Routes Moturisme/Ara Lleida: 10 routes, 10 experiences

From the Diputació de Lleida, in collaboration with the municipalities of all its counties, the agency Moturisme/Ara Lleida has been working for years to make known landscapes, culture, gastronomy, history, art… and the success among motorcyclists from the rest of the European continent is more than evident, with the presence always of German, English, Italian drivers…… We were fortunate, for the second consecutive year, to have here the 2018 article, to enjoy two days of discovery and learning. As always, starting from Vall d’Arán, thanks to our participation in the Rodi Book of 2019.

From Vall d’Arán to Caldes de Boi , Moturisme/Ara Lleida

We left with Ángel Grau as a guide from Vall d’Arán through the Vielha Tunnel and headed towards Caldes de Boi, specifically towards its Spa, where a collection of Spanish motorcycles (more than 80), manufactured between 1940 and 1985, awaited us. The initiative of the opening of this museum arose when celebrating 70 years of the arrival to the Valley of Boí from Barcelona, in the summer of 1945, of the first 4 Montesas of pre-series, with the purpose of verifying its operation, being these the first motor vehicles that arrived at this remote place. The protagonists of that adventure were Don Paco Bultó (co-founder of Montesa) and later founder of Bultaco, his nephew Soler Bultó, Turuta and the Milà brothers. Surely they took a support vehicle.

And with the memory of the ancestors of the modern motorcycles that took us there, and imagining that to arrive at that place, so many years ago, must not have been easy… we went to the dining room to enjoy the food and to leave later towards Taull.

The Romanesque of the Vall de Boi: Taull

To Taull after taking the L-501. In km 2 of this road, with good asphalt and very well cared for, is a Historical-Artistic Monument declared World Heritage by UNESCO in 2000.

I’ve always had an interest in Romanesque art. I am impressed by the pantocrator (the image of the divinity painted on frescoes) and the buildings that welcome them, the Romanesque churches… but the times I have climbed the Boi Valley, it has been to enjoy the ski slopes of the Boi-Taull resort and by car… I forgot about the area when the good weather arrived.

After visiting the Romanesque church of Taull, dedicated to Sant Climent, one of the eight possible churches plus a hermitage, my interest has increased and I will return more calmly to see the rest of the churches in the valley. Isn’t that the aim of these routes: to attract the attention of travellers, tourists (in our case motorbike tourists). In my case, this route was succeeding. But there was more…

Sleeping in La Vall Fosca: A place of incredible beauty

Moturisme/Ara Lleida

From the Balneario de Caldes de Boi to the Hotel Vall Fosca in the town of Molinos/La Torre de Capdella, there is hardly any distance or at least I thought so, but the rain -which wanted to become the protagonist- made this route, the many curves, the landscapes, out of a placidity that I will remember for years. And when I arrived at my destination, at the aforementioned hotel, the surprise was still great: the surroundings were simply impressive.

Water jumps next to the hotel, bordering the road, the river that ran fast, this is high mountain, the rumor of the water, the smells of lichens, of mosses, of soaked forest, made that place, again, a place to return to. And I’m sorry to repeat myself, but it’s true.

The place deserves it. After dinner, rest awaited us and after this, a new day with renewed surprises.

Moturisme/Ara Lleida

The full name is National Park of Catalonia, Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici, the only national park in this autonomous community and is a place to preserve. The cable car that provides access to the park travels 450 meters vertically in 14 minutes and hiking is the option to walk trails, climb peaks close to 3,000 meters or follow the route of the shelters, all on foot, of course.

Many of the more than 200 lakes present in this area (some controlled by underground water pipes) are responsible for generating energy, and for more than 100 years (the industrialization of Catalonia needed it). An informative space and its corresponding guide, practically born there, helped us to understand the transcendence of that place.

From Tremp to Cellers: Epicentre, information space

You hear the phrase: “Knowledge does not occupy place”, because in Tremp “knowledge” occupies the place of the Epicente Building, an informative space thanks to which to know fauna, history, prehistory (it was a land of dinosaurs), agriculture…

In this region, that of Pallars-Jussa, which is said to have been something like the granary of Catalonia, the sky is now even looked at at the Montsec Astronomical Observatory and research is carried out at the Scientific Headquarters (CST Pirineus-ICGC).

After the visit to this educational and pleasant place, prepared to form and to make known to the youngest the past and the present of the region, the farewell meal awaited us and that always bitter feeling of “I’m leaving something”, “I don’t want this to end” or “we’d better leave it for another day”.

Lunch at Restaurant del Llac in Cellers

Holy shit! And it’s not just an expression to avoid saying a bad word. It was literally snails that we were able to taste, one of the options of the possible menu of Cellers. This little animal cooks very well in the regions of Lleida and I couldn’t avoid the temptation. The proximity of the Lake of Cellers, the gastronomy, and the knowledge that the experience was coming to an end, only meant one thing: “I will come back”.

The accumulated memories of the two days of motorbike tourism or as it has been called, Moturisme, will be the basis for future outings on motorbike, longer or weekend, and even choosing other possible from the many options that Moturisme proposes.

I invite you to get to know them all, opt for one of them and enjoy the trip. I have already done it and I am more and more convinced: with the help of guides who know the place you want to visit, the experience is much more satisfying. Source: https://vesping.com/scooter-rental-barcelona/

You May Also Like

About the Author: TripAdviceAdmin