Valle de Nuria Rack-Railway, Ribes de Freser

Tucked away in Catalonia, close to the French border, is the lovely Valle de Nuria. Rising for 15km from the little town of Ribes de Freser, the valley climbs through spectacular scenery, before entering a gorge and then opening out into a huge natural corrie with a lovely lake.

This being Spain, of course, someone in mediaeval times established a religious sanctuary here, and the image of the Virgin of Nuria became a major object of pilgrimage. But it wasn't until the 20th century that thought was given to making the journey up the valley easier. After much thought, it was decided to build a rack railway, which opened in 1931.

The railway is an incredible engineering achievement. The journey up from Ribes in the little blue trains is gentle at first, going through the outskirts of the town and up a winding valley to the pretty village of Queralbs. But then the scenery really kicks in, and the train clings to tiny ledges as it climbs ever higher. On my last trip, it even had to make an emergency stop to avoid running over a chamois!

Finally the train dives into a long tunnel and then, unexpectedly, emerges beside the lake and climbs up into the corrie. Unfortunately, the view is initially dominated by the hideous sanctuary building, which resembles a barracks. But the view beyond is lovely, and there's a cable car to climb even higher and access great walking country (or skiing in winter).

There are boats for hire to row on the lake and a natural history museum. There are also bars and restaurants in the sanctuary buildings, although, as you might expect, they can be slow, crowded and expensive. Instead, bring a picnic and strike out on your own.

There's also a small railway museum at the station of Ribes-Vila, in the centre of Ribes itself.

A great and very different day out from Barcelona, Girona, or the beaches of the Costa Brava.