Surroundings
La Cerdanya
It is a wide valley located in the Catalan Pyrennes, very sunny and with a great variety of breathtaking landscapes. It is possible to practice many kinds of activities, like visiting lovely small villages in the mountains and the jewels of the Pyrenean Romanesque architecture, hiking, trekking, skiing, balloon flights, and much more.
The Duran Valley
The house is located on the outskirts of the little village of Olopte, in the Duran Valley, which is the low part of the Meranges Valley. The waters of this river come from the thaw of the upper snows, as well as from the Malniu Lakes, one of the most famous locations in La Cerdanya. The house is located in an EIN (Area of Natural Interest) by the river and surrounded by meadows and leafy forests.
We will be very pleased to advise you in planning your activities, depending on your own interests, in order that you can enjoy your time at most without having to look for information.
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Activities:
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Duran Valley. Paths net
THE DURAN VALLEY: NATURE
The house is located in a PEIN (Protected Area of Natural Interest), where we can find a great variety of landscapes: meadows, farm lands and riparian forests… The village is situated between two hills which, despite their modest height, offer wonderful views of the whole valley of La Cerdanya surrounded by majestic mountains nearly three thousand meters high, like the Puigpedrós and the Puigmal.
THE DURAN VALLEY: CULTURAL HERITAGE
Although being very small, the village of Olopte has a lovely Romanesque church. You can also visit the small but incredibly well preserved hermitage of Quadres, close to the Segre River. There are two ancient bridges and a couple of fountains worth visiting. The villages nearby offer an important cultural heritage as well. Around the village of Olopte we can find a wide net of ancient paths, which have been recently cleared to walk along them. They offer you the opportunity of visiting all these interesting locations by walk.
LA CERDANYA: NATURE
There is a great variety of hikes and ascents of all difficulty levels and through very different landscapes. In winter you can enjoy the snow by snowshoeing or skiing. During all year round, you can explore the Natural Park of Cadí, the Malniu Lakes or the Lakes of la Pera.
LA CERDANYA: CULTURAL HERITAGE
La Cerdanya also offers an interesting and diverse cultural heritage. You can visit ancient lovely towns and villages such as Llívia, Puigcerdà, Bellver de Cerdanya, Meranges, Bastanist, Estana, Martinet or Lles de Cerdanya. In the French part of La Cerdanya there are also very pretty sites like the Lakes of Bulloses or the medieval fortified town of Mont Lluís.
FAMILY ACTIVITIES
MOUNTAIN BIKING
SKIING
GASTRONOMY
WALKS AROUND ISÒVOL
Isòvol is a group of three small towns where we can find several remote quite places, which offer us the opportunity of enjoying the many natural landscapes as well as the interesting cultural heritage of the region. We can visit four Romanesque churches and the ancient bridge Pont del Diable (Devil’s Bridge). The different seasons offer us breathtaking landscapes all over the year.
Around the three small towns we can find a wide net of ancient paths, which have been recently cleared to walk along them. Below we describe the most important three, which you will surely enjoy, all of them in a protected natural area.
Motorbikes are strictly forbidden according to the law 9/1995, 27th July.
- Walk around the Tossal D'Isòvol
This is the longest and hardest hike in the area. Therefore it offers us a great range of landscapes: meadows, farm lands, hills and the riparian forests near the Duran River. As we reach the summit of the hill, we find a wonderful viewpoint. Despite the fact that it is not very high, it is located in the middle of the plain of la Cerdanya. Because of that it offers us the best views of the valley, the Segre River and the high mountains that surround the area. It is also a great point for birdwatching. We can begin the route in Olopte or Isòvol.
We recommend you to visit the Romanesque churches of the two villages.
Time: 2.5 hours
Length: 7 km
300m altitude gain
- Walk of Quadres Hermitage and Segre River
That is a wonderful circular route which follows the Saint James Path for a while, between meadows and farm lands, along the Segre River and its lush vegetation. We pass the suspension bridge (Palanca), where we can cross to the other side of the river, as well as the beautiful Quadres Hermitage from the 12th Century, from which we can start the route. It is also possible to make only half of the route, a shorter circular walk.
There is the possibility to start the walk in the village of All, where we can visit its nice Romanesque church. It is a perfect cycling route.
Time: 2 hours
Length: 5.5 km
13m altitude gain
- Walk of the Mill of Olopte
That is a nice easy circular route, perfect to enjoy the riparian forests of the Duran River. The path crosses a quite area of unspoiled nature. In the past, it was used to communicate the villages of Éller and Olopte as well as to reach the mill of the latest. It is especially beautiful in summer because it is a lush and shaded path by the river. The route starts in Olopte’s main square. We can also make it longer and reach the nice old village of Éller.
Time: 2 hours
Length: 3.5 km
100m altitude gain
Download PDF: triptic_Isovol_ENGL
