Day 61: Col de l'Ouillat to Banyuls-sur-mer

Waking up before sunrise as excited as if it were Christmas for one last day of hiking and hoping to beat the storm that was due in the afternoon, packing up our bags and heading out into glorious views of the mountains still mantled in the clouds that slunk in last night, heading into sunny woods and up through a forest to a ridge which we went up and down and up and down repeatedly over the morning, the mountains lining up behind us like a goodbye salute, feeling so lucky for such a good last day but then dealing with the usual crappy stony paths that trip you and make you slide and being glad the end was almost in sight, meeting a friendly NZ couple who just set off from East to West (good luck!), persistent cloud due east that veiled the views of the Mediterranean until the last col when suddenly it appeared below in the blue haze, one last tiny frog, a huge furry caterpillar, a fly by raven and a hot and long descent that went up far too many times through aromatic herbs, cacti, vineyards and olive trees with Banyuls growing bigger all the time, finally arriving at sea level, passing a ceramic tile painting that celebrates the path, dipping our toes in the med, and checking into our hotel just as the first claps of thunder erupted and the storm to end all storms got started (an epic end to an epic journey ), sipping champagne and reflecting on our adventures... so it's goodbye GR10 - you were tricksy, sometimes a bit too steep, always full of surprises and ultimately a beautiful path through an awesome mountain range. Pyrénées forever!! And for this adventure at least... The End.

Day 60: Las Illas to Col de l'Ouillat.

Waking up in Colin the tent for probably the last time this trip, eating a huge chocolate marble cake for brekkie, getting immediately bamboozled by the GR10 which had apparently been rerouted since the guide was published (and definitely since the map got printed- we somehow got sold a version printed in 1993 so it is pretty obselete. good thing its only for a small section!), heading up forest tracks where sheep roamed in a confused lost sort of way, past allotments where pumpkins of all shapes and sizes were piled high, blue skies and sandy paths, scents of lavender, thyme and and unknown herb that smelt like men's aftershave filling the air, passing ruins and a huge fortress, arriving at Col de Perthus, a weird Spanish bordertown full of discount outlet shops, duty free emporiums and vast supermarkets selling ginormous bottles of cheap booze and finding a cute café that made omelette sandwiches, heading out under a huge autoroute into the afternoon sun where the air had turned heavy and sticky and butterflies whirled about in frantic pairs, trudging up dry trails and rocky paths as the mountains behind bathed in a haze of cloudy mist, a bull blocking the way, cows ushering a teeny tiny new calf who was all legs off the path, turning into a slightly cooler woods and finding first a single four leaf clover that had been nibbled into lace by a hungry insect and then a patch of at least 11 more and many five leaf clovers too, the path careering madly uphill through scrubby bushes and yellow flowers, turning around to discover a magical cloud sea had been busy rolling in behind and below us, filling the valleys back west with thick white waves and turning mountain peaks into impossible hazy islands in the sky, a last jaunt through a beech wood, then a sweet chestnut wood where the floor was crunchy with leaves and arriving at the col where we are staying at a gîte d'étape and have roasted all the chestnuts we've been busy gathering the last couple of days...

Day 58: Resting in Arles-sur-Tech

Having our minds made up about whether or not to have a rest day by booming crashes of thunder ricocheting around the mountains waking us before our alarms went off, rain pouring heavily for hours to confirm our decision, popping into town for a last batch of supplies, the sun coming out to dry our laundry (hooray!), and we're off to do our usual two nights in a row in the only restaurant in town after exploring the pretty old streets.

Day 57: Refuge de Cortalets to Arles-sur-tech

 Leaving our prison outhouse (we realised as we left that it had prison bars on the window)/mountain "refuge" and setting off onto paths with spectacular views of the valleys below and snowy Canigou looking as awesome as a mountain ever has above, spending most of the day descending (2100m altogether) which, on the GR10 also means a lot of climbing because just like George Michael said "you gotta get up to get down", finding an old plane crash site where the wreckage has melded with the rockface, crossing many waterfalls and bouldery bits, a weirdo in a turtleneck following us for ages with a camera – no matter how slow or fast we went he was there right behind us like a freaky shadow –, the path switching between thoroughly reasonable underfoot to goblin paths of slippery rocky hell on and off all day, a kestrel hovering, choughs zooming by, a huge toad making me jump as he jumped, red leafy trees, another closed "refuge" where patou dogs literally surrounded us as we ate our lunch, a hippy telling us about a magical tipi around the corner but not having time to stop and investigate, the landscape changing dramatically over the day from wintry snow peaks to vivid damp multicoloured autumnal forests to Mediterraneanesque rocks of pale sandy colours, eggshell blue lichen, palest green shrubs, pink heath and pine trees, our knees and feet getting totally ruined by the incessant descent, a baffling amount of rain, a slap up dinner which was much needed as we have eaten all our food again and realising the end is in sight... but not yet here. We must march onwards! 

***

In Arles-sur-Tech we camped at the Camping du Riuferrer  which was very quiet – not that surprising given the fact that it was now October. There was a separate section for hikers in a little glade. The sanitaires were clean and the campsite peacefully situated near a river. It was about ten minutes walk into the small town of Arles.

In Arles we found another excellent local restaurant, Les Caves Mouragues where we feasted on huge homemade pizzas and treated ourselves to some well earned digestifs. If you are hiking the GR10 West to East I advise you to go and get yourselves a meal here. 

