Peaks, gorges and landscapes

Pic Neulós

Puig Neulós

Laroque-des-Albères · 1,256 m

Natura 2000 (Albères massif)

Photo: Alan Mattingly, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The highest point of the Albères, on the border, the Neulós rises to 1,256 metres above the Roussillon plain, the Mediterranean and the Empordà: beech forests, Corsican pines, snow wells and a panorama stretching as far as the Canigó.

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Overview

At the eastern end of the Pyrenees, the Albères range separates the Roussillon from the Catalan Empordà before plunging into the sea. Its highest point, the Pic Neulós, rises to 1,256 metres on the border, above Laroque-des-Albères and Sorède. Ancient texts have named it “Podio Nebuloso”, the mountain of clouds, since 1322, and the ridge has marked the border since the Treaty of the Pyrenees of 1659.

From the summit, the view takes in the Roussillon plain, the coast and the Mediterranean, the Empordà plain to the south and, to the west, the Canigó massif. A television relay, which broadcasts digital terrestrial television across the Roussillon, crowns the summit; beside it stands the “Tour d’en Manel”, a stone column built by a shepherd in the late 19th century.

The French slopes are covered by the Albères state forest, where beeches, oaks and, around the Col de l’Ouillat, fine Corsican pines grow. Further east lies the Massane beech forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Catalan side, protected since 1986 by the Albera natural area, shelters great cork oak forests and the last wild population of Hermann’s tortoises in Catalonia.

The massif is protected under Natura 2000. The GR 10 passes over the summit, and numerous paths climb to it from the villages of the Albères.

Key figures

Altitude: 1,256 m
Location: highest point of the Albères, on the border
Municipalities: Laroque-des-Albères, Sorède (France), La Jonquera (Spain)
First mention: 1322 ("Podio Nebuloso")
Albères state forest: 2,123 ha
Loop from Laroque: about 18 km, about 1,200 m of ascent

Wildlife, plants and landscapes

The mountain of clouds

Its medieval Latin name, "Podio Nebuloso", evokes the clouds that often crown the summit.

Beeches and Corsican pines

The French slopes bear beech forests and, around the Col de l'Ouillat, a fine forest of Corsican pines.

Hermann's tortoise

The Catalan side shelters the last wild population in Catalonia of this threatened land tortoise.

The Tour d'en Manel

This stone column, raised by a shepherd in the late 19th century, stands near the television relay.

The snow wells

On the slopes, on both sides of the border, wells were once used to store snow.

A ridge border

Since the Treaty of the Pyrenees of 1659, the ridge line has separated France from Spain.

When to go

The Neulós can be climbed all year round outside periods of snow, but spring and autumn are the most pleasant. The tramontane often blows hard on the ridge: bring a windproof jacket. In summer, access to the Albères massifs may be prohibited or restricted when there is a fire risk: check the prefecture's daily map and municipal orders before setting out.

Getting there

The classic loop starts from the old village of Laroque-des-Albères, passes the Balma del Moro dolmen, reaches the summit and then descends via the Col de l'Ouillat, where there is a spring and a refuge: allow about 18 km, 1,200 metres of ascent and a long day. The GR 10 crosses the summit. A narrow road climbs to the Col de l'Ouillat from Le Perthus.