Sort sits in the heart of the Catalan Pyrenees, in the Pallars Sobirà valley, where the Noguera Pallaresa river runs fast and green between steep mountains. It is a small town of about two thousand people, with a few streets of old stone houses, a tidy square and a surprising claim to fame: the lottery. A shop here has sold so many winning tickets over the years that Spaniards drive for hours to buy a ticket from it, and the name, which means luck in Catalan, adds to the legend.
The river is the real draw. The Noguera Pallaresa is one of the best white-water rivers in Europe, and Sort is its rafting capital, with outfitters offering trips down the rapids from spring to early autumn. The valley itself is beautiful, with terraced fields, small villages and steep forested slopes, and the high peaks of the Pyrenees rising to the north. Espot, eighteen kilometres to the east, is the gateway to the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, a mountain wilderness of granite peaks and glacial lakes.
The road here is the N-260, the long Pyrenean road that follows the mountains from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic side, and the section through Sort is one of its best. It winds up and down through gorges and over passes, with tight bends, blind corners and wonderful views. South-west of Sort, the road climbs to the Port del Cantó, at about 1,700 metres, and then drops through a spectacular, twisty descent towards La Seu d'Urgell. The surface is generally good, though rockfalls and patching are common, and snow can close the pass in winter.
Sort has fuel, a few restaurants and hotels, and it is a good place to stop for the night. The food is mountain fare, with grilled lamb, local cheeses, and a stew of beans and sausage called escudella. A visit to the nearby villages gives a glimpse of the Pyrenees as they were: stone, slate and smoke, with the occasional Romanesque church. Early summer is lovely, with flowers on the meadows, while autumn brings gold to the beech woods.