Where the Llobregat is born, and what comes before it
The Fonts del Llobregat are the springs where the river comes straight out of the rock, in Castellar de n'Hug. It is a classic of the upper Berguedà, short and suitable for all ages, and it gains a great deal if you take it slowly and stop at what lies along the way.
You can go straight up to the springs, take a photo of the waterfall and leave. This page suggests something else: treating the last stretch of the BV-4031 road, between the Clot del Moro and the springs, as a short route with seven stops, which is how we do it in the four-by-four. The practical side comes first; the history, short and with its sources, is at the end.
- Where: the whole route is in the municipality of Castellar de n'Hug. The springs are at 42.282393, 2.013028 and 1,291 m above sea level, according to our GPS.
- Getting there from La Pobla de Lillet: cross the Llobregat towards Ripoll and, after about 300 metres, take the turning on the left signposted for Castellar de n'Hug. After about 3 km the turning for the Cement Museum is on the left; carry on along the BV-4031.
- Road distances: from the museum to Sant Vicenç de Rus, about 2 km; from there to the Pont de la Farga Vella, 1.5 km; to the Pietat church, 350 m more; to the Pont de les Fonts, about 500 m; the mill is a few metres further.
- Parking: there is a large car park beside the Molí de les Fonts, which is where the path to the springs begins.
- How far you walk: very little. From the mill to the springs it is about 150 metres in a straight line with almost 40 metres of climb, on a cobbled path full of steps. It is not suitable for pushchairs or wheelchairs.
- On foot instead: a signposted path of about 2 km and some 45 minutes, of low difficulty, leads from the village of Castellar de n'Hug, according to Rutes Pirineus.
- When to go: the springs are at their most spectacular after heavy rain and during the spring snowmelt. In dry spells they carry much less water.
Walked, measured by GPS and photographed by Josep Heras Gomis, who has a house at the masia del Pati in Borredà and explores the Lillet valley and the Catllaràs range every season. The full off-road and walking route from La Pobla de Lillet via the Fonts del Llobregat to the Catllaràs range is published on Wikiloc. The historical data come from the sources listed at the end. Last revised: September 2026.
What surprises, what disappoints and when to take photos
What surprises is seeing a whole river coming out of the rock face. It is not a trickle between stones: several jets burst from the rock at once and tumble in cascades between moss-covered boulders. The first time, it is hard to believe that this is where the same river begins that reaches the sea next to Barcelona.
Some things may disappoint along the way. The Molí de les Fonts is no longer a mill but a hydroelectric station. The Pietat church is modern and there is hardly any information about it. The Pont de les Fonts is less well preserved than the Farga Vella bridge. And around the mill there is a restaurant, a bar and a souvenir shop, so the arrival is far from wild. If you go in a dry spell, the springs carry much less water.
Photos. Our photos of the springs were taken on a rainy day under an overcast sky, and that light suits them: the white water does not burn out and the green of the moss comes out strongly. In direct sun the contrast between the foam and the dark rock is much greater. The wooden railings along the path give good views of the cascades.
With children. It is a visit suitable for all ages, but the path is cobbled and has lots of steps; after rain the stone is slippery. Walking shoes are better than town trainers.
The seven stops, from the Clot del Moro to the springs
| Point | What it is | Access | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ermita de Sant Vicenç de Rus | Romanesque church consecrated in 1006 | Visible from the road | 42.273964, 1.992515 |
| La Farga de Sant Vicenç de Rus | Former forge with a water mill | Next to the chapel | 42.273527, 1.992423 |
| Pont de la Farga Vella | Single-arch medieval bridge | Seen from the road | 42.278535, 2.004903 |
| Església de la Pietat | Modern church | Turning on the left, 10 m | 42.277834, 2.006128 |
| Pont de les Fonts | Small medieval bridge | Along the track, about 500 m | 42.280812, 2.010862 |
| Molí de les Fonts | Former flour mill, now a hydroelectric station | A few metres from the bridge | 42.281365, 2.011909 |
| Fonts del Llobregat | Source of the river | Path with steps | 42.282393, 2.013028 |
The order is that of the road, climbing from the Clot del Moro. All the points are in the municipality of Castellar de n'Hug. La Farga and the Hostal de les Fonts are private businesses: they appear here only as landmarks along the way.
Ermita de Sant Vicenç de Rus
This is the stop with the most history on the whole route. It is an isolated church in an area of meadows and woodland, and you can see it from the road before you arrive. The reddish stone of the walls, the bell gable with two openings and the round apse with Lombard blind arcading can all be appreciated from outside without going in.
