The Mountains of Andorra - Walls, Scrambles, Via Ferratas, Treks

Andorra is still mysterious, but accessible. 60 routes including numerous paths with scrambles, straightforward peaks, via ferratas and a week-long Andorra circuit. Covers Arinsal, Sispony, Arcalis and Angonella, Valls Sorteny and Rialb, Montcaup, Ordino, Casamanya, Valls del Riu, Ransol, D’Incles, Circ de Pessons, Cortals and Vall del Madrui.

There a number of maps available for Andorra, and none is completely satisfactory. All are inaccurate in many details and fail to reach the standard British walkers would expect in an Ordnance Survey map. At an early stage, and after much thought, it was decided to base the text of this guide on the following map:

• Editorial Alpina 1:40,000 Andorra Mapa y Guia Excursionista (Geograf Salvador Llobet, Edicions Cartographiques, SL, 08400 Granollers, tel: 938 795 083, email: alpina@jet.es)

This map (and the attached Catalan guidebook) has the advantage of being readily and cheaply available in Andorra. Although it has many imperfections it is by far and away the most up to date and least inaccurate of the available maps. A number of editions are on sale in Andorra, but the one used in preparation of this text was the 2nd edition, January 2002. (Note that there are small variations between the editions.) Most of the paths marked are fairly accurate, though there are many errors and a number of existing and waymarked paths are omitted. Any significant discrepancy between the map and the terrain this will be indicated in this guide. Where no such comment is made then you should assume the map is accurate. It marks the GRP long-distance path round the Principality (though with some noteworthy mistakes). The naming of peaks and passes (especially on the border with France) seems to be consistent with local usage and signposting on the ground.

The Andorran authorities publish a number of maps, but all are very out of date and inaccurate. They are published by Govern d’Andorra, Conselleria de Serveis Publics, C/Prat de la Creu, Andorra la Vella, as follows:

• Mapa Topografic 1:50,000 Andorra (1987)

• Mapa Topografic 1:25,000 Andorra (1992)

• Mapas Topograficas 1:10,000 – 19 maps (1976)

The first gives a reasonable overview of the area but is very inaccurate on the paths, and fails to show any of the well-marked long-distance routes. The second is at a larger scale and therefore better on the mountain topography, but is poor on the paths and very unwieldy to use. This is even truer of the largest scale maps available, the Consell General 1:10,000 series. There are 19 covering the Principality, but they are decades out of date and completely useless for all practical purposes.

The most sophisticated-looking map of the area is the French Haute-Ariege Andorra 1:50,000 (Institut Geographique National, 1986), but this map throws up all sorts of problems. The marking of paths on the Andorran side of the border is very vague, careless and out of date. Moreover, the names of the peaks and passes on the French border are often confused and different from local usage and signposts. On balance it is easier to use the Editorial Alpina 1:40,000.

Another good-looking map of the area is the Andorra and Cadi 1:50,000 (Rando/Institut Cartografíc de Catalunya, 2001) which is quite usable but again has fairly unreliable path markings and is less easy to obtain in Andorra than the Editorial Alpina.