Introduction
This was a mandatory stopping place for pilgrims who, in modern times and especially from the 20th century onward, walked in pilgrimage to the Mare de Déu de Bruguers. From here they celebrated the Aplec de Bruguers on Easter Monday, with a religious service, sardana dancing, children’s games and a communal meal.
A stone cairn beside the path marks the point where the trail leading to the spring begins.
You reach the spring by entering once again the holm oak forest covered with honeysuckle. Slender holm oaks grow here, many originating from coppicing once used for charcoal production. The spring environment is enhanced by thickets of privet and bramble, as well as tall Lombardy poplars, where in summer you can hear the song of the golden oriole, which often nests here.
The small amount of water that flows filters through iron-rich ground, giving the spring water a high iron content. This mineral is responsible for the reddish color of the small pool and trickle that form.
The spring was first analyzed in 1791 by Doctor Francesc Sanponts, an Enlightenment scientist who was the first to build a steam engine in Catalonia.