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The start is at the car park in Laroque-des-Albères, Rue Louis et Michel Soler.
If there are no spaces available on the street, look further down next to the open-air theatre.
(S) Head south along Rue François Arago, which ends in a cobbled climb flanked by two flights of steps. You’ll arrive at a square shaded by a plane tree. Cross it and turn left into Rue de l’Église, which is a dead end.
(1) A sign provides information on possible walks from here. ThePR®® markings (yellow paint stripes) were repainted in 2013–2014. You will follow the one leading to Pic Néoulous.
Take the path that continues from Rue de l’Église; it is quite steep in places and leads to a track near a rectangular pond.
(2) Turn left onto the track opposite the pond. About a hundred metres further on, at the junction, turn right and continue uphill, keeping a close eye on the yellow PR®® markings.
After about 400 metres, the track, which was previously passable by vehicle, becomes a path and then a trail. ThePR®® markings are still visible (they will remain so throughout the hike).
Continue climbing; the path passes to the right of the mountain ridge and levels off at an altitude of around 300 metres.
(3) You come to a fork; straight ahead leads to the Col de l’Ouillat, and to the left to the Pic Néoulous.
So turn left and continue the climb.
The climb is steep and, at around 600 metres above sea level, a sign on the left points to the Dolmen de Balma del Moro. It is well worth a detour.
(4) Take the steep path on the left, which leads there in about fifty metres.
Then, after returning to the main path, continue the ascent towards Pic Néoulous. At an altitude of around 800 metres, the path crosses a firebreak track and, after a good kilometre of steep climbing, joins a forest road.
(5) Turn right and walk along this forest road for about 600 metres until you find the continuation of the Pic Néoulous path on the left.
Continue climbing; the path passes close to the Pic Néoulous spring (6) (Font del Puig Neulos in Calalan), which has been converted into a drinking trough for the cows grazing freely on the mountain.
After a little more effort, you’ll reach the tarmac D71a road, which leads to the Pic Néoulous radio relay station.
(7) The summit, marked by a stone pillar, is just above you.
You are at the summit of the Albères and an exceptional panorama unfolds before you.
Continue the route westwards, following the boundary marked by a barbed wire fence.
In addition to the yellow markings ofthe PR®®, you can also see the red and white markings ofthe GR®®10(the Great Pyrenees Crossing from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean).
Walk along the border until the path approaches the road.
(8) At this point, the fence is closed by a metal gate, near which signs in Catalan indicate the presence, on the Spanish side, of a snow well.
Go through the gate to enter Spain and take a short detour to visit this snow well, which is about 200 metres away. An information board (in Catalan) provides some explanations on how to make ice.
Return to the French side, remembering to close the gate behind you, and continue the descent towards the Col de l’Ouillat.
At the Col de l’Ouillat, turn right onto the tarmac road (you leave theGR®®10but are still on aPR®® marked in yellow) and, about a hundred metres further on (9), turn left onto the path that descends near a spring, which is fitted out and protected by a wooden railing.
Follow this path, keeping a close eye on the yellow markings as several junctions could lead you astray.
Once you reach an altitude of around 450 metres, you will wade across the River Laroque (Ribera de la Roca).
(10) Two hundred metres after the river, you will pass close to a large, badly dilapidated snow well (you need to step aside a few metres to see it).
(11) After the snow pit, continue along the path and wade across another stream (12). The path climbs slightly before beginning its descent again.
(3) You’ll pass the fork where, on the way out, you headed towards Pic Néoulous. Carry straight on; from here on, you’ll be retracing your steps.
You’ll reach the track that leads to the rectangular pond, where you turn left onto the path that takes you back to Rue de l’Église.
At the square with the plane tree, continue along Rue d’Arago to the car park, which marks the end of the walk (E).
. I think I'll do this hike again but in the opposite direction, as I found the return trip more scenic.
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