| Sort - Ger de Boutx | 218km | ||
| 94.9km off-road | May / September |
Quick GLR 18 overview
The GLR 18 Motorcycle Adventure Route leads you for over 218 kilometers through the Catalonia region of Northern-Spain and the Haute-Garonne region of Southern-France. 95 of those kilometers will traverse over off-road sections. If the going gets tough, The Back-up Tracks will support you with 4 different sections. With a total of 4 connecting GLRs to this GLR 18, you’re able to continue to Adventurise the region. Let’s get going!
GLR 18 Route info
From a village just outside Andorra called Sort, you start your journey to the north. Be aware, this GLR starts with a big off-road section of 26 kilometers. Due to snow drifts early in the season and later into fall, this road may be blocked!
You navigate through the valley with the Alt Pirineu Natural Park to your side. The beautiful high mountains rise around you and after you’ve navigated the valley, it’s time to go up! Several long off-road sections lead you to near the border with France.
The border crossing itself and the last piece of the French portion, are by on-road section. You end your GLR 18 adventure in Ger de Boutx. From here you’re able to connect to the French part of the Trans-Pyrenean GLRs. For more information about the connecting routes, click the link below.
GLR 18 Region
From the northernmost point of Spain into the Southernmost of France. The GLR 18 traverses over the border region of the Pyrenees. Explore the Province of Lleida and the department of Haute-Garonne with this GLR!
Lleida
With the Pyrenees to the north, it’s especially an upcoming destination for adventure tourists. In the north, you also find Catalonia’s only National Park: Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park. As this may be a beautiful area to explore on foot, for us as motorcycle riders it’s a little more difficult to find the trails we long to.
A little more to the south, in the Pre-Pyrenees, lots of mountain trails lead us through the hills. Due to its alpine climate, it can be quite chilly in spring, so expect the occasional snowdrift when planning your ride.
If we progress even more to the south, we find the central plains of Lleida. Freedom becomes a new expression in this area. Here you’re able to ride amongst the fields, meadows and century-old olive groves. With its inland climate, the summer can be hot. The many gorges and little lakes provide you with occasional refreshments.
Besides the abundance of the natural features, Lleida has also a rich Romanesque heritage. You’ll encounter many ruins while exploring the backcountry. One of its main features is the churches of the Vall de Boi, which have been declared part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Haute-Garonne
This southern part, also known as Pyrénées Centrals, is for us as Adventurisers the place to be! Bordering with Spain, these peaks reach a maximum altitude of 3222 meters. It’s from these peaks where you can overlook the entire department.
From the Pyrenees in the south, the rest of Haute-Garonne consists of two major plains. The first stretches from the Pyrenees base up to Toulouse and the second one from Toulouse up to the northernmost point of the department.
It’s because of the extremities between the Pyrenees and the lower plains, that the climate of Haute-Garonne can be divided into two. The northern part of the department knows a predominantly Mediterranean climate, with mild winters and extremely hot and dry summers.
On the contrary, the mountainous part knows an alpine climate with cold, snowy winters and fresh summers. It’s the snow that may cause you troubles when you’re outside the recommended season of the GLR in case. Therefore you need to keep an eye on the weather forecast!
Adventurising isn’t only about getting as fast from A to B! A Region has so much more to offer! That’s why I give you some suggestions about things to do while Adventurising the GLR 18.
Caves of Gargas
These caves are known for their cave art, dating back to the Upper Paleolithic period. That’s about 27.000 years old! Visit this site to learn more about the ancient history of this region.
more info
Lac de Bethmale
more info
Saut Deth Pish
One of the most beautiful waterfalls in the region makes this a nice detour in a rest day while Adventurising the Lleida province! Located in the Natural park bearing the same name, you must come off your bike to visit the place!
more info
Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park
The only National Park of the autonomous region of Catalonia! The Name of this park translates freely into “The winding streams and St. Maurice lake”, which refers to the many lakes with a glacial origin. With almost 200 lakes and peaks rising above 3000m, this is a National Park to visit during your day off!
more info
Thank you for downloading the GLR 18! Good luck with Adventurising Europe. Speaking of Adventurising Europe, to keep the project going and free, we’re relying on a mix of sponsored advertisements and Adventuriser donations. Do you like what we’re doing and you want to support the project? Please consider a donation. You can read more about donations and support here.
