side of the A2 at the roundabout we go straight across.  Ahead lays the city of Igualada.

We are on Sant Jaume Sesoliveres Road, C-241c. We press on, always on the road, down to Igualada. We go straight over a roundabout and come to the Avenida de Àngel Guimerà. We go straight on and just after the little bridge over the River Anoia, we reach a roundabout. We cross straight over and continue along the same Av de Àngel Guimerà, until we come across a petrol station on our right. We turn right on the la rue de Prat de la Riba, which curves to the left. (Note: the pilgrims’ shelter can be found by turning left on the same street). We go straight over the road junction and find ourselves in La Rue de Sant Ignasi. We go straight on, noting the name change to Rue de Sant Doménech. We arrive at the Plaza de la Creu. The Calle de l’Argent leads off from here, which takes us to the church of Santa Maria.