Vall de Nuria

Nuria lies at about 1,960 metres in a closed valley of the eastern Pyrenees, and it can only be reached by the cremallera, a rack railway opened in 1931 that climbs from Ribes de Freser through Queralbs and up a gorge, gaining around a thousand metres in twelve kilometres, or on foot by the old pilgrim path. The valley holds a Marian sanctuary, a hotel, a small ski area and a lake, and nothing else; there is no road and no private vehicle access at all. The Virgin of Nuria is a Romanesque wooden image and a Catalan pilgrimage focus, and the 1931 draft of a Catalan statute of autonomy was written here, which gave the valley political weight. Walking routes climb to Puigmal and along the ridge.

History

By legend, Saint Giles came to the valley around 700 and lived here for four years, carving an image of the Virgin that he hid in a cave when he had to flee; a pilgrim named Amadeu began searching for it in 1072, built a small chapel for pilgrims and found it seven years later. The statue itself has been dated to the 12th or 13th century, and it was canonically crowned on 13 July 1967 by decree of Pope Paul VI. In 1931 the sanctuary was where the first Catalan Statute of Autonomy was drafted, and today the same company runs the rack railway and the small ski area, whose pistes were fitted with more snow cannons in 2006 (Wikipedia, Vall de Núria).

What's there

• The rack railway - a 1931 line climbing a thousand metres through a gorge.
• The sanctuary - a Marian shrine with a Romanesque wooden Virgin.
• The roadless valley - a place reachable only by train or on foot.
• The high routes - paths to Puigmal and along the Pyrenean ridge.

When to go

June to September for hiking, when the valley is clear of snow; December to March for the small ski area. The railway runs year-round with reduced service in shoulder seasons and closes for maintenance periods.

What to expect

Everything depends on the railway, which sells out at weekends and holidays and runs to a limited timetable. Accommodation in the valley is a single hotel and a refuge, both booked well ahead. Weather at 1,960 metres changes fast.

Nearby

Queralbs and Ribes de Freser are down the line; the French border and Puigcerda lie north.

Key facts