Hermitage of Mare de Deu de la Pertusa

The view is what people climb for. From the ground beside the hermitage the reservoirs lie straight below, and the long wall of the Montsec fills the rest of the horizon. The building itself sits in a position that looks improbable from the path — the last stretch runs over bare rock and takes hands as well as feet, though no part of it is actual rock climbing. Ten minutes of that is all that separates the car park from the top, which is why the place rewards anyone steady on rough ground far out of proportion to the effort.

• Footwear: the path goes over rock and takes hands as well as feet — mountain boots or trainers; sandals and flip-flops do not work here.
• Grip: the rock on the path turns slippery when wet, and the awkward moves come on the upper section.
• No facilities: there are no toilets at the hermitage, and no drinking water within 800 m of it.
• Fitness: the approach suits people confident on rough ground; there is clambering, but no rock climbing.
• Information boards stand on the approach, roughly 200 m from the hermitage.

Everything here arrives by road. No bus stop lies within 5 km, so a car is the only way in. Two car parks sit on the approach, one about 216 m from the hermitage in a straight line and the other about 392 m, both on unsealed ground rather than tarmac. From there the rest is on foot: roughly ten minutes of path that rises over bare rock, with moves where you will put a hand down. Two information boards stand about 200 m from the hermitage, on the way up.

Best: dry, clear weather. The rock on the path grips well when dry, and the whole point of the climb is the long view down over the reservoirs and along the Montsec.

Avoid: rain and the hours after it. Wet rock on the scramble is slippery, and low cloud takes away the one thing you came up for.

Nothing here shuts, so the timing is set by the weather, not by the clock.