Ten river pools on the doorstep of Borredà
The Mergançol runs down the floor of the Borredà valley in a chain of pools, weirs and waterfalls. Some are well known and signposted; most are not.
This page gathers the ten gorgs we have been visiting season after season from our house at the masia del Pati, in Borredà. It is not a list copied from any guidebook: for each one we explain where to leave the car, how to get down and what you will find when you arrive, including the ones that are hard to find and the ones not worth a special detour.
All the photographs are our own, taken on the ground at different times of year. If you come in summer you will see more standing water and less flow; in spring and after the rains, exactly the opposite.
Walked, measured and photographed by Josep Heras Gomis, who has a house at the masia del Pati in Borredà and walks these woods every season. The full route is published on Wikiloc. Text last reviewed: September 2026.
The ten gorgs at a glance
| Gorg | Size | Access | Where to leave the car | On foot from the car |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gorg de Canalats | Large, about 20 by 30 metres | Unsignposted, descent to the river and a stretch along the bed | Meadow by the roadside, 2 km past the Pont del Climent | About 250 m upstream |
| Gorg del Salt | Large, waterfall about 20 metres high | Signposted, path in good condition | Open ground at the turn-off towards Sant Jaume de Frontanyà | A few minutes downhill |
| Gorg and weir of la Ribera | Small | Unsignposted, along the bank | Concrete fords on the northern track | About 150 m |
| Gorg Verd and Salt del Molí | Small, about 4 by 2 metres | Beside the path | Concrete fords on the northern track | About 500 m |
| Gorg de l'Enclusa | Small, with a waterfall | Beside the path, where it crosses the river | Concrete fords on the northern track | About 850 m |
| Gorg del Tell or de Matamala | Small | Beside the path | Concrete fords on the northern track | About 1,000 m |
| Bassa de la Dama or Gorg de Canet | Medium | Walking along the river bed | Concrete fords on the northern track | About 1,100 m |
| Gorg del Roure | Large, shaded by an oak wood | Unsignposted and easy to walk past | Concrete fords on the northern track | About 1,250 m |
| Gorg Petit | Small | Footpath and last few metres along the river | Concrete fords on the northern track | About 1,900 m |
| Gorg dels Desitjos | Medium, with a wide waterfall | Along the river bed | Concrete fords on the northern track | About 1,950 m |
Distances are cumulative from the point where you leave the car, calculated from the real coordinates of each gorg following the order of the visit. The path itself is a little longer because it follows the bends of the river. The Gorg de Canalats and the Gorg del Salt each have their own access from the road; the remaining eight are strung along a single walk on the northern track, which starts at the concrete fords (42.141116, 2.001140).
You will find it written in very different ways: Margansol, Mergançol, Mardansol or Merdançol, and along its first stretch it is called the riera de Borredà. In the village it has always been called a stream, but we call it a river because it carries water all year round; only in times of severe drought does it come to a standstill, and that is not usual.
It rises at about 1,300 metres of altitude in the pre-Pyrenean ridges of Sant Jaume de Frontanyà, from the meeting of three torrents: the torrent dels Oms, the torrent de Picanyes and the torrent de Puig Miró, of which only two can be made out on the ground. It runs its first 6 km north to south and the remaining 10 from east to west, until it flows into the Llobregat, on the left bank, inside the Baells reservoir.
Along the way it takes in two main tributaries: the riera del Pontarró or torrent Gran, which rises downstream of the village of Borredà and joins from the right, and the riera de Vilada, which comes down from Puig Lluent and joins south of Vilada.
How to organise the visit
The ten gorgs fall into two areas that are visited separately and should not be mixed into a single walk.
The road section
, between Vilada and Borredà, gives access to the two largest gorgs: Canalats and del Salt. For both you drive to a specific point on the road and walk down in a few minutes. They are the only ones you can visit with hardly any walking.The northern section
, upstream from the Pont de la Ribera, holds the remaining eight. You turn onto an unpaved track; after about 200 metres you reach some concrete fords where the river runs over the track, and from there on the track gets quite bad for a car. That is where we recommend parking and carrying on on foot.That northern section is, in practice, a walk along the river in which you have to cross it several times and get into the water at some points. Bring footwear you can soak and a change of clothes.