The vital statistics:
Total hiking time: 8h20
Peak: 2185m
Total ascent: 270m
Total descent: 2186m

Day 53: Lac des Bouillouses to the Cabane de l'Orri

Setting out over the barrage on the lake and into a Christmas tree pine forest, our boots making satisfying little crunch crunch crunch noises as we trod on frosty blades of grass, stepping occasionally on frozen puddles that cracked and shattered into crooked shards, good flat wide paths for stamping along at a good pace, a frog, a coal tit, a great tit, ski lifts and wooden chalets then down into flowery Bolquère where we finally found a good restaurant for omelettes, heading out on a warm sunny track past pretty meadows, rowan berries and rosehips galore again, through two more pretty villages, almost staying at the 2nd one but pressing on up into a lightfilled forest past another aggressive patou dog, 2 hunters with guns :( and down into a darker murky woodland with dodgy paths where the sound of some weird wailing creatures could be heard all around (we eventually worked out they were cows although they sound more like distressed hell beasts), past autumnal patchwork mountainsides down to a lovely spot by a river to camp and rest our tired selves after a long day and many kilometres. 

***

We were happy to start the day in the warmth of our hotel, making the most of the serve-yourself buffet breakfast before we set off into the frosty winter wonderland that awaited us outside. Much of the morning was spent in forest, before we reached another ugly ski station: this time, Pyrenees2000. Then it was down into the pretty little town of Bolquère, which, like so many of the small mountain towns that we passed through, promised more than it delivered in the way of civilization. The local shop was very much shut and despite the fact that a local auberge was open and serving food to many customers, it was not actually open unless you had already reserved a table. Luckily, we found a second option for lunch in the way of a hotel that also had a restaurant: the Hotel Lassus. The staff were incredibly friendly and welcoming and we had an excellent lunch of omelettes and fried potatoes. Luckily I noticed a note on the menu, proudly announcing that their potatoes are so fried in duck fat (!) and therefore not veggie friendly. Yuck. Anyway, I explained that we were vegetarian and asked if we could have boiled potatoes instead and after a look of deep confusion the waitress happily suggested that we could have potatoes fried in olive oil instead. A useful reminder that it is always worth checking these things and studying the menu carefully if you want to avoid inadvertent animal products slipping into your food.

On a side note, the two men with guns that we passed in the woods later in the afternoon were further proof that the hunting season had started in earnest. It's really rather unsettling to happen upon people with guns in the middle of nowhere.

The vital statistics:
Total hiking time (including our rather long lunch): 8h47
Peak: 1994m
Total ascent: 759m
Total descent: 944m

Day 52: Coma d'Anyell to Lac des Bouillouses

Last night the moon emerged from over the mountainside whilst we had our fire and it was so bright it lit the whole valley up like a magic silvery grey negative version of day; another parallel moon world. Today we woke up cosy in our new thermals despite the frost that had formed outside the tent, we set off up the valley all golden in the sunlight, with rocky peaks all around, and a wee murky lake, where vultures circled and rows of mountains stood in line on the horizon back west, reaching the Coll de Coma d'Anyell (2470m) and descending into a totally different landscape — orange grassy marshes, a huge dark grey lake and darker mountains beyond — reaching the bottom where we had lunch and the temperature dropped and up we went climbing a steep slope to the Portella de la Cerava (2426m) past pink granite mounds and the distant yip of marmots, down into yet another valley where the rocks were deep purply black and a plain stretched off into the distance, all golden grass and the deep green of pine trees, thunder clapping in the valley we had left behind and us marching onwards and downwards on pleasant paths past more hidden marmots, my ankle buckling and twisting, the path eventually turning and meeting the huge lac des Bouillouses which we walked along as rain started and turned to hail and the ground quickly saturated and the air filled with the scent of damp pine needles, reaching a huge refuge/hotel and getting a lovely snug room where I bashed my shin on the sharp bedpost (my right leg is now just one big painful bundle of silliness. I complain but its not serious) and we feasted and sheltered whilst the sky cleared and did pretty sunset things.

***

It was too cold and wet to pitch Colin the tent at the end of the day (plus we had entered a national park, so there were limitations about where exactly you can pitch a tent and we wouldn't have been able to have fire), so we checked ourselves into the hotel Bones Hores, a dramatic and historic building with amazing views over the lake. We sipped americanos in the cosy bar and feasted at the restaurant, happy to be inside, our bags and clothes drying off in the cosy warmth.

By the lake, right before the hailstorm

The vital statistics:
Total hiking time: 5h45
Peak: 2468m
Total ascent: 661m
Total descent: 732m

Day 50: Resting in Ax-les-thermes

 

A day of eating, buying thermals for cold mountain nights and thermal spa-ing. And more pizza of course.

 ***

The Thermal spa at Ax-les-Thermes, Les Bains du Couloubret is second to none! It was 15 euros for two hours and worth every centime. There were so many different pools and areas - a huge indoor pool with various jets, a series of outdoor pools (fabulous in the warm September sun), a whirlpool, a bubbling jacuzzi pool, a huge hammam, and so much more besides. I felt thoroughly pampered after my two hours there!

We finally decided to add some thermals to our kit as we had spent a few too many nights in a frozen tent and even with all our clothes on, it was getting much too cold. We also knew that it was not likely to get any cooler as we'd have to spend a few more nights above 2000m before we were done so buying thermals was the only sensible thing to do. Luckily there was a really good sale on at a hiking shop that was right by