The 12 Most Amazing Peaks around Mataró

If you stop here with your bike, look up before you continue. This enormous tower over 20 meters high was not isolated: it was part of the ancient defensive landscape of this part of Maresme. From Can Tria de Mata, there was visual contact with other observation points in the area. Higher up you have the Turó d’Onofre Arnau, where the old Castell de Mata was located, and nearby the Torre d’Onofre Arnau is also preserved. Even the Castell de Burriac was part of that defensive horizon. The idea was simple: see the danger before the danger arrived. From these elevated points, the sea, the roads, and the lands of Mata were controlled. Today, the most serious threat is probably running out of battery on your Garmin. Five hundred years ago, looking towards the Mediterranean was much more important. A good place to stop, take a photo of the tower, and try to locate from here the other points that watched over this same territory.

The Creu de Montcabrer crowns one of the most emblematic points of the Serralada Litoral. The current cross, placed in 1982 and blessed in 1983, is the last in a long tradition dating back to 1565. Over the centuries, it has been replaced several times due to lightning, vandalism, and even bullet impacts during the Civil War. In addition to its unique history, this place is wonderful for the spectacular views it offers: from Montseny to Barcelona, passing through the Castell de Burriac and reaching Blanes on clear days. It's ideal for stopping, breathing, and contemplating the landscape. 🚴 WARNING: Do not attempt to ride down the path that leads to the caves located just below the cross. It is not suitable for cycling and can be dangerous. It is recommended to return along the same path you came in.

A summit with excellent views of the Maresme, crowned by a geodesic vertex. It's an ideal place to take a break, admire the landscape, or take some great photos. The final access is narrow and rocky: the last 10 meters require you to dismount and hike up. Still, the panoramic views are worth the effort.

La Creu de Montcabrer (311 meters) is a viewpoint with spectacular views of the sea and mountains. The iron cross that presides over it has a long history of legends related to the towns of Cabrera de Sea and Cabrils.

From the same hill and in a southerly direction (toward the sea) descends a rocky ridge. There are three caves where various archaeological remains have been found. Looking out to sea from the cross, on the left side and near the summit, there is the Cova dels Tres Cercles. On the right side and at mid-height, the Cau de les Formigues. In the center and at the bottom of the ridge, the Cave of the Good Women. Access to all of them is not easy, as you need to have a minimum of climbing skills and also wear suitable walking shoes.

Popular belief gives Montcabrer a range of peculiar characteristics such as, for example, that the rocks are magnetized or that smoke has been seen coming out of the stones because there is a volcano below. A legend says that, on an ugly winter day, a goatherd from the Pyrenees who lived in Cabrils died there. The goatherd was well known and loved for his ability to cure illnesses using mountain herbs, and this is where the name Montcabrer comes from.

On the small esplanade at the top there is a cross: the Santa Creu de Cabrils. The existence of a cross is already recorded in 1565 in a property document that mentions it as a threshold. Later on, we again find information about a cross that was planted in June 1707, in a solemn procession, to appease the rains that were damaging the crops. It was made of teak wood and was 20 spans. Inside was a glass tube with the vicar general's license and some fragments of the relics of the Holy Martyrs of Vilassar de Dalt. In July 1726, during an afternoon summer storm, a bolt of lightning tore it to pieces and scattered the bones of the saints.

With 360º views, you will control Barcelona, Calella, Can Bruguera and with luck the island of Mallorca. It has a tower where foresters come in summer to control fires. In the rear part, a cylindrical construction that warned the inland populations of possible invasions by sea. It's worth going up here.