Spain, so near...
Close to the Vallée du Louron, Spain offers a remarkable change of scenery within 1 hour drive in favourable conditions
Two destinations are available, Val d’Aran to the east passing via Luchon, and the Vallée du Sobrarbe in Aragon to the west via St Lary and the Aragnouet/Bielsa tunnel.
Le Sobrarbe
At the exit of the Aragnouet/Bielsa tunnel is the Vallée du Sobrarbe an ancient kingdom and cradle of Aragon. Its high mountains of more than 3000m: Mont Perdido, Tres Sorores, Marboré, Posets, Soum de Ramond, and those of 2000m: Tendeñera, Cotiella, Ordesa or Sierra Marques – are always difficult to access from the north, so difficult that even the Romans decided not to build a road there
In this region one finds the Ordesa and Mont Perdida National Park, of which
the central peak, Mont Perdu reaches 3355metres, the highest peak in the area protected by the four valleys which rest at its feet – Ordesa to the west, Añisclo, Escuain to the south and Pineta to the east. In the area of the National Park are several villages and small towns whose traditional architecture has been conserved, as well as churches, domains, country houses and mountain dwellings.
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The Parc d’ Ordesa, and particularly in the south at Sierra de Guara, is considered to be the “mecca” for canyoning and numerous professionals offer courses to discover this spectacular sport in breathtaking countryside. The Sierra de Guara contains some magnificently restored villages in all their glory – such as Alquezar and Rodellar.
The Sobrarbe also has the beautiful medieval village of Ainsa with its hilltop quarter built on the ramparts that dominates the Vallée de Ciuca. The beauty of the Plaza Mayar and of the parish church of Santa Maria a roman temple, as are all those of Sobrarbe, with a spectacular tower must be emphasised. Finally to the south, one finds the town Barbastro and the vineyards of Samontono, at the end of the plain of Ebre..
Above Ainsa, the Peña Montañesa not remarkable for its height but for its silhouette which is visible from all the villages in the region, is impressive and is particularly typical of the countryside of the Sobrarbe.
One also finds the Vallée de Christian, with special traditional architecture that has been perfectly conserved, beside the Biados at the base of the valley. It is a very beautiful part of the Pyrenees, encircled by significant summits, notably the Cotiella and especially the Posets at 3375m the second highest peak in the Pyrenees.
Sobrarbe
Le Val d'Aran
In the Lerida province lies the Val d’Aran, the only valley of Atlantic character in Spain. It is here, set in the plain of Beret that the sources of the Garonne and Noquera Pallaresa rivers are formed.
It is a valley enclosed by summits of more than 3000m and containing more than 200 lakes. Some, like the Mar and the Tort de Riu are the largest Spanish pyreneen lakes. Their large woodlands are comprised of pines, fir trees and beech trees.
The Val d’Aran conserves a rich artistic and cultural heritage. It has many churches; Solardû, Arties, Vielha and Bossost among others. Beautiful roman sculptures and works of art dating from the 12th and 13th centuries form a significant artistic heritage.
With a single architectural style, the villages of the Val d’Aran are built in stone, slate and wood differing from roman or gothic styles.
A unique characteristic of the area is its language: aramais. This is a living language spoken by the people of the country. It contains parts of Occitan and is a variant of the Gascon language of Comminges, and as such retains its true personality.
Within the Val d’Aran is the Baquira Beret, the ski station of the king of Spain particularly favoured by the Spanish “jet set”.