el Lleonard

El Lleonard is a ruined masia (traditional Catalan farmhouse) standing on the northern slope of the Cingles de Vacarisses, within the municipality of Vacarisses, in the Vallès Occidental county, Barcelona province, Catalonia.

Where is it and how do you get there?

The ruins lie off the road network, in hilly terrain north of the village centre, on the way toward the Sant Llorenç de Munt i l'Obac range. There is no vehicle access - the only way in is on foot, along trails that link Vacarisses with the neighbouring farmsteads of Les Vendranes and Can Còdol. Depending on the route chosen, a round trip can run to several kilometres over uneven ground with moderate elevation gain, so it's worth setting aside half a day and wearing sturdy hiking shoes.

What is the history behind the farmhouse?

The buildings already appear on a 1920 survey map and on the 1944 cadastral records, though the farm itself is older. In 1866 the Espuña family settled there as sharecroppers, having moved from the nearby village of Rellinars. The family head, Antoni Espuña Rovira, came from Ardèvol in the municipality of Pinós, and his wife, Catalina Berenguer Olivas, from Matamargó. Their eldest son, Josep Espuña Berenguer, married Teresa Pla Camprubí in 1873, and the couple had three children, Maria, Mercè and Joan. Josep is recorded as the farm's head in the 1910 census and in tax rolls from 1926, while his son Joan Espuña Pla married Antolina Masana Alter in 1907, continuing the family's presence on the land. The farm was worked until 1973, when a severe flood tore through the valley and wrecked the cultivation terraces; rather than rebuild, the family chose to move into the village, and El Lleonard was abandoned for good.

What remains to see today?

What's left are roofless stone walls, increasingly swallowed by vegetation that has spread across the old terraces, orchards and water tanks. Behind the house, two wine vats used right up to the final year of habitation are still in place. Nearby, in the bed of the stream known as the Riera del Lleonard, stands a well - the Pou del Lleonard - built of rough stone bound with lime mortar, fitted with a spout for drawing water and linked to a network of irrigation channels feeding the fields below. The farm originally had two wells and two garden basins, most of which are now overgrown and hard to spot without knowing exactly where to look.

What hiking routes pass through El Lleonard?

El Lleonard is a well-known waypoint on walking routes starting in Vacarisses that connect to the nearby farmsteads of Les Vendranes and Can Còdol, the Cingle Gros ridge, and the Salt de la Guineu waterfall. Hikers commonly combine a visit to the ruins with a loop following the streambeds and abandoned farmhouses scattered across these hills, on the fringes of the Sant Llorenç de Munt i l'Obac range. It's a destination suited to walkers who enjoy pairing a countryside trek with traces of the region's old agricultural past.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you drive to El Lleonard? No. The ruins sit away from any road and are reached only on foot, via trails from Vacarisses or neighbouring hamlets.

Can you go inside the building? The farmhouse is a roofless ruin, so a visit means viewing the remaining walls and surrounding features from outside.

Where does the name El Lleonard come from? It comes from the family that historically owned and worked the farm; the nearby stream and well share the same name.

What else is worth seeing nearby? The neighbouring farmsteads of Les Vendranes and Can Còdol, the Salt de la Guineu waterfall, and trails leading toward the Sant Llorenç de Munt i l'Obac range.