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T R AV E L<br />
Spain’s hidden year-round<br />
mountain gems<br />
RB COLLECTION DIRECTOR OLIVER EXPLAINS WHY WE SHOULD TAKE A SERIOUS LOOK<br />
AT SPAIN’S SUMMER AND WINTER MOUNTAIN HOLIDAY OFFERINGS<br />
EXPERIENCE SOME OF<br />
EUROPE’S FINEST SKIING<br />
IN BAQUEIRA BERET<br />
The mountain ranges of Switzerland, Austria, Italy<br />
and France are some of Europe’s most popular<br />
to explore during the summer months, with<br />
breathtaking scenery, easy driving routes, plenty of<br />
alpine activities for all ages and good quality cuisine<br />
and culture to take in. There is, however, a European<br />
country that isn’t quite as synonymous with winter<br />
ski and summer lake and mountain holidays, and<br />
one which is one of the easiest to get to from many<br />
airports in the UK.<br />
Spain has always been the Brits’ favourite destination<br />
for a summer beach holiday and has been since the<br />
OLIVER, LEFT, AND HIS<br />
BROTHER JAMES HIT<br />
THE SLOPES<br />
1950s. But it is also home to ski resorts described by<br />
the experts as the true ‘hidden gems’, frequented by<br />
Spanish royalty and featuring an abundance of runs<br />
with very few queues and excellent quality facilities.<br />
In the summer months, driving to Spain’s Pyrenees<br />
is a dream; the country’s road network is vast and,<br />
unlike the UK, as soon as you leave a major city the<br />
numbers of cars competing for space on the road<br />
dramatically drops.<br />
I’ve had holidays in the two regions in both winter<br />
and summer and can’t sing their praises high enough.<br />
Here’s my brief guide and hopefully it will inspire<br />
you to go too.<br />
Skiing in Spain<br />
There are a number of good quality resorts; my<br />
favourite are Formigal and Baqueira Beret. I took a<br />
week to experience both resorts and, having skied all<br />
my life around Europe and North America, I was a<br />
little dubious to be honest. Luckily, I was pleasantly<br />
surprised.<br />
Our first stop was Formigal, an easy four-hour drive<br />
from Barcelona, and a beautiful one at that. Unlike<br />
some of the other European ski resorts, the lack of<br />
non-Spanish tourists means there are far less people<br />
driving to the resorts, and these two are a little<br />
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