Puig de Coma Negra from Lamanère

On leaving the village, the road takes a wide right-hand bend to cross the Còrrec de l’Assalador via the road bridge. Park immediately on the right in the large car park.

(S/E) With your back to the còrrec and the village, head right, due west, along the small road. Ignore the^first road on the right. Ignore a track on the left. Cross the Ribera de la Menera via the road bridge. You can see the wide, beautiful riverbed. Ignore the track branching off to the right and continue for a few more metres along this road.

(1) Look for the red and white markings on the right. Head up the path running parallel to the road (altitude 819).

(2) Cross the small road and head uphill opposite, still following the red and white markings of^{the GR®®} T83. The path levels out as you approach the pass in an open, grazed area (altitude 1131). End of markings.

(3) At the Coll de Malrens, a fence and signposts physically mark the Franco-Spanish border. Do not cross this barrier; the rest of the^GR®® T route continues into Spain.
Take care: there are three visible paths in this border area.
Do not walk up alongside the fence and do not stay at the same level in the forest.
Note: July 2024 – forestry work has left the path badly damaged.

Head due east. There are two cairns to indicate where to go. From here on, follow a very good path which will take you to the border ridge (at an altitude of 1185 on the IGN Spain map).

(4) At Collada Fonda, the area is open; head right for a few metres and then immediately head due east again. The correct path then turns north-east. Take care at around 1,240 m.

(5) Turn right, heading due south-east, climbing steeply, crossing a barrier and passing into Spain for about a hundred metres.

(6) The path, clearly marked on the ground, turns left again, heading due north-east, to rejoin the border fence on your right. Pass the altitudes 1322 and 1325 (IGN Spain). From this point, the very good path follows the border ridge perfectly.
At Els Forquets (altitude 1375), the path turns south-east, remaining almost level.

Then climb to the Cim de Bordellat (Bordellat summit) at an altitude of 1394 metres. The path then descends to a grazing area (1327-metre altitude, IGN Spain).

(7) At Collada Fonda, continue to follow the border ridge, climbing steeply over a series of small peaks.
The forest is on the left-hand side on the French side, and the pastures are on the right-hand side on the Spanish side.
Note: it is possible to pass slightly lower down on the Spanish side to avoid this area.
You’ll reach the summit, where a concrete marker and a triangulation point indicate the highest altitude (IGN Spain altitude 1557).
The view is magnificent and the spot is ideal for a well-deserved break.

(8) At Coma Negra (Black Hollow), it’s now time to think about the return journey. Continue along the ridge due east. The well-marked path descends very steeply along the edge of the forest. Then the magnificent landscape opens up, offering views of both the French and Spanish sides.

(9) Pla de la Serra (mountain plateau) is indeed located here. (The IGN map is not accurate). The path heads off one last time into Spain, heading due south-east as it moves away from the forest.

At around 1,375 m, look for cairns on the left-hand side and descend towards the French side by heading completely to the left.
Caution: the descent through the forest on the French side is difficult. It is essential to find a clear path marked by cairns or very sparse yellow markings.
First, head down in a north-westerly direction for about 500 m.
Note: In July 2024, there were two sheep -herding dogs in the area.

(10) Then the path, which is still clearly marked on the ground, turns sharply right towards the north-east (at around 1,250 m), joining a stony track which you must follow until you reach another wider, motorable track (altitude 1,140).

(11) Turn right onto this track and quickly turn left as you descend along it. Pass a faintly marked path on your right which heads towards the Coll de les Falguères (elevation 1126) on the border.
Much further on (at around 1,100 m), leave the track at a right-hand bend, continuing straight ahead.
A well-marked path descends parallel to the track, bypassing all the bends. You’ll reach an open area on a track (altitude 976).

(12) Turn left, then immediately right at the bend; continue along the track, heading north-east. Pass Pla de la Llop (the Wolf’s Plain) with a house on your right. About 150 m further on, leave the track at a left-hand bend near some farm buildings on your right. Continue downhill straight ahead, passing the 943-metre altitude. You’ll come to a^{PR®® path}, which you should cross, heading towards the clearly visible chapel.

(13) La Capella Santa Cristina (St Christine’s Chapel), in perfect condition, is unfortunately closed. Turn left onto the^{PR®® path}, heading due west, following very sparse yellow markings. The path then descends in a north-westerly direction. You’ll come out onto the road. The car park is on the right (S/E).

From Perpignan, head towards Le Boulou via the D900. Then, via the D115, continue towards Céret, Amélie-les-Bains and Arles-sur-Tech. Carry on and, before reaching Le Tech, turn sharply left onto the D44. Please note that the road is very winding. Pass through Serralongue and carry on along the D44 to the end of the road at Lamanère.

This is a mid-mountain area. So, as you’d expect, you’ll need: windproof clothing, water, snacks, route details, a description of the route, a map, a GPS, a camera, good walking shoes and a walking stick.

There are no water sources along the walk. A drinking water tap is available in the village.

(¹)^GR®® T or Grande Randonnée Transfrontalière (Cross-border Long-distance Walk), marked in red and white.

From Lamanère (1) to Coll de Malrens (3): no difficulty. Then, up to La Chapelle (13), the GPX track is required, although the route is clearly visible on the OSM base map. The final section of the walk to the start/finish point (S/E) follows a signposted^PR®® trail.
Please note two things: Observed in July 2024.
-^1st: the path is badly rutted after the Col de Malrens (3).
-^2nd: two livestock guard dogs present after Puig de Coma Negra from (9)
=> It seems wiser to do a return trip to Puig de Coma Negra from Lamanère.

Situated in the Pyrénées-Orientales, in Haut Vallespir, the village of La Menara (Lamanère in French) is the southernmost village in mainland France and Northern Catalonia! At an altitude of some 800 m, in the foothills of Canigó (extract from the Lamanère town hall website)