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Home Experiences Walking routes Àssua Valley from Sort

NOVEL PLACES IN THE ÀSSUA VALLEY FROM SORT

A very complete, deep and fascinating excursion that takes us into the Àssua Valley, following the old bridle paths that connected the small villages of Batlliu de Sort and the Àssua Valley with the rest of Catalonia. We start the route in Sort, the capital of Pallars Sobirà, and climb up to the village of Olp. Then we flank the mountain through a wooded area to the village of Altron, go down to the old Mola de Sall, where we cross the river Pamano, and climb up to the picturesque Sorre and Llessuí. We continue to Saurí, where we cross the Pamano river again. A few loops through the shady side of the mountain take us to the Trases pass, from where we start a long descent to the Bordes d'Olp, the panoramic village of Pujalt and, finally, to Sort.
 
If you want to discover the essence of Pallars Sobirà, its agricultural and livestock farming past and the architecture of its small mountain villages, this route is not to be missed. Despite being a physically demanding excursion - due to the distance and the slope - it offers several attractions: we enjoy fantastic views of the Monteixo, the Montsent de Pallars and the Torreta de l'Orri, we walk along beautiful historical paths - some of them recently recovered - and we discover what life was like in these areas not so many years ago.
 
THE BEST OF THE ROUTE
- The magic of the Àssua Valley!
- The views of the Monteixo, the Montsent de Pallars and the Torreta de l'Orri.
- Refresh yourself in the springs of the Batlliu de Sort and the Àssua Valley.
- Discover the impressive network of paths that linked these villages in Pallars before the existence of cars.
- Observe fallow deer in the wild.
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ROUTE DESCRIPTION

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Difficulty: Remarkable
Departure/arrival: Hotel Les Brases sort-sort
Total time: 7:50 a.m.
Minimum altitude: 692
Maximum altitude: 1452m
Accumulated slope: 1265 m
Total distance: 30km
Nearest town: Sort
Accumulated slope: 1265 m

MORE INFORMATION

 
- Duration: Full day.
 
- Total effective time (without stops): 7:50h in total: 3:45h from the starting point to Llessuí and 4:05h to return from this village to Sort via the Trases pass, the Bordes de Olp and Pujalt.
 
- Total difference in altitude: 1.265m
 
- Difficulty: Remarkable. The route does not present any technical difficulties but the physical demands of the route are very high: the distance and the difference in altitude to be overcome are very considerable. Care must be taken on the stretch from the Bodoluixos ravine to the Trases pass, where the path is not defined (there is only a trace of a path, but it is soon lost). This route is not suitable for people with no mountain experience.
 
- Season: All year round. In winter it is necessary to get up early to make the most of the daylight hours.
 
- Equipment: As there is a good chance of seeing large and small birds of prey (griffon vulture, golden eagle, black and red kite, peregrine falcon...) and mammals such as fallow deer or roe deer, it is advisable to carry binoculars in your rucksack.
 
- Cartography: High Pyrenees Natural Park. 1: 50.000. Editorial Alpina.
 
- Observations: In winter the shady areas are usually frozen almost all day long. During the route we pass through a large number of detours and there are frequent changes of path. There is also a stretch of the route without a defined path. For these reasons it is necessary to pay close attention to orientation and to know how to interpret a map and/or a GPS device.
 
- How to get there by car:
The starting point of the excursion is at the Hotel Restaurant Las Brases de Sort. We arrive in Sort on the C-13 road. The Hotel Les Brases is located on the C-13 road, just at the north exit of the town. In front of the hotel there is a free parking space.

STEP 1

We start the route in front of the Hotel Les Brases de Sort (0:00 - 692m). We border the hotel and we are located in Doctor Carlos Pol y Aleu street.
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STEP 2

We skirt Les Brases on the left and we find ourselves in the street behind the hotel.
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STEP 3

We continue along this street in a northerly direction until we find a street that goes uphill to our left.
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STEP 4

We take another path uphill (NO) and immediately come to a fork. A vertical sign indicates the starting point of the itinerary through Batlliu de Sort, which we will follow during the first section of the stage. We take this path and begin to climb in the direction of Olp.
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STEP 5

Starting point of the itinerary through Batlliu de Sort.
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STEP 6

We leave the detour to the Borda de Badiot and we head up this beautiful path that has connected Sort with the towns of Enviny, Pujalt, Olp and Bressui since medieval times.
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STEP 7

The trail quickly gains altitude between the remains of old dry stone walls, leaving behind several meadows and farm fields.
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STEP 8

After a flank with good views towards Sort, we come to a crossroads. We turn right towards Olp.
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STEP 9

Stone wall.
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STEP 10

Shelter of shepherds.
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STEP 11

Small flank, with panoramic views.
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STEP 12

We continue forward until the crossroads.
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STEP 13

We come to a crossroads and continue to the right.
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STEP 14