The full route we covered, adding the driving sections and the walks, is about 23 km, between the 633 metres of altitude at the tail of the Baells reservoir and the 896 metres of the highest point, already north of the village. You can download the track:
Mergançol route in GPX format .Gorg de Canalats
An honest note: on our walks we saw some plastic along this stretch, which we put down to the old landfill that once stood upstream. That is an observation from a few years ago and things change; if you find it otherwise, we would like to know.
Getting there:
from the Pont del Climent follow the road towards Borredà. After about 2 km there is a small meadow on the right with a narrow track, easy to drive past if you are distracted. Leave the car there and carry on on foot. From the right-hand side of the meadow a path drops to the river; the last stretch is slightly awkward but passable. Once at the bottom you get into the river and go about 250 metres upstream to the gorg.
Coordinates:
42.129160, 1.967219 · 688 m above sea level · open in maps
Gorg del Salt It is the most visited on the Mergançol and the one most people have in mind when they talk about the gorgs of Borredà: a large pool with a waterfall some twenty metres high dropping down the rock face. Together with Canalats, these are the two largest on the river. Unlike the rest, it is well signposted and the access is easy. The last stretch was tricky for years because of a rockfall, but the path was repaired and today it is in good condition.
The trade-off is what you would expect: in summer, and especially at weekends, there are people. If you want quiet, go first thing in the morning or leave it for September.
Getting there:
at the turn-off towards Sant Jaume de Frontanyà there is open ground on the right where you can leave the car. Walk a few metres down the road until you find a turning on the right signposted "Gorg del Salt". The path goes down to a small flight of two or three steps; from there the trail leads straight to the gorg.
Coordinates:
42.135679, 1.999145 · 778 m above sea level · open in maps
Gorg and weir of la Ribera This is where the northern section begins. It is a small gorg with its weir, in a very pretty corner of the river just below the village of Borredà. It is one of the least known points of all: there is no sign and no published information about it. Getting there:
42.139798, 2.001169 · 802 m above sea level ·
open in maps
Gorg Verd and Salt del Molí A small gorg, about 4 by 2 metres, with a half-ruined artificial waterfall built in its day for the Molí del Sobirà. It is a good example of how far the mills shaped this river: hardly any of these pools is entirely natural.
Getting there: from the Molí del Sobirà carry on along the path, take a bend to the left and after about 50 metres the Gorg Verd and the waterfall appear. Coordinates:
42.142714, 1.999913 · 812 m above sea level ·
open in maps
Gorg de l'Enclusa Another small gorg, with a wide waterfall, at the point where the path crosses the river. This is where the channel that fed the Molí de Campalans starts, clearly visible from the bank.
Getting there: it is right where the path crosses the river, about 30 metres from the Font del Sofre. Coordinates:
Gorg del Tell or de Matamala
Small, but with a very pretty fall of water over the sloping stones above it, without quite being a waterfall. The photograph was taken after the rains, with the water muddy; in summer it runs much clearer.
Getting there: from the Gorg de l'Enclusa follow the path uphill. It seems to move away from the river, but soon meets it again: after about 150 metres you come straight out at the gorg.
Coordinates: 42.147133, 2.001626 · 831 m above sea level · open in maps
Bassa de la Dama or Gorg de Canet
Medium sized, with the water sliding over the rocks just as at the Gorg del Tell. It is one of the pleasantest corners of the northern section.
Getting there: from the Gorg del Tell walk about 70 metres straight along the river bed. There are stones on the bank you can hop across if you would rather not get wet, although it is hard not to end up with one foot in the water.
Coordinates: 42.147503, 2.000291 · 838 m above sea level · open in maps
Getting there:
from the Bassa de la Dama you leave the river by a path that appears on the left and carries on north along the bed. Pay attention here, because the gorg is down to the left and very easy to walk past. After about 70 metres you can make it out among the trees, and you go down by a path that branches off some 30 metres further up.
Coordinates: 42.148464, 2.000383 · 845 m above sea level ·
open in maps The Fageda dels Desitjos Between the Gorg del Roure and the last two gorgs, the path runs for a good while through a beech wood. The change is abrupt: the trees close overhead, the light drops all at once and the wood stops looking like the one you had been walking through.
