The 10 best sections of the Trans-Pyrenees by motorcycle

La Seu d'Urgell is a stopover for many motorcyclists from all over Spain on their way to Andorra, whose border crossing is located no more than 20 km away. It's well known that the capital of this small principality, Andorra la Vella, offers a wide range of all kinds of motorcycle and motorcyclist equipment at affordable prices. Apart from that, the place offers very little of interest.

La Seu is often overlooked, but this dilapidated-looking Pyrenean city has corners of undeniable charm and is well worth a stop, if only to take a look at the Cathedral (La Seu means just that, the Cathedral).

We leave La Seu on the N-260, heading towards Lleida, to continue through Adrall, 8 km further, and then towards the road that leads to Vielha via the Sort road and the Bonaigua mountain pass. The route runs through deep, elongated valleys that occupy the narrow spaces where the rivers flow, and through the heights that separate one valley from another. The 53 km between La Seu d'Urgell and Sort are very winding, but the road is not too narrow. We are in the heart of the Catalan Pyrenees.

The climb to Pallerols is made through a dense grove and beautiful views towards the valley of the Segre River, but the rest of the route to the Cantó pass (1,600 m) and the descent, practically to Sort, runs through a barren landscape, a sensation that is produced by being devoid of trees.

Sort is a small town of stone houses with slate roofs arranged around a church. Like many other towns, it has restaurants and accommodations, reflecting the intense tourist demand in the valley. From this point, the mountainous mass steepens considerably. The trail follows the winding course of the Noguera Pallaresa, hemmed in by the formidable rock faces that rise on either side, forming a steep, sawtooth profile. The scenic stretch is spectacularly beautiful.

From Sort to the junction for Espot, the eastern entrance to Aigüestortes National Park, the road barely climbs slightly, is in good condition, and has a pleasantly winding layout. This is a stretch suitable for leisurely driving. From the junction to Espot, the road climbs steeply and becomes more winding, although it is not in poor condition. The climb offers wonderful views over the valley and allows you to appreciate its depth.

Espot is a well-equipped village, serving as the last base for those wishing to venture into the Aigüestortes National Park and reach the Sant Maurici lake. There is an information office in this same town. Be careful! To enter the park with a motorcycle, you must either get up early, as only the first 175 vehicles are allowed in, or arrive after 6 p.m., when access is free.

Returning to the valley, you soon reach Esterri d'Àneu (6 km), already on the ascent towards the Bonaigua Pass. You pass València d'Àneu , a small hamlet with a charming church with a bell tower topped by a sharp slate spire. Nearby is Mata de València, a large forest of fir trees.

The ascent to the Bonaigua Pass (2,072 m) has a devilish layout, twists, turns, and more twists, over a surface that bears witness to harsh winters. It crosses densely wooded stretches and the imposing heights of the Central Pyrenees, covered in eternal snow (Moredo Peak, 2,760 m), are constantly in view. The descent from the pass presents more or less the same characteristics, that is, a serpentine path, sometimes in poor condition.

At the top of the pass, there are no services of any kind, no gas station, no cafe, nothing of the sort. It is a solitude made up of vast meadows that remain green when not covered in snow and where wild horses graze. About 5 km before Baqueira , the road widens and conditions improve noticeably. Baqueira is the reception center for many skiers who, during the season, use the nearby Baqueira Beret slopes. Virtually all the buildings are hotels, inns, restaurants, shops, etc.

A little further on, on the other bank of the Garonne, is the small spa town of Arties . We find ourselves in the Aran Valley (la val d'Aran). Its climate and location, and the history that has ensued, have given it a very pronounced personality, evident both in its landscape, with its vast alpine meadows and beech and fir forests of extraordinary proportions, as well as in its traditional architecture and the Aranese language (which is not a variant of Catalan, as one might think, but of Occitan), a linguistic relic that still remains alive.

The capital of the Val d'Aran is Vielha (974 m), at the apex of the two depressions that make up the valley. Its location holds great appeal, much more so than the city itself. Visited by thousands of French people, who are joined, depending on the season, by skiers or vacationers, it's a place brimming with supermarkets, all kinds of shops, restaurants, and other services. Only for those who like a hustle and bustle.

Source: Anayatouring.com

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