Collada de Toses and the Cerdanya

The N-260 is the Eix Pirinenc, the road that runs the length of the Spanish Pyrenees, and the section over the Collada de Toses is its best. From Ribes de Freser it climbs to 1,800 m and drops into the Cerdanya, 49 km of two-lane road with proper width, a good surface and sightlines that let you read the corners. Jeremy Clarkson has called it his favourite road; Catalan drivers have known for decades.

Barcelona to Ribes de Freser is 120 km on the C-17, about an hour and a half. The climb starts immediately: through the Freser gorge, up past Planoles, then a long sequence of open hairpins to the summit hotel. La Molina and Masella, the ski resorts, sit just off the road; in summer their car parks are empty and the views are the same.

Descend to Puigcerdà, the Cerdanya's small capital with a lake and a French border you can walk across, then take the N-260 west along the valley through Bellver de Cerdanya and turn south onto the C-16 for the Túnel del Cadí, a 5 km toll tunnel under the range. From there the C-16 runs down through Berga to Barcelona.

The Turbo S is in its element here: the road is wide enough for its width, the corners are third-gear, and Sport Plus is justified above the tree line. Check the pass status in the shoulder months.