Getaway to Moianès: A journey to the preindustrial past

Begin your visit to the newly constituted region of Moianès at the capital, Moià, where you can visit some of the water mills that were essential facilities in the preindustrial economy – places where trading deals were made and social contacts were established. You can find out how these traditional water mills functioned, learn how the millers worked, and discover the products they made. There are mills in different states of conservation and each one has its own peculiarities: the one in Castellnou has an elegant gallery of pointed arches; the Pujol Mill is set in a majestic white building; and the New Mill in Passerell, one of the last working mills in Catalonia, has a picnic area nearby that's great for a stop if get hungry after visiting so many mills.

You'll be sticking around in Moià on the morning of your second day in the Moianès region. On the outskirts of the town, you'll find one of those magical subterranean wonderlands that delight adults and children alike. You will not, however, be the first to go down into the caves, not by a long chalk. The Caves of Toll have been inhabited by both people and animals since prehistoric times. Though our ancestors must have explored the caves practically by touch, you're lucky enough to be able to take in more than a kilometre of beautiful, well-lit galleries, accompanied by a guide who will tell explain, among other things, how the caves were rediscovered in modern times, about the findings made there and the excavation work that's still taking place, and how the caves were once under the sea. You can complete your visit by heading for the Archaeological and Paleontological Museum in Moià, which is located in the family home of Rafael Casanova, where many of the objects that have been found in the caves are exhibited.

True to its name, Castellterçol has a castle, though it's located on the outskirts of the town, on a hilltop that undoubtedly served as a good lookout position in more troubled times. The construction of the building, which dates from the ninth century, was started under the orders of a gentleman named Terçol, who was a confidant of the Count of Barcelona Wilfred the Hairy. The castle is now privately owned, but if you call in advance (93 866 83 55) you can book a time to visit it. The oldest surviving parts of the castle are the moat, part of the defensive walls and a part of the 12th-century residence of the Xetmar noble family. You'll also see a fortified farmhouse dating from the 16th century that was built using stone from the castle. Your visit to Moianès may coincide with one of the concerts or performances that are held at the castle in the summer.

There are still a number of spaces in the Ecomuseum – known as radials – that have yet to be museumized. But plenty are now ready to be visited, and you can go to see some of them today. You already visited the area’s water mills on the first day of your visit, and for today we would like to suggest that you choose between a lime kiln, a farmhouse set in a cave, an ice house, a washing place and a mine. Below we give you an idea of what to expect at each one of these sites.

The ice house is up first. It's is located in Castellterçol, where you spent yesterday afternoon. This type of construction was once used to make a lot of ice in the Moianès region. You can go inside the Poua de la Ginebreda ice house to see how ice was made and sold. And while still in Castellterçol, you can also pay a visit to the Roquer washing place, which is located by a cave.

In L'Estany there's a spectacular work of engineering dating back to the 18th century that still performs the same function today: removing water from the village lake. Although the scenery at the lake was beautiful when it still contained water, it was thought to cause disease, and furthermore, the monks at the nearby Augustine monastery needed land for cultivation. The solution was to build a dry stone quarry about half a kilometre long, which is now open to visitors.

There are still two radials left to present. One of them will take you to Castellcir to visit Mas Esplugues, a farmhouse located in a cavern where you'll learn how its inhabitants exploited the resources available in the woods and fields to keep themselves fed. The other option will take you to Calders, where you'll find three circular lime kilns that date from the 19th century and that were in use until only a couple of decades ago. Nearby, you'll find a Centre for Contemporary Sustainable Art, which is devoted to researching, producing and exhibiting works of contemporary art related to ecology and the local environment.

Moianès may be a small region, but as you can see, it has more than enough attractions to keep visitors busy for 48 hours, and plenty more to offer if you have more time.