If you are considering Nohèdes as a destination, you can compare specific differences: hiking options range from an easy one-and-a-half-hour route to challenging hikes lasting ten hours. The Church of Saint-Martin and the visible bread ovens also offer distinctive details of the village.
Nature Reserve and Hiking Options
The Nohèdes National Nature Reserve was established in 1986 because of the exceptional biodiversity developing there. The reserve’s floristic inventory now includes nearly 900 taxa. A separate floristic inventory for the municipality of Nohèdes includes nearly 1,200 taxa. These figures refer to two different geographical areas: the reserve and the municipality.
When choosing a hike, it is worth considering duration, elevation gain, difficulty rating and season together. La Goutte d’eau is an easy route lasting an hour and a half, with 150 metres of elevation gain, and is listed as suitable year-round. L’Estany del Clot is of moderate difficulty, takes more than five hours and includes 700 metres of elevation gain; the period from April to November is listed for this hike. Le Roc Negre is a challenging hike lasting ten hours, with 1,490 metres of elevation gain, and is listed for June to October. The three options therefore differ not only in time required, but also in difficulty, elevation gain and season.
Circular Routes and Trails in the Surrounding Area
The challenging Nohèdes–Gorg Estelat circular route is 13.4 kilometres long and starts in Nohèdes. The trail offers views of mountain lakes and insights into the nature reserve’s biodiversity, pastoral activity and Pyrenean landscape. The landscape and pastoral activity are therefore among the points of interest to consider for this hike, alongside its length and difficulty. Trail conditions and access rules may change; check them before setting out.
In the vicinity of Nohèdes, trails lead on foot to Urbanya and to the hamlet of Betllans in the municipality of Conat.
Romanesque Architecture in the Village
The Church of Saint-Martin is classically Romanesque, with a single nave and a semicircular apse. Its entrance is defined by a double triumphal arch. A single nave means that the church has just one nave; the apse and triumphal arch are other distinctive architectural features. Bread ovens are still visible on some houses, protruding from the buildings. Thus, the Romanesque church and the externally visible ovens on some houses represent different architectural details of the village.
Getting There and Parking
Motorized vehicles are prohibited from entering the nature reserve beyond Montilla. Use the designated parking areas in Montilla or at the entrance to Nohèdes; parking is not permitted outside these two areas. When planning your visit, keep two points in mind separately: the vehicle ban beyond Montilla and the spaces where parking is permitted.
Discover more destinations: Cases-De-Pène, Villemolaque, Passa, Saint-Nazaire, Amélie-Les-Bains-Palalda, Tresserre, Castelnou, Angoustrine-Villeneuve-Des-Escaldes.
Back to the main travel overview: Pyrénées-Orientales.
