It isn't exactly the hill walking season here in Andorra, but with unseasonably warm temperatures, sunshine, and receding snowlines on the south facing slopes (still plenty of snow on the ski pistes though) I decided to take a walk up the hillside behind our appartment building. Partly because I have always been curious to have a closer look at the bordes (farm buildings) which perch on the hillside opposite the ski area, and partly because I rarely get the chance to go out walking during the ski season, with being on skis pretty much every day.
For those interested in walking the Andorran mountains, and seeing a quiter side of the country away from the ski areas and tax free shopping, there is a very good Cicerone Guidebook -
The Mountains of Andorra: Walks, Scrambles, Via Ferratas and Treks
which covers the entire country (it is quite a small country so there is plenty of detail). Unfortunately getting a decent map of the area is not so easy, as none published here are very up to date or accurate. The 1:25000 map published by the government stops at the border, with adjacent parts of Spain and France left as white space - looking at it one half expects to see "Here be dragons" scrawled across the edges of the map.
Here are a few photographs to show you a side of Andorra not often seen by visitors to the ski resorts.
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| Les Marades piste (left) and Coma Pedrosa - 2939m (right) |
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| Bordes Del Torner |
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| Bordes de Prats Nous |
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| Pal and Arinsal ski areas |
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| Coma Pedrosa valley with Coll Carnisser in foreground |
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| Bordes de Percanela |
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