It has a single nave with a barrel vault and a semicircular apse. On either side of the presbytery two Gothic chapels were opened in the thickness of the walls, and the door, on the south side, keeps a wooden leaf with ironwork in the Romanesque tradition. Inside there are copies of the Romanesque wall paintings of the apse, whose originals are in the Diocesan Museum of Solsona, and the Gothic paintings of the chapel of Santa Magdalena, restored in place.
Getting there: from the Cement Museum turning, follow the BV-4031 towards Castellar de n'Hug. After about 2 km the turning for Sant Vicenç de Rus is signposted on the right.
Coordinates: 42.273964, 1.992515 · 1,065 m above sea level · open in map
La Farga de Sant Vicenç de Rus
Right next to the chapel stands a building raised on the site of a former forge. Today it is a rural guesthouse with a restaurant, and a private business, but what matters for the walk can be seen from outside: beside the main building a water mill can still be made out.
Getting there: it is right beside the chapel, at the same turning.
Coordinates: 42.273527, 1.992423 · 1,062 m above sea level · open in map
Pont de la Farga Vella and Hostal de les Fonts
Following the road uphill for 1.5 km, the building of the Hostal de les Fonts appears on the left and serves as a landmark. Right beside it, from the road itself, you get one of the best views of the still-young Llobregat flowing under the Pont de la Farga Vella.
It is a bridge with a single semicircular arch. The whole structure is of stone, but the arch and its underside are built with better-squared stone, laid edgeways in regular courses. The Catalunya Medieval website dates it to the fourteenth century and notes that it can still be crossed on foot, although the recent buildings beside it have altered part of its left abutment.
Getting there: 1.5 km up the road from Sant Vicenç de Rus. It can be seen from the BV-4031, on the left, next to the hostal.
Coordinates: 42.278535, 2.004903 · 1,208 m above sea level · open in map
Església de la Pietat
This is the briefest stop. It is a simple and clearly modern building: a pitched slate roof that comes down almost to the ground, a base of reddish stone and a free-standing bell tower with two bells. We have looked for information on when it was built and what for, and there is very little. It is worth a look in passing, since it is ten metres from the road.
Getting there: about 350 metres past the hostal, along the BV-4031, there is a turning on the left. The church is about 10 metres along it.
Coordinates: 42.277834, 2.006128 · 1,239 m above sea level · open in map
Pont de les Fonts
This is another medieval bridge, smaller than the Farga Vella one, less well known and less well preserved. That is precisely where its charm lies: a single stone arch, with moss and ivy, over a bed of cobbles where the Llobregat still runs like a mountain stream, in the shade of the trees.
Getting there: from the Pietat, follow the track. You pass the Hostal de les Fonts again, on your left, but you need to bear right and uphill. After about 500 metres the bridge appears.
Coordinates: 42.280812, 2.010862 · 1,253 m above sea level · open in map
Molí de les Fonts
Following the track a few metres further, on the right, is the building of the old flour mill of the Fonts. Today it works as a hydroelectric station, so do not expect to see millstones or milling machinery: what you see is a stone building of several storeys beside the river. It does, however, tell you that you have arrived: the car park is here and so is the start of the path to the springs.
Getting there: a few metres from the Pont de les Fonts, along the same track.
Coordinates: 42.281365, 2.011909 · 1,253 m above sea level · open in map
Fonts del Llobregat
To the right of the restaurant beside the mill, a footpath climbs straight up to the source of the river. It is cobbled and full of steps, with wooden railings and the odd lookout, and it leads to the point where the water bursts out from inside the mountain in a waterfall.
The water comes out of the limestone of the cliffs around Castellar de n'Hug, and it is the rain and winter snow that have built up higher on the mountains, on peaks such as Puigllançada and the Tossa d'Alp. That is why the flow varies so much: after heavy rain or during the thaw the show is complete; in dry spells, much more modest.
From here the Llobregat crosses Catalonia from north to south through the Berguedà, the Bages and the Baix Llobregat, and flows into the Mediterranean, forming its delta.
Getting there: from the Molí de les Fonts car park, along the path to the right of the restaurant. It is about 150 metres in a straight line and almost 40 metres of climbing up steps.
