Orienteering and Archery Route in the Montseny — Adventure and Strategy near Barcelona

The experience — Orienteering and Archery in the Montseny

We live glued to GPS and have lost the ability to read the terrain for ourselves. This orienteering route gives that ability back to a group for four hours. A paper map, a compass and a handful of markers hidden in the Parc Natural del Montseny.

The activity starts at the activity centre in the Parc Natural del Montseny. The qualified instructor hands out a map, compass and the first explanation: how to orient the map, how to read a bearing, how to identify terrain features. The basics are learnt quickly, and from there the group decides the route.

The route follows shaded forest paths, through dense woodland of holm oaks, pines and chestnuts — the Montseny’s signature ecosystem, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. The markers are hidden at points in the forest and the group must combine compass and map to locate them. The guide supervises the area but does not show the way.

And at the end, a total change of register: a fenced archery zone with a qualified instructor. Professional equipment — bow, arrows and target — is handed out after a short stance-and-technique class. The focus of the shoot closes a day that combines brains, terrain and a steady hand.