The Adventurising Europe project is all about documenting Europe through the eyes of adventure riders. Do you want to contribute to this mission? Become an Adventuriser! As an Adventuriser you’re part of our community and you enjoy the benefits of accessing the back-up tracks of the GLR-Network. Also you receive our regular updates on the project. It’s completely free, so enlist now!
Continue your GLR 18 Adventure by connecting different GLRs. To make your life even simpler, I’ve put together all the options down below!
Connections in Sort
Are you ready to take the infamous “Smugglers route” into Andorra? Take the GLR 17! The GLR will lead you into Andorra via the back door. The GLR stretches over 216 kilometers through the high Pyrenees mountains. This GLR won’t disappoint you with its 87 km in off-road sections.
You’re already embarked on your Trans Pyrenean adventure? Take the GLR 22 west to Jaca. This GLR will show you a great variety of landscapes. See this 327 km long GLR as a sightseeing tour, but still the adventurous way. The GLR 22 packs 103 kilometers of off-road sections, so it won’t be boring!.
Connections in Ger de Boutx
You’re back in France again. Now you have two options. First, take the GLR 19 as a connection route to a great variety of routes like the GLR 14 or 15. The GLR 19 is 91 kilometers long, with most of its off-road sections near Biert.
Second, go west! Take the GLR 20 on your motorcycle adventure with the Pyrenees mountains on your left. This is a beautiful 367 kilometers long route, but don’t expect much off-road. Due to the local environmental laws, it’s most of the time prohibited to get off the paved road. Still, we’ve managed to navigate you over about 56 km of off-road sections.
Explore.Ride.Adventurise.
Exploring Europe through the eyes of an adventure rider. Making Europe a better place for adventure riders by creating the GLR Network.
As an Adventuriser you get access to our special Back-up Tracks for the GLR-network. These routes function as a back-up when the going gets tough. In the event you need to circumnavigate a piece of the original GLR, the Back-Up Track will lead you via paved road to the next section.
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Support the Adventurising Europe project
As a Patron, you gain access to the latest 5 GLRs before Everyone else! That's at least 2,5 months! Besides that, you support 1 kilometer of that GLR. You enable me to continue the Adventurising Europe project and keep the GLR Network free. Please consider becoming a Patron if you think I provide any value to you.
The GLR 49 Motorcycle Adventure Route
The GLR 49 motorcycle adventure route leads you for over 125 kilometers through the Primorje-Gorski Kotar County of Croatia and the Inner Carniola & South-east Slovenia regions of Slovenia. 78 of those kilometers will traverse over off-road sections. If the going gets tough, The Back-up Tracks will support you with 3 different sections. With a total of 3 connecting GLRs to this GLR 49, you’re able to continue to Adventurise the region. Let’s get going!
The GLR 48 Motorcycle Adventure Route
The GLR 48 motorcycle adventure route leads you for over 361 kilometers through the Goriška Coastal–Karst regions of Slovenia and the Istria and Primorje-Gorski Kotar County regions of Northern Croatia. 113 of those kilometers will traverse over off-road sections. If the going gets tough, The Back-up Tracks will support you with 13 different sections. With a total of 5 connecting GLRs to this GLR 48, you’re able to continue to Adventurise the region. Let’s get going!
The GLR 47 Motorcycle Adventure Route
The GLR 47 motorcycle adventure route leads you for over 88,9 kilometers through the Goriška / Inner Carniola regions of Slovenia. 65,1 of those kilometers will traverse over off-road sections. If the going gets tough, The Back-up Tracks will support you with 4 different sections. With a total of 5 connecting GLRs to this GLR 47, you’re able to continue to Adventurise the region. Let’s get going!