First step towards opening the coastal path between an unlicensed villa and the Cap Roig Gardens

GironaMore than 100 kilometers of coastal paths run the length of the Costa Brava, from Blanes to Portbou. Sometimes they are steep and rocky, winding through pine forests and along cliffs, right next to the sea. Historically, fishermen and sailors used them to travel on foot between coastal towns, patrolled by the Civil Guard and the Carabineros to control smuggling. Now, they are frequented mainly by hikers on trails or beachgoers seeking access to more secluded coves. But in many places along this route, there are barriers. Despite being a public area, villas and private properties block access with threatening signs, forcing walkers to take detours along forest tracks or footpaths. In Garbet, A property belonging to the Peralada Group diverts pedestrians for 300 meters over the rocks. In Lloret, a mansion belonging to a Kazakh tycoon It also closes the path, and in Palafrugell, from Golfet beach to the Cap Roig Gardens, owned by the La Caixa Foundation, it is impossible to walk along the seafront.

On one hand, this last stretch –the one between Golfet and Cap Roig– is blocked by the controversial three-story villa overlooking the beach, with the license revoked in courtThe path is blocked by towering walls that act as buttresses for the building on the slope. Upon reaching the manor house, pedestrians wishing to walk towards Cap Roig must backtrack down a steep set of stairs towards the housing development and skirt around it, following the paved road that leads to the gardens. Once there, it is also impossible to resume the route near the sea, as the entire private estate of the La Caixa Foundation's botanical gardens forces one to continue inland along a 500-meter track before turning onto a poorly marked and steep path that descends to Crit Beach. The Cap Roig Gardens, which can be visited for a fee, comprise the complex of the castle, restaurants, and auditorium. where the music festival is held in the summer.

In total, it's a one-kilometer stretch of inland path that prevents access to the cliffs and coves of this area. Points of interest include the Cap Roig headland and Massoni cove, popularly known as Cala Rusa (Russian Cove) in reference to Dorothy Webster, the wealthy aristocrat who, in the 1920s, commissioned the construction of the castle and botanical gardens with her husband, Nicholas Woevodsky.

"If we route the paths behind private properties, we're losing an important historical and cultural heritage: it's part of the stories of fishermen, customs officers, and smugglers; even Josep Pla wrote about it," explains Jordi Cruz, spokesperson for the marine environment commission of SOS Costa Brava. The 1988 Coastal Law defined the distance, but the paths were already public long before that, he maintains. "You can't just close them off like that because you've bought a property and don't want people passing through," he concludes.

Complaints to the City Council, the Generalitat and the State

The environmental organization SOS Costa Brava has reported this case to the Palafrugell Town Hall, the Catalan Government (Generalitat), and the Coastal Authority of the Ministry for Ecological Transition, but laments that, for the moment, the different administrations are passing the buck and avoiding taking responsibility. Eduard de Ribot, a lawyer for SOS Costa Brava, denounces that the La Caixa Foundation is committing an illegal act with the approval of public bodies. "The 2019 special plan required the construction of the coastal path as a condition for the rehabilitation of Cap Roig Castle. But, six years later, Cap Roig is open and operating without having fulfilled this condition for its opening," he argues.

Aside from the administrative complaints, SOS Costa Brava this week also submitted objections to the public consultation process for the La Caixa Foundation's operating license, reiterating that the mandatory coastal path requirement has not been implemented and that the license granted lacks an environmental assessment and an acoustic and mobility impact study. In response, the Palafrugell Town Council states that since Webster acquired the castle, there has never been a coastal path in this area and that, therefore, a new one must be created, which is the direction in which they are working. "It has taken many years of effort, especially because higher levels of government had to reach agreements with the La Caixa Foundation, find funding solutions, and the town council has been the driving force behind it," explained Xavier Rangell, the councilor for urban planning, in the ARA newspaper. "Finally, we can announce that we have reached an agreement with the Coastal Authority and Coastal Services, and the initial approval of the coastal path document will take place at the next plenary session in November," he added.

This project envisions a route that begins at the Golfet villa, constructing a footbridge that will utilize the house's walls, and continues through the Cap Roig estate to the Mont-ras municipal boundary. Once the initial project is approved, the necessary building permits will need to be obtained, the bidding process opened, and construction commencing, which is planned for the last quarter of 2026, in one year's time. La Caixa, which will finance the adaptation of the entire section of path on its property, welcomes the agreement and adds that it has always maintained its commitment to opening the path.

Call to monitor the paths

To denounce the various accident black spots on the coastal paths of Girona, the environmental platform SOS Costa Brava has launched the "Camins lliures" crowdfunding campaign., With the aim of raising funds and creating a citizen monitoring, diagnostic, and oversight system, the organization, with an initial goal of €6,600, is calling for guaranteed public access to the coastline and the preservation of the environmental and historical value of these paths. This is based on the law of right-of-way, which obliges any private landowner or public administration to guarantee free passage along a six-meter strip of the coastline.