Torla

Torla is a small village nestled in the Spanish Pyrenees on the edge of the Ordesa National Park. It's location makes it an ideal place from which to explore the area on foot.

Getting There

We chose to travel by bus from Zaragoza. Tickets can be purchased either on the bus or at the station ticket office located in Zaragoza Delicias station. There are two departures to Sabiñánigo on a Friday and we opted for the first at 08:30 hrs. In either case a bus change is required at Sabiñánigo to reach Torla.

• Zaragoza -> Sabiñánigo.
  Line: Jaca-Huesca-Zaragoza.
  Cost: 12.00 Euro per person.
  Time: Two hours.
• Sabiñánigo -> Torla.
  Line: Sabiñánigo-Ainsa.
  Cost: 3.77 Euro per person.
  Time: One hour.

Upon arriving at Sabiñánigo it was a quick change onto the 11:00hrs Torla bus otherwise we would have had to wait until the following day for the next bus. In peak season (1st July -> 31st August) there are two buses to Torla. The buses are air conditioned with plenty of leg room and no-smoking. Luggage is stored in a large compartment below, there are no onboard toilets or refreshments although there are toilets and a cafe at Zaragoza and Sabiñánigo stations. The alosa website gives up-to-date prices and bus times. The road from Sabiñánigo to Torla gets quite twisty up in the mountains and the party of teenagers that were excitedly chatting on our bus became very quiet as the driver chucked the bus effortlessly into the hair-pin bends with a sheer drop to one side.

About Torla

Torla is a clean, quiet but active village with a long history and a church that dominates the skyline. There are hotels, bars, two supermarkets, plenty of restaurants (including Nur a vegetarian cafe which sells different teas, soya / rice milk + two pizza restaurants), a pharmacy, gift shops and a tourist information centre in addition to the Ordesa National Park Visitors Centre.

Window boxes of geraniums are everywhere and house martins / swifts fly about with their characteristic screech. On an evening the place resounds to the sound of chirping crickets while bats fly in the streets overhead. If it's a clear night and you can get away from the street lights the lack of pollution makes the night sky stunning. The church bells chime the time every hour and then unusually repeat it a minute later, as do the local clocks. On the last evening we sat outside at the cafe Bocateria with a view over to the mountains watching a thunderstorm unfold, every so often all the electrics in the village would temporarily cut out, probably due to lightening strikes and then come back on but the locals never blinked an eye lid so is probably quite normal. There were a lot of flies around throughout the whole area but thankfully not the biting type. The mobile phone signal (vodafone) is very strong.

It’s a destination popular with Spanish, French and Germans. Communication was a bit difficult at times as we didn’t speak Spanish and not many locals spoke English so often we reverted to the universally accepted language of pointing and smiling. We stayed at the Hotel Villa Russell where the staff were very friendly. Our room served it's purpose well with a view to the mountain behind, it also had a small kitchen area with microwave but we missed not having a kettle.

There is a small park in Torla above the road Tunnel on the North side where the old men of the village sit on the benches with the best view towards the mountains. For a short walk the Puente del Gualar, an old stone bridge which crosses the Ria Ara is reachable from a path that starts near the North tunnel entrance, it heads in a South-West direction.

Preamble

Before starting any walks it's a worth visiting the Centro de visitantes del Parque Nacional (Ordesa National Park Visitors Centre) in Torla situated on the right when arriving in the village from the South. They speak English, provide maps, give information and also have an exhibition with an electronic English tour guide.

If you're new to the area it's a good idea to spend the first day orientating yourself with the landscape. The Ordesa National Park is a beautiful area filled with stunningly scenery, waterfalls, insects, butterflies, flowers, animals, etc, and you'll want to stop and look at everything! A word of caution, there are dangerous creatures in Spain and it's a good idea to familiarise with what you might come across. Use common sense and check where you are about to sit or put your hand, solid hiking boots will offer better protection than walking sandals. In the 5 days we were there thankfully we only came across one poisonous creature; a Lataste's viper. All the walks here are strenuous because there are frequent ascents / descents, but you are constantly rewarded as you are surrounded by beauty all day. These guides are no substitute for a good map / compass and should mainly be used for guidance.

The weather can change quickly so it's advisable to check the weather forecast each morning and pack appropriate clothing, the hotel Villa Russel prints an accurate forecast which can be viewed in their entrance next to the bar. Some of these routes are difficult enough in the dry so be aware they could be treacherous in the wet. There was also evidence of some recent rock falls while we were there.

We stayed in Torla for 5 nights from the 17th to the 22nd of June 2011, just outside the peak season which starts on 1st July and ends 31st August.

(GPS): EXIF GPS IFD tagged image. Use a tool such as the Firefox 'Exif Viewer' extension to view precise location in Google Maps, etc.

NEXT: Walk 1 - Reccie along Valley de Ordesa

Brian Fattorini and Jane Ruhland