Circle track El Pont de Suert

El Pont de Suert is the main town in the municipality of Alta Ribagorca in the Alt Pirineu region and is located at an altitude of around 800 metres on the banks of the Noguera Ribagorcana river. The border with Aragon is not far away, and a Catalan dialect is spoken in El Pont. The town was founded in the High Middle Ages, as evidenced by the buildings in the centre. Many streets and alleys are lined with arcades, which were designed to keep business going even in rainy weather.

From El Pont de Suert, a 14-kilometre-long off-road loop leads up to an altitude of 1,480 metres and back again. Short but tough – that’s how you could describe this tour. It starts with a three-kilometre-long, winding approach on asphalt. Turn left in the town of Sirés, then the gravel begins. Narrow, steep and full of serpentines, a route winds its way up the western flank of the Noguera Ribacorgana, more of a path than a track. The road surface consists of coarse rubble, stones and ruts. You should definitely not venture here with a large four-wheel drive vehicle. And even with a car or a travel enduro, off-road experience is a prerequisite.

The route reaches its high point at 1,480 meters, and then continues slowly downhill, which is still challenging for the driver. A turnoff to the left leads to Bonansa (no, it has nothing to do with the Cartwrights), but we continue straight on and struggle down the slope over coarse rubble and deep ruts. Below Sirés the asphalt begins, which takes us back to the river valley.