Stage 5: Besalú - Oix

You begin the fifth stage of the GR 1 route in Plaza de la Llibertat in (1) Besalú (0:00h - 148m). Following the white and red GR signs at all times, you leave Besalú along Calles Canó, Olot, Pere Bosch and Llabrús and, finally, the Camí de Can Batlle, which is no longer paved just after the football pitch. You walk in a northwest direction and pass Can Batlle. Further along, in the absence of a path, you follow the outline of the abandoned estate of Can Güell, first along the side of a field and then down towards a stream with lots of vegetation, where you should take extra care not to get lost.

Continue along a paved path that will take you to the A-26 dual carriageway. Walk along a secondary route next to the dual carriageway and you will pass La Teuleria. You soon arrive at a point where you go down to the bottom of the ravine of the river Borró and cross the road below. You climb a few metres and reach the (2) N-260 road (1:05 - 200m), that you follow towards the left (W). You cross a bridge over the river Borró and a few metres after crossing it you take a detour off to the right which rises (paved path) towards the woods of En Terrats and the Pla de Banyils. Afterwards, you go around the estate of Banyils and enter a wood pine trees and holm oaks. This marks the start of a path stage where you have to be very careful: you need to overcome a total of four streams with their respective banks. After crossing the fourth and final stream, you climb a few metres and reach a street. You go through an industrial estate, cross the GI-523 road, and after about 500m, you reach the Plaza del Mercat in (3) Tortellà (2:10h - 275m).

You leave Tortellà via its northwest extreme and will soon find yourself at the GIV-5232 road, which you cross. Always heading northwest, you progress through fields and woods until you descend to the bottom of the so-called Clot del Infern. You cross a river and climb up to the Pla de la Quintana. You cross this plain and head down a few metres to the spectacular (4) bridge of Llierca (3:10 - 230m), the entry point to the solitary valley of Sant Aniol and the Alta Garrotxa Space of Natural Interest.

You cross the medieval bridge and the narrow GIV-5231 road. At this point you take the Camí de Plansalloses, a track that climbs westward and that soon turns into a path. You now begin the climb to the hill of Palomeres, the first demanding ascent of the GR 1. You leave behind the ruins of the house of Plansalloses (430m), you pass the hill of Polí and once again back on the dirt track, you reach the solitary (5) hill of Palomeres (4:35 - 616m), the top height you will reach during this stage. From the pass, you continue along the path that flanks the mountain heading westward, and that will lead you to the ridge that descends from the peak of Palomeres (667m) on its western side. You pass the unclear hill of Teula and descend the mountain side until you almost reach the bottom of the valley. You walk a final few metres along the GIV-5221 road and reach the picturesque town of (6) Oix (5:20h - 410m), the end point of this fifth stage.