The autonomous community of Catalonia - which is roughly equivalent to a federal state - is located in north-east Spain and borders Andorra and France. The national flag is yellow and red striped and the capital is Barcelona. Similar to the Basque Country, Catalonia is striving for independence from Spain. The starting point for our tours is the small town of Berga, which lies on the southern edge of the Pyrenees in the Berguedà region. Compared to the nearby Mediterranean coast, tourism in the Catalan Pyrenees is much less developed. Without a basic knowledge of Spanish, it is almost impossible to communicate there. Catalan is the second official language alongside Spanish.
You can find the entire article with these tours including the GPS data in the download area below:
- Tour 1: Serra del CadÍ (116 kilometres, 2,600 metres altitude max. 8 % gradient
- Tour 2: Steep double pass (80 kilometres, 2,150 metres in altitude, max. 20 % gradient)
- Tour 3: Quiet paths (81 kilometres, 1,800 metres in altitude, max. 14 % gradient)
- Tour 4: View to France (82 kilometres, 1,640 metres in altitude, max. 8 % gradient)
The Berguedà region is a true Eldorado of mountain passes, although hardly anyone apart from the locals knows about it. This is why traffic is very limited compared to the Pyrenean passes on the French side. At best, those who follow the Vuelta a España may recognise the names of individual climbs. The tarmac is usually of surprisingly good quality. The area we visited stretches from the pre-Pyrenees to the main ridge on the French border. Most of the pass summits are between 1,000 and 2,000 metres, many of them peppered with up to 20 percent steep ramps - appropriate gearing is a must. A little adventurous spirit can't hurt either: The signposting is not very reliable, the road maps are inaccurate and even the otherwise reliable Michelin map is missing some connections completely (for example to the Coll de Pradell). Our recommendation A GPS device on which you can download the very detailed and free Open Street Map. It's also important to pack food and drink, as places with restaurants or grocery shops are few and far between in the mountains.
