Basecamps Cerdanya

In Puigcerdà, the shore of Estany de Puigcerdà, in leafy Parc Schierbeck, is a top spot from where to admire the distant peaks of the Pyrenees. Raise your panoramic-view game by climbing up the Campanar de Santa Maria, the only remaining vestige of a long-destroyed church. Llívia (15 minutes’ drive), a little corner of Spain completely surrounded by France, is overlooked by a conical hill topped by the remains of the Castell de Llívia fortress. The Museo Municipal displays centuries-old medicinal jars and dusty bottles of solutions and balms. Just out of town, on the banks of the river Segre, Sant Guillem Park is a leafy spot with a playground. In the Catalan Pyrenees, La Molina (15 minutes) is a lively resort with a wealth of activities, ranging from hiking and mountain biking, to treetop adventures – and that’s just in the summer. In the winter, there’s skiing, Nordic walking and snowshoeing, plus spa facilities.