Metallic vertical signage.
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STEP 15

Views.
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STEP 16

During much of the route we will alternate between vertical signs, yellow paint marks and, at some points, metal plates. Between oaks and hackberries we soon come out onto a paved track (0:30 - 850m).
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STEP 17

We continue in the direction of Olp.
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STEP 18

We follow the track to the right (N) until, after a few minutes, we take a path that goes to the left (NW). We continue uphill passing next to the gloomy fountain of the Lleres ravine, a haven where we can cool off in the hot months.
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STEP 19

We leave the paved track and take a path that goes to the left.
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STEP 20

Views of the pyramidal top of Monteixo.
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STEP 21

We continue to the gloomy source of the Les Lleres ravine.
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STEP 22

Source of the ravine of Les Lleres.
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STEP 23

Dry stone wall, meadows and nucleus of Olp.
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STEP 24

We are almost at OLP.
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STEP 25

Entrance street to OLP.
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STEP 26

Small orchards near Olp.
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STEP 27

Statuette in Olp.
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STEP 28

Balcony with flowers in Olp.
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STEP 29

We are in front of the church of the Virgen de la Candelaria. The nucleus of Olp (1:15h - 1,095m) is divided into two different parts, a lower one (where we are now) and an upper one, located above a cliff. This upper sector is known as La Força, which is due to the former presence of a fortification.
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STEP 30

We leave the Batlliu de Sort itinerary here and continue our route along the LV-5224 road, heading NE. We take the first detour to the left, in the direction of Pujalt.
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STEP 31

We follow a piece of paved road.
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STEP 32

We continue 1 km along this road in the direction of the hermitage of Sant Josep de Olp.
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STEP 33

This next section offers us very beautiful views of the entire valley: the pyramidal top of Monteixo stands out in the background and, closer, the hill of the Sierra de Sant Josep, where the hermitage of Sant Josep de Olp is located.
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STEP 34

We take the detour to the left.
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STEP 35

We soon come to a fork: the path to the right would take us to the hermitage (0:15 a.m. there and back).
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STEP 36

Hermitage of Sant Josep de Olp, on top of a hill.
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STEP 37

We continue straight in the direction of Altron, while following the mountain through a flat and very pleasant terrain. We must be attentive to the metallic yarns for the cattle, since in these pastures they are usually electrified. A short section of descent takes us to the LV-5223 road (2:15 - 958m).
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STEP 38

We rule out reaching Altron via the paved road and cross the road to the right. On the other side is the small chapel of the Virgin of Montserrat and the path that we will follow.
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STEP 39

It doesn't take long to reach a new fork, we continue along the path to the left and climb a few meters to the picturesque center of Altron (2:30 - 955m).
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STEP 40

Narrow entrance street in Altron.
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STEP 41

Sant Serni in the middle of Altron.
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STEP 42

Altron Plaza Mayor.
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STEP 43

Narrow Altron Street.
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STEP 44

After admiring the Plaza Mayor and the church of Sant Serni, we return to the last fork. We now take the path that goes down to the bottom of the valley and cross the Pamano River, the backbone of the Àssua Valley. This river became famous thanks to the novel Las vozes del Pamano, by Jaume Cabré, which has been translated into more than twelve languages. The story of the book takes place in Torena, a fictional town located in the Àssua Valley.
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STEP 45

We cross the Pamano River.
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STEP 46

Just after crossing the river we come to a plan with a picnic table. If we took the path to the right (E), after two minutes we would arrive at Mola de Sall, a small hydraulic power station that was in operation until the 1960s. The mini-power station was built in 1924 by the promoters Joaquim Moner de Altron and Josep Bertran de Surp, and allowed lighting the surrounding towns (Sorre, Caregue, Escaso, Rodés and Altron). In 1967 Altron was connected to the high voltage electrical network and Mola de Sall stopped operating.
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STEP 47

From the plain of the picnic area we begin the ascent towards Sorre, which combines the detours of a wide path with a narrow path that makes a shortcut.
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STEP 48

In the middle of mown meadows and pastures we arrive at Sorre (3:15 - 1,073m). We pass under an arch, leave the church of Santa Llúcia and come out onto the LV-5223 road, which we take to the right (NW).
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STEP 49

Santa Lucia de Sorre.
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STEP 50

Old car in Santa Lucia de Sorre.
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STEP 51

Street of Santa Lucia de Sorre.
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STEP 52

Street of Santa Lucia de Sorre.
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STEP 53

We leave Sorre and turn right onto the LV-5223 road.
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STEP 54

We walk a few meters along the road until we take a path that goes to the left and goes straight up. We entered the area of the Bernui plains, an open terrain where it is very easy to see a red kite flying, very easy to identify by its forked tail. We now follow the so-called Santa Llúcia path -also known as the Old Path from Llessuí to Sorre-.
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STEP 55

