The route
A very demanding route due to the steep gradient in a few kilometers and the altitude where we will cycle for much of the circuit. At Pas dels Lladres, on the border with France, we will enjoy spectacular views of the Puigmal peak and the surrounding valleys. Remember you are in a grazing area. During the tour you may find yarn for livestock. For a good coexistence with farmers and all those who live in nature, remember to close the yarns after passing.
We will start the circuit in the Plaça 1 d’Octubre, in front of the Bar Casino. With the first few meters through the streets of the village until you take the Camino de Planés, a small town from which we will cross the N-260 with caution. After a first cemented ramp, we will start an entertaining stretch of path, following the GR, to the small town of Dòrria, which at 1500m altitude is one of the highest inhabited areas in Catalonia. We will leave the houses behind by a wide and comfortable track that we will follow for about two kilometers, where when we reach a crossroads we will make a turn to the right, and again by track but more broken and with more slope it will take us to Coll Marcer, where we will overcome the elevation 2000, after passing through the Coll de la Creu de Maians and the forest of the same name.
In Coll Marcer we will make a sharp turn to the right, where we will follow a long stretch of ridge along a fairly broken path with steep sections, which together with the height where we are, will make the march slow and give us no respir. This whole ridge sector, completely sunny, is bordered by France, and will lead us to crown the highest point of the circuit, the Pas dels Lladres, at 2530m, wide pass that separates the rounded peak of Puig de Dòrria and Tossal dels Lladres.
From the pass we will start the technical descent, along a narrow alpine path that will force us to control the speed at all times. Always on a well-paved path, and later on stretches of meadow, we will enter again in a wooded area, to reach the Collet de les Barraques, where the road ends that from Planoles, and in only 9km, saves an ascent of 800m, an authentic first class port.
We will make a short paved section until we find the GR path, to the left of the walk, which will take us back to the starting point. With a steep slope and technical sections, we must have all the senses on alert to take the right track at all times. After the Can Fosses campsite we will have left behind the whole technical sector, and we will only have to get back to the N-260, where we will take all possible cautions to cross it, and through a wide area of stairs we will reach the cobbled streets of the nucleus that will return us to the Plaça 1 d’Octubre.