We will start this 12.3 km route with 500 m in elevation gain at Funicamp Tourist Office in Encamp. Despite not being particularly steep or overly technical, this route does has some technical sections and short stretches where you’ll have to get off the bike, hence its level of difficulty (red/difficult).

We start by heading towards Canillo, following the CG-2 main road until the roundabout in Meritxell, where we turn off onto the CS-230, which takes us to the Basilica Sanctuary of Meritxell. The road passes right in front of the Basilica Sanctuary of the Virgin of Meritxell, the patron saint of the Principality. A fire destroyed the old hermitage in 1972 and the sanctuary was rebuilt by Catalan architect Ricardo Bofill, whose impressive recreation of the original Romanesque style became one of the country’s main points of interest and a stop along the Marian Route, a pilgrimage trail that crosses the Pyrenees.

Once we have finished our visit, we begin to tackle the short but steep climb to Prats. From here we join up with the Camí del Canal, a spectacular path with some technical sections and some parts where we will have to get off and push. They are only short, but it must be mentioned in advance to avoid any nasty surprises... Even so, there is little elevation gain or loss along this stretch.

This path will take us to the Cortals road (CS-230). A few metres from the start of the descent is Les Pardines car park, where you can join up with Camí de les Pardines, a family-friendly path that leads to Lake Engolasters.

Our route continues along the Cortals road (CS-230) until we reach the roundabout, where Funicamp Tourist Office is located. This marks the end of the route. Given the winding nature of this mountain road, we recommend that you pay full attention and concentrate during the descent to avoid any incident.

This route takes 2 hours to complete. Suitable for mountain bikes and e-bikes.

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