‘The mountains soothed the soul’: a long walk in Spain’s Pyrenees

On a 52-mile hike in Catalonia between five refuges, we found chamois, griffon vultures, rare butterflies, an ultra-trail running legend – and very few people

“You’ve brought the rain with you! Thank you! It hasn’t rained here for two months!” Jordi, piebald-bearded guardian of the isolated Prat d’Aguiló refuge, greeted my companion and me with such effusive smiles and enthusiastic handshakes we almost wondered if he held us personally responsible for ending his local drought.

We had long wanted to go hiking in the Pyrenees and, at just 52 miles, the Cavalls del Vent trail seemed an ideal way to cut our teeth. The circular path winds around Catalonia’s Cadí-Moixeró natural park, uniting eight mountain refuges that open for walkers during the summer (from 12 May to 14 October in 2023) when the snow has gone.