We pass by the small chapel of Sant Jaume and, a few meters further up, we come out onto the road again, which makes a rather sharp curve here.
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STEP 56

The small chapel of Sant Jaume.
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STEP 57

We cross the road and continue along the path that runs parallel to the paved road. We soon reach the neighborhood of Torre, cross a large paved esplanade and arrive at Llessuí (3:45 - 1,393m). If we have time, it is highly recommended to explore the alleys of the town and admire the robust bell tower of the church of Sant Pere.
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STEP 58

Once past the cemetery, from the same road, we take a path that goes to the left in the direction of Saurí (signposted).
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STEP 59

This path passes near some orchards and makes a shortcut avoiding the loops of the road. If we stop for a moment in the middle of the descent, we will see, on the other side of the valley, the access to our great objective of the day: the lonely Trases pass. If we follow the ridge that descends from Cerro de la Cometa (SW) with our eyes, we can intuit this mountain pass that is half covered by the hill that we will have to flank. We continue down the path, crossing the road a couple of times and entering the picturesque town of Saurí (4:00 - 1,226m).
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STEP 60

We arrived at Sauri.
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STEP 61

Beautiful arcaded laundry room, in the town square.
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STEP 62

We descend towards the bottom of the valley.
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STEP 63

We go down to the bottom of the valley and come out onto a track, which we take to the right (W). We advance along the Pamano river side and cross it by the Rions bridge.
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STEP 64

Already on the other side of the river we come to a detour, we take the path to the right, in the direction of Bordes de Olp and Olp (signposted).
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STEP 65

A path that goes to the right avoids the loops of the track and brings us closer to the Francesca hut and, further up, to the Botiguer hut. We follow the shade of the Bodoluixos ravine and arrive at some meadows where the path ends.
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STEP 66

We are before the ridge of the Sierra de Trases, where we must continue to the left until the end of the meadow. Just where the meadow ends, we see a small path trail (trodden grass), which we have to follow for a while.
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STEP 67

We come to a point where the road definitely ends. We have to go flanking the mountain (SW) and gaining altitude. When we finish the flanking we see, the S, a single pass between two hills. We direct our steps towards this hill, tracing a diagonal and avoiding going up the middle of the ravine without deviating too much to the right. Gradually the relief softens. We pass some lines for cattle and reach the Trases pass (5:15 - 1,452m).
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STEP 68

Views of the Assua Valley.
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STEP 69

Views of the Assua Valley.
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STEP 70

We soon come out onto a track, which we continue to descend until we reach the road from Olp to Pujalt (6:20 - 1,169m).
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STEP 71

We arrived at the road from Olp to Pujalt.
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STEP 72

The trail goes down to the bottom of the Estanyalga ravine. We see some information panels that explain the different varieties of butterfly that inhabit this area. We are arriving at Pujalt, the town where the Butterfly Museum of Catalonia is located. We must pay attention to the orientation: the path goes up a few meters through the ravine, which is almost always muddy. Immediately, half camouflaged by the vegetation, there is a path on the left that goes up to Pujalt. There is a metal fence for the cattle that we will have to get around as best we can, since there is no electric fence.
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STEP 73

We take the road to the right (S) and follow it for about 750m until we reach a detour (left). This is the point where we connect with the Batlliu de Sort itinerary.
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STEP 74

We continue the route along an obvious path towards Olp (E). If the day is clear we will perfectly see the Torreta de l'Orri in front of us.
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STEP 75

We advance through flat and open terrain in a S-SW direction and begin the descent. A little further down we can already see some scattered constructions. We soon reached Bordes de Olp (5:35 - 1,457m).
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STEP 76

Meadows to the S from Collada de Trases.
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STEP 77

We continue down the main street. We pass a watering hole and turn right down a seemingly dead-end street.
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STEP 78

Once over, we follow this beautiful trail until we reach Pujalt (6:50 - 1,162m).
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STEP 79

We come to a point where the Olp path continues to the left. If we look closely, to the right there is an undefined path (SE), which we take. A repeater installed about 200m below serves as a reference point.
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STEP 80

If we look closely, at the end of this street there is a narrow passage that goes to the left.
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STEP 81

We go through this passage and go down to the town's laundries. From this point the Camino Viejo (Old Way) that connects Pujalt with Sort (signposted) starts.
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STEP 82

We pay attention to the indications and begin a very pleasant descent in the direction of Sort. We pass by the Rossinyol fountain and continue down the Sant Pere coast.
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STEP 83

Information panel.
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STEP 84

We pass by an old lime kiln and, further on, we pass a quarry on the left.
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STEP 85

Old lime oven.
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STEP 86

Address Sort.
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STEP 87

We approach Sort.
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STEP 88

We leave the forest and, walking through beautiful meadows, we reach the first houses of Sort. We cross the old quarter of the town and arrive at the Hotel Les Brases (7:50 - 692m), the end point of this fantastic route.
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