LA VALL DE RIBES
Nowadays, the Vall de Ribes holds a prominent position as a mountain
tourist destination all year round. In the valley, you will find
all the facilities of a tourist area but will not have to suffer
from the overcrowding of other resorts.
At the Vall de Ribes you will enjoy a wonderful
landscape, a country area that wraps up and pervades everything
with an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity, the direct contact
with nature, mountains within easy reach and woods close by, and
quality of life.
At the Vall de Ribes you will be able to discover
the nobility and the way of understanding life and territory of
a farming and cattle-raising past, routed in the soil and the
people, still present nowadays.
A cool and pleasant summer climate, the beauty
of its surroundings, the streams of mining water and the great
skiing facilities nearby have made of this town, as far back as
the beginning of the twentieth century, a privileged summer and
mountain-tourist resort.
At the Vall de Ribes you will be able to enjoy
nature all year round. The valley offers the possibility of practising
a wide variety of relaxing activities: walking across the valley
and discovering its many springs; enjoying the sight of the wide
and varied shades of colours that every season brings out; walking
up to one of the many meadows of the valley; gazing at a star-spangled
night sky or visiting one of the Romanesque churches.
At the same time, Ribes is the door to many Pyrenean
valleys that offer a wide range of possibilities for mountain
sports: hiking, climbing, potholing, riding mountain bikes, horse-riding,
archery and, particularly, skiing.
During the winter, and due to its ideal location,
the Vall de Ribes has always been a point of reference both for
ski mountaineering as for downhill ski, in the skiing resorts
of Núria, La Molina or Masella.
Either on foot from Ribes or approaching by car
and continuing on foot, there are many walks and excursions that
will enable you to explore the flora, the fauna and the landscape
of the Vall de Ribes.
Although all these excursions have their own special
charm, we would like to highlight the ascent to the peak of the
Taga (2038m) - the most emblematic mountain of Ribes- , the peak
of the Puigmal, the old path from Queralbs to Núria, Fontalba,
and the “ Collet de les Barraques ”. The
short stroll that takes you up to the Sant Antoni Chapel (1271m)
is a must. There, you will enjoy a magnificent panoramic view
with Pardines to the East, the peak of the Taga and the village
of Bruguera right in front; the mountains of the Vall de Núria
to the North, with the outstanding peak of the Puigmal; and the
Collada de Toses and the foothills of La Molina to the West, with
the neighbourhoods and villages of the Vall de Ribes in the foreground.
From this point you can also enjoy the view of the village of
Ribes and the Roca de la Creu at the foot of the mountain.The
Vall de Ribes is also a very attractive place for hunting-lovers
and particularly, for fishing enthusiasts.
The waters of the valley's rivers preserve the
variety of trout native to the area which is genetically the purest
one of the European continent. For this reason, it is nowadays
an area of Genetic Reserve.
The Vall de Ribes is also abundant in a great variety
of forest fruits. In springtime you can find the seasonal wild
mushrooms from the woods (" correjoles ”, ” murgules
” or “ muixernons ”). In summertime, bush berries
such as strawberries, raspberries and sloes; in September, blackberries;
and in Autumn the seasonal much prized wild mushrooms, such as
“ ceps ”, “ fredolics ”, and particularly,
the fleshy wood mushroom, the “ rovellons ”.
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LA VALL DE NÚRIA
The Vall de Núria is the highest mountainous spot of the
Vall de Ribes. Located at 2,000 metres above sea level and surrounded
by the impressive peaks of Puigmal, Finestrelles, Noufonts and Noucreus,
almost 3,000 metres high, it is an ideal starting-point for a great
number of excursions and the ideal place for practising ski mountaineering.
The Vall de Núria is a beautiful valley
hidden amid the mountains. It is an oasis of peace and nature,
steeped in history and imbued in tradition, a site where you can
practise a wide range of activities related with nature, snow
and high-mountain.
The only mechanical way to get to the Vall
de Núria is a cog railway, which winches up its way for
12,5 km. in a steep ascent of 1,000 metres, unfolding a breath-taking
sight of impressive beauty, a foretaste of the spectacular and
peaceful natural site you will find at the end of the line.
The Vall de Núria offers the possibility
of practising a great variety of different activities.
The cog-railway ticket price includes free use
of the cable car and free access to indoors activities such as
the exhibitions on Shepherds and their Paths and Nature, visiting
the Centre for Environmental Interpretation, watching the documentaries
on Núria on show at the auditorium or visiting the exhibition
on the history of Núria at the church.
There are many other different activities which
range, depending on the season, from guided trips, to outings
on horseback, climbing to the peaks, archery circuits, snowshoe
outings, sledding down the slopes, hiring a boat, making igloos,
children playground areas, snow park and miniature golf, to name
but a few.
In addition, we must not forget the religious side
of the Vall de Núria. This secluded valley is an ideal
place for spiritual withdrawal. The visit to the Sanctuary and
the Saint Gil chapel is a must, as is also contemplating the legacy
of a Virgin Mary that has been venerated for more than a thousand
years, or following some of the ancestral traditions of the place,
such as sticking your head inside the pot to obtain the so longed
fertility or making the bell ring to cure a headache.
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