Coordinates: 42.282393, 2.013028 · 1,291 m above sea level · open in map
The legend of the tears and the red sand
Locally, a legend is told about the origin of the springs. Hug de Mataplana, lord of La Pobla and Castellar, married a haughty foreigner, whom the people came to blame for his sudden death. Their daughter was born plain, and the mother, who was said to be a witch, became obsessed with making her the most beautiful girl in the kingdom.
After a stormy night spent among books of witchcraft, every girl in the district vanished from her bed. The villagers searched tirelessly until they heard laments coming from a rock, together with a thin trickle of water. The witch would go to mock the girls in the cave where she had shut them away, until one night, leaning in, she slipped and fell inside. From the depths an enormous river then burst out and cast her body out as reddish dust.
They say the Llobregat is born of the tears of those girls, turned to stone, and that its sand is still reddish from the witch's body. Look at the colour of the stones in the riverbed on your way down.
A short history, with its sources
Sant Vicenç de Rus. A first pre-Romanesque church is recorded from the year 950 as a possession of the monastery of Sant Llorenç prop Bagà, with its own cemetery of rock-cut graves. Bishop Ot of Urgell consecrated the new Romanesque building in 1006. Around 1300 the side chapels of Santa Magdalena and Sant Andreu were opened. Over time it lost its status as a parish and came to depend on Castellar de n'Hug; the sources do not agree on the exact date (the author's book, 2018; Castellar de n'Hug town council).
During the restoration work of the 1980s a necropolis of rock-cut graves from between the tenth and twelfth centuries came to light, together with remains of wall painting in the apse (twelfth century) and in the chapel of Santa Magdalena (late thirteenth century). The apse paintings are in the Diocesan and Regional Museum of Solsona, with a reproduction in the church; the Gothic ones remain in place. A late twelfth-century image of the Virgin from this church is kept in the Episcopal Museum of Vic (the author's book, 2018).
Fonts del Llobregat. The water comes from rain and snow accumulated on the nearby peaks and emerges from the limestone; the river passes through 28 municipalities before reaching the sea (Castellar de n'Hug tourism).
Sources consulted: Josep Heras Gomis, Ruta Tot Terreny i Senderisme per la Pobla de Lillet, Fonts Llobregat i Catllaràs (2018); Castellar de n'Hug town council: Sant Vicenç de Rus; Castellar de n'Hug town council: Fonts del Llobregat; Castellar de n'Hug tourism; Catalunya Medieval; Rutes Pirineus.
How to organise it and where to stay
The easiest plan is to link this stretch with the Asland Cement Museum, which is right at the start of the road, and leave the springs until last, when the light is softer. If you would rather not drive to the Clot del Moro, the Tren del Ciment runs up from La Pobla to the museum, stopping at the Jardins Artigas; from the museum to the springs you have to continue by road.
On our full route, which starts and ends in La Pobla de Lillet and then carries on to the monastery of Santa Maria de Lillet and the Catllaràs range, we allow about seven hours for driving and visits. This stretch to the springs is one part of that day.
Our three places to stay in La Pobla de Lillet are a few kilometres from the springs, are let whole and take pets at no extra cost:
- Tríplex Cadí: 150 m² on three floors, 5 bedrooms, a fireplace and a wood-fired range.
- Apartment Catllaràs: for 4 people, with 2 bedrooms.
- Adapted apartment: designed for people with reduced mobility.
Frequently asked questions about the Fonts del Llobregat
Where are the Fonts del Llobregat?
In the municipality of Castellar de n'Hug, in the upper Berguedà, at 1,291 m above sea level. From La Pobla de Lillet you reach them along the BV-4031 road, passing the Clot del Moro and Sant Vicenç de Rus.
Where do you park and how far do you walk?
There is a large car park beside the Molí de les Fonts. From there, a cobbled path with many steps climbs to the source: about 150 metres in a straight line and almost 40 metres of height gain.
When do the springs carry most water?
After heavy rain and during the spring thaw, because the water comes from rain and snow accumulated on the nearby peaks. In dry spells the flow drops considerably.
Is it suitable for children and pushchairs?
It is a visit suitable for all ages, but the path has many steps and cannot be used with a pushchair or wheelchair. In the rain the stone is slippery.
What can you see along the way?
The Romanesque chapel of Sant Vicenç de Rus, La Farga de Sant Vicenç de Rus, the Pont de la Farga Vella, the Pietat church, the Pont de les Fonts and the Molí de les Fonts, now a hydroelectric station.
Can you walk there from Castellar de n'Hug?
Yes. A signposted path of about 2 km and some 45 minutes, of low difficulty, leads from the village to the springs.