www.vernet-les-bains.fr. A small spa in the woods, Vernet spills down to the River Cady as it rushes through the lower town past several plain, modern hotels. The town is a popular starting point for expeditions up Canigou, and to the other main sight in the area, the isolated Abbaye de Saint-Martin-du-Canigou. It is a steep hike up to the abbey from Casteil (2.5 km south via the D116), winding around the slopes of Canigou to a huddle of ochre and grey slate roofs perched on a walled outcrop at 1,094 m. Founded in the 10thC the abbey buildings are now occupied by Spanish monks. Tours visit the 11thC church built over an earlier chapel, and the restores cloister. The tombs of the abbey’s founder Guifred de Cerdagne and his wife lie carved in rock outside the church.