Castelladral: Castle, Paths and Traditions

Castelladral brings together castle ruins and religious heritage with local traditions and a route to Balma de Comaposada. This offers different points of focus when planning your trip: architectural and local history, paths and landscape features, or a visit timed to coincide with a festival.

Castle and Local History

The remains of Castelladral Castle stand on a hill in the centre of the Serra de Castelladral. Castell de Castelladral has BCIN protected status. At present, only a section of wall with a few surviving courses of stone is visible on the southwest side of the castle.

The church of Sant Miquel de Castelladral is also part of the town’s history: it has Romanesque origins. Another place of cultural interest is the Centre d’Interpretació del Cicle Lunar, housed in Castelladral’s former barn. The castle, church and former barn thus represent different aspects of the town’s history.

Paths and Landscape Features

Route 1: Balma de Comaposada starts at the La Pallissa de Castelladral car park and leads to Balma de Comaposada, where there is a signpost. The return route to Castelladral follows the GR-176 uphill. The climb is therefore explicitly part of the described return journey.

You can find another historical trace about 250 metres northeast of the town centre: near the base of the Creu de la Santa Missió, a short, well-preserved section of the historic Camí ral de Castelladral remains. Access is easy. The cart ruts are clearly visible in the natural rock surface. This section links a specific stretch of path with clearly recognisable traces of its former use.

The Alzina de Castelladral is a distinctive holm oak (Quercus ilex), about 200 metres southeast of the town centre, beside a path leading to several houses. It consists of three main trunks, probably grown from new shoots from the original rootstock. Each trunk has a circumference of more than 1.5 metres; together, the trunks form a broad, spreading crown. This natural feature, with its location and growth form, has its own place alongside Castelladral’s architectural and path-related traces.

Festivals and Local Traditions

The Arrossada popular de Castelladral has been held on the second Sunday in March since 1984. It includes a communal rice meal on the esplanade and in the holm oak grove at Bassa del Castell. The site is on the edge of town, near the Creu de la Santa Missió. If you would like to plan your trip specifically around the Arrossada, check the programme for the relevant year.

The Festa Major takes place on the first weekend in May in honour of Sant Miquel. The Caramelles and Ball de Cascavells tradition includes performances on the afternoon of Holy Saturday and on Easter Sunday. For planning purposes, the local events therefore fall on different dates: a set date in March, the first weekend in May, and the Easter performances.

For the broader travel overview: Navàs.