What you can see on the Vall de Núria webcams
Two cameras turn through 360 degrees, so you can spin round the whole valley: the lake with the sanctuary reflected in it, the slopes above, the railway and the paths leading out of the bowl. Other views look along the jetty with its rowing boats to the sanctuary, down on the buildings from the hillside, and over the railway station where the trains arrive. Lower down, a camera looks over the stone roofs of Queralbs to the cliffs that close the valley.
A 360° panorama of the lake and sanctuary
This panoramic camera, at the Cremallera Túnel point at about 1,964 m (6,444 ft), is one of the Roundshot cameras of FGC, the railway company that runs Núria. It turns through a full circle: one way it looks across the lake to the sanctuary and its bell tower, a small white building by the shore and the green slopes of the valley, all reflected in the water on calm days; turn it round and you see the railway, the paths and the mountains around the bowl. You can drag the picture to look in any direction and zoom in on details.
It is the most complete view of the valley: in summer for the light on the lake and the clouds over the peaks, in winter for the snow around the sanctuary.
Rowing boats on the lake and the sanctuary
FGC, the railway company that runs Núria, publishes this view from the end of the lake. In the foreground is a wooden jetty with a line of rowing boats; across the water stand the grey buildings of the sanctuary and its bell tower, and behind them rise the bare mountains at the head of the valley, with forest on the slopes to the right. It is a still image, not a video, with the time printed at the top.
On calm mornings the lake reflects the whole scene; when the wind blows, it shows in the ripples. In summer, whether the boats are out tells you the season has started, and in winter the frozen lake and the snow show how deep it is.
A 360° panorama from the Mirador de la Canal
The second panoramic camera of FGC in Núria stands at the Mirador de la Canal, at about 2,050 m (6,726 ft), on the slope above the sanctuary. From there it looks down on the whole complex: the long sanctuary building with its gardens, the meadows and play area on the valley floor, the lake beyond, and the steep, rocky slopes and forests on either side. Turning it round, you see the paths climbing the valley and the higher mountains.
Because it is above the valley floor, it shows the ski slopes and the paths on the hillsides more clearly than the other cameras, which makes it the one to check before a walk or a day on the snow.
The sanctuary from above, by 3Cat
Catalonia's public broadcaster has one of its weather cameras above the Núria sanctuary, labelled Vall de Núria 2,000. It looks down on the long building with its central tower, the gardens and play area in front of it and the paths across the valley floor, with a steep mountainside on the right and the slopes of the valley on the left. On sunny mornings the low sun sometimes shines straight into the lens from the side.
It is a still image, not a video. In winter it shows the snow cover around the sanctuary and on the lower runs; in summer, how busy the meadows are.
The rack-railway station at Núria
This FGC camera looks over the railway yard at the top of the line. On the right is the large building beside the station; in the middle, the tracks of the rack railway, with a blue and white carriage and goods wagons on the sidings; on the left, the paths and the foot of the lower ski slopes, with a lift station; behind, the forested and rocky mountainside. The time is printed at the top of each picture.
It shows how much snow has fallen around the station, which is where every visitor arrives, and what the weather is doing at the top of the line. In winter, the lower slopes on the left show the conditions for beginners.
Queralbs, the last village below Núria
Queralbs is the last village on the road and a stop of the rack railway on its way up to Núria. A local weather station keeps this camera on one of its houses, looking north-north-east up the valley. In the foreground are the stone houses and slate roofs of the village; on the left, the bare limestone cliffs of the mountains rise above the trees, and on the right a forested mountainside; temperature, humidity, wind and rain are shown in circles on the left of the picture.
It is a good camera for checking the weather at the bottom of the valley, and the cloud on the cliffs that the railway climbs past. It comes through Windy as a time-lapse of the day.
The valley without a road
The rack railway opened in 1931 and is run by FGC, Catalonia's public railway company. It covers 12.5 km (7.8 miles) and climbs 1,062 m (3,484 ft), with the steep upper section worked by a rack between the rails. In winter the same trains carry skiers: Núria has a small ski area of about 7 km (4 miles) of marked runs on the slopes above the sanctuary. In summer the valley is a base for walks up to the high cols on the French border and to Puigmal, at 2,909 m (9,544 ft).
When to watch Vall de Núria
Núria is one hour ahead of the UK and Ireland. Summer afternoons often bring cloud and storms over the peaks, so check the cameras in the morning before setting out on a high walk. In winter they show at once whether there is fresh snow around the lake and on the runs.
Around Vall de Núria
Queralbs, the last village on the railway and the last one with a road, is a cluster of stone houses with a Romanesque church. The old mule track from Queralbs to Núria follows the gorge on foot. Ripoll, with its monastery, and Camprodon are both within an hour's drive.
Visiting Vall de Núria
Girona is the nearest airport with flights from the UK, about 62 miles (101 km) from Ribes de Freser, where the rack railway starts; Barcelona is about 83 miles (134 km). Regional trains from Barcelona stop at Ribes de Freser, a short walk from the rack-railway station. You can also drive to Queralbs and board the train there.