In autumn, with the ground covered in fallen leaves, it is probably the most beautiful stretch of the whole route, and it is worth the walk even if you do not swim in a single gorg.
Getting there:
from the Gorg del Roure, following the path along the right bank, after about 400 metres. Gorg Petit
It lives up to its name: it is one of the smallest on the river. You visit it mainly because it sits twenty metres from the Gorg dels Desitjos and you can see both at once. Getting there: carry on uphill from the Fageda dels Desitjos and after about 200 metres you will make out two gorgs on the left. This is the first one. Some 30 metres before you reach it a path drops down to the river; the last few metres are done by going up the bed.
open in maps
Gorg dels Desitjos
It is the finale of the route and one of the best known gorgs on the Mergançol, not for its size but for its beauty: a fairly wide waterfall that comes down fanning out between the rocks before dropping into the pool.
If you only have time for one gorg on the northern section, this is the one. Getting there:
about 20 metres above the Gorg Petit, walking up the middle of the river.
Coordinates:
42.153830, 2.004398 · 879 m above sea level · open in maps
Use your head On the Mergançol river, where it runs past Borredà, there are no bathing restrictions. There are, however, on the neighbouring riera de Merlès, within the same municipality, regulated by a municipal ordinance with stretches where bathing is forbidden. If you plan to combine the two, check the signs before getting into the water. The rest are the common-sense rules of any mountain river. Leave the car where it is allowed and without blocking the way for other vehicles, people or livestock. Do not move stones, pull up plants or disturb the animals. Do not paint or carve marks on rocks or bark. And everything that comes in goes out: there are no bins.
The three properties we run in Borredà are a few minutes from the river. They are rented whole, not shared with other guests, and pets are welcome at no extra cost.
Masia El Pati
: a farmhouse dating from 1600 with 6 bedrooms, 20 beds, a swimming pool and 1,000 m² of garden, between Vilada and Borredà.
Apartment ideal for couples : an open-plan space with a large window and a fireplace, for 2 or 4 people.
Charming rural apartment : with air conditioning, a dishwasher and a chill-out area. If you want to get to know the rest of the municipality, the page on the
area around Borredà
covers the Romanesque church of Rotgers, the Picancel range and the other points of interest.
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Frequently asked questions about the gorgs of Borredà
Yes. The Mergançol river where it runs past Borredà has no bathing restrictions. The riera de Merlès, in the same municipality, is a different matter: it is regulated by a municipal ordinance with stretches where bathing is forbidden.
Which gorg is the easiest to visit?
- Which are the largest gorgs?Canalats and del Salt. Canalats has around 20 by 30 metres of water and del Salt a waterfall some twenty metres high.
- No. The Gorg del Salt and Canalats are both reached on tarmac. For the northern section it is enough to leave the car at the concrete fords and carry on on foot; further up the track deteriorates and it is not worth it.What is the best time of year?
- How long do you need to see them all?Those on the northern section are strung along a half-morning walk. The Gorg del Salt and Canalats are visited separately, by car, and a good hour is enough for both.
Gorg del Salt in Borredà, on the Mergançol river Gorg de Canalats, the largest pool on the Mergançol river in Borredà Waterfall of the Gorg del Salt seen from the bank, Borredà
Gorg Verd and the Molí del Sobirà waterfall on the Mergançol
Gorg de l'Enclusa and the channel that fed the Molí de Campalans
Gorg del Tell or de Matamala on the Mergançol river, Borredà
Bassa de la Dama or Gorg de Canet, Mergançol river
Gorg del Roure, a Mergançol pool surrounded by oaks
Path among beeches in the Fageda dels Desitjos, Borredà
Gorg Petit, one of the small pools on the Mergançol river
Gorg dels Desitjos, a wide waterfall on the Mergançol river
The area where you leave the car to walk down to the Gorg del Salt in Borredà
Masia El Pati in Borredà
Apartment for couples in Borredà
Charming rural apartment in Borredà
Rural tourism around Borredà
Book accommodation in Borredà