Go beyond sun, sand and sea with an action-packed break in Catalonia
From mountain biking to white water rafting, with important breaks for wine and cheese
IF, like me, your idea of a holiday is relaxing on a sun lounger under a cloudless sky, a drink in one hand and a novel in the other, then the thought of five days of outdoor activities in Spain might not sound that appealing.
Even the promised visits to a winery, cheese maker, and other culinary specialists didn't sound like they could offset all the hard work.
But I came away from five strenuous days in Catalonia having loved every minute and just as relaxed as if I’d been sprawled on a beach.
Catalonia has long been a popular destination for Brits. A package holiday pioneer, it was on the Costa Brava that we first flirted with paella - and felt the aftermath of too much sangria.
Now more experienced and hopefully more worldly wise, we can apprecite the best of Spain in this small but varied region, either on the table or in the great outdoors.
We were initially based in the Val d’Aran, at the modern and spacious Vilagaros Hotel. It was very welcoming, and boasts a swimming pool and an excellent restaurant.
But there was no time to enjoy that - we were straight into the mountains on our bikes.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Catalonia won this year’s European Region of Gastronomy – and after a tour of northern Spain’s restaurants, I can see why.
The Hotel Vilagaros has an elegant dining room and its menu offers a wide variety of up-market choices.
Dinner at the Montgarri Hut, organised by Kabi Travels, was a particular highlight for me. Sitting outdoors, in an abandoned village in the mountains, I was treated to a rustic meal of crusty bread topped with garlic and tomatoes followed by thick, juicy steak cooked over a fire in front of us.
Restaurant Juquim is a perfect spot for lunch after a morning’s ramble through the national park. You can take in the views through its floor-to-ceiling windows as you tuck into cured meats and traditional cuisine. Expect to pay around £15 for a good meal in a local restaurant.
And the Hotel Port d’ Àger, after a day of kayaking and hiking in the Mont-Rebei Gorge, is ideally located for some tasty, filling meals on a purse-string.
Dishes are undeniably Spanish, with a strong emphasis on locally-reared meat and fresh vegetables, but with an influence from their French neighbours, especially in their cheese-production.
On that note, be sure to squeeze a visit in to the family-run cheese factory, ; tours are £4.
And if wine is more your thing, the vineyards has the biggest selection of reds and whites, set in beautiful surroundings. The smart restaurant offers a mouth-wateringly good menu at reasonable prices. Tours from £4.
The Val d’Aran is 240 square miles of outstanding natural beauty on the north side of the Pyrenees - a natural border between Spain and France.
The cycling was tough, especially for a novice like me, but there’s very little more rewarding than cresting some of the peaks that feature in the Tour de France, even if I did come off on the way down and sustain a few bumps.
Even that didn’t put me off venturing into the mountains the next day; the good people at Kabi Travels made sure of it.
They were our outdoor guides and today would show us the the Aigüestortes National Park, one of the wilder areas of the Pyrenees.
Contrasting with the densely wooded hills and serenity of Sant Maurici Lake are the rapids of the Noguera Pallaresa River, an exhilarating spot for white water rafting.
We paddled for our lives as we spun through whirlpools and raced through its strong currents, arriving tired but happy at the basic but comfortable Hotel Florido in Lleida.
From the Florido, we headed the next morning to Corça, straight out onto a speedboat to the edge of the Mont-Rebei Gorge.
As we approached the Gorge, horsepower gave way to manpower, as entering the nature reserve required the use of paddles so we did not disturb any local wildlife.
Pack your hiking boots for this because, after getting off the boat, there is a hike along a spectacular gorge, formed by the path of the Noguera Ribagorçana River, which cuts a swathe through the Montsec mountains.
At times, we were walking on a path little more than a few metres wide with a 300-metre drop next to us; heart stopping at times, but unlike anything I done before.
And as if this exposure to heights wasn’t enough, paragliding is an option for the afternoon.
High winds prevented us from taking flight, so it was kayaking on the Noguera Ribagorçana instead.
The steep sides of the gorge give way to a river that felt as placid and wide as a lake - a peaceful end to a frenetic day.
The night provided perhaps my personal highlight of the trip, a visit to the Montsec Astronomical Park, a Unesco-affiliated member of the Starlight Initiative, designed to increase the availability of star gazing to tourists.
Reclining in comfortable leather seats, we were treated to a lesson on the benefits of astronomy to our everyday lives, before the ceiling of the building, constructed like a planetarium with a round, curved roof, is adorned with the location of all the stars and planets we would be able to see from where we were.
Then the roof was peeled back and the gaping night sky was above us, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn visible to the naked eye among a smattering of stars.
It was astonishing and the clearness of the sky and the elevated location afforded me a view of space I had never enjoyed before.
My time in Catalonia was a revelation. It’s a beautiful place, hugely welcoming and full of exciting ways to spend your time.
A trip like this might not be my standard idea of a holiday, but it’s certainly opened my eyes to the world beyond sun loungers.
GO: Catalonia, Northeastern Spain
GETTING THERE: return flights to Barcelona are from £80 with or
STAYING THERE: B&B at the 4* in the Aran Valley or the 2* in Lleida is from around £62. The 2* in the Ager Valley is from around £70.
OUT AND ABOUT: guided cycling with is from £130; other tours are available.
White water rafting is from £37 with
have kayaking or high speed boating from £16. Entry to the .