The Cerdanya is the wide, flat-floored Pyrenean valley that surrounds Puigcerdà — at about 30 kilometres long and 10 wide, it is one of the largest mountain valleys in Europe. The flat bottom is unusual: it sits at 1,200 metres yet is broad and pastoral, with farms, herds of dairy cattle and small stone villages, hemmed by high peaks rising to 2,800 metres.
The valley is split between Spain and France along a line that runs more or less through the middle. The Cami Ral, an old paved drovers' road, links villages on either side, and many quiet routes for walking and cycling cross from one country to the other without any sign of a border. Bring binoculars: griffon vultures soar along the valley walls almost daily.