38.44 miles; 4924 feet
We woke up to clear, blue skies once again. Our camp site host family kindly fetched bread from town for breakfast, and extra supplies for a picnic lunch, and we were off on the biggest single climb of the trip. After a few fairly level miles we turned north up a side valley and the road began to ramp up through beautiful oak forest. We stopped for photos of cattle on a grassy col,
before a short tunnel through a limestone ridge took us up to the higher level of natural pine forest.
The smell was fantastic, and we were delighted to see and hear an eagle – first quite close up and then soaring away down the valley beneath us. The route was complex – up and round the heads of several valleys – before a steep section brought us to Castellar de n’Hug.
We had considered breaking the climb in two and staying here for the night. But it was only about 11.30, so we made do with coffee and a fantastic view from the hotel terrace. Now we had joined the ‘main’ road (it was not very busy) and the gradients changed less often. But the downside was that, for the first time, we could see our route snaking up the hillside to a seemingly impossibly distant height. Logically, seeing it doesn’t change anything – there is still the same amount to climb – but psychologically it’s daunting. Or exciting!
Now we were above the tree line on the open mountainside with huge views to the south. It seemed to be raining on the coast towards Barcelona, but it was very sunny in the mountains. After a couple of short stops, and some steeper sections, we eventually reached the top of the Coll de la Crueuetta at 1888m soon after 1pm. A well-earned lunch was taken. Several other cyclists passed by – but no one else had fully laden panniers and a tent!
It was a double summit. So after a short descent we began a gentle climb across alpine pastureland with cattle and horses to a second, lower col. This was the top lift of the La Molina ski resort – so we stopped at the restaurant for cold drinks. There followed a proper descent, through the ski resort – including a short tunnel under one of the pistes – and snaking on down to the valley floor. Too many speed humps and too many side turnings for my liking, but still fun. At this point we were joined by the Barcelona to Toulouse railway line that had emerged (very sensibly) from a tunnel. We followed it on down the valley, turning off just in time to avoid the main roads. Gently rolling country and small villages led to Puigcerda, perched up on a hill.
We had planned to camp just outside Puigcerda and to explore the old town, but just before we left home Helen had seen a piece in the Guardian travel section promoting the best European hotels at under £100 a night. And the Hotel Bernat de So, in Llivia, was one of them. Llivia was only about five miles down the road, so we had booked in. Now we were faced with a dilemma. It was about 3pm, and we wanted both to visit Puigcerda and to make the most of our newly booked, highly recommended hotel, and we didn’t really have time for both. In the end, the fact that the centre of Puigcerda was a couple of hundred feet up the hill above us was the clincher. We set off on the final leg to Llivia without a backward glance. I am sure Puigcerda is lovely The hotel Bernat de So certainly lived up to expectations. It had a fabulous old courtyard, a lovely swimming pool, and was beautifully converted and fitted out. Llivia was a great place to explore that evening, after the swim, and dinner was excellent. All in all this was a fantastic day that will live long in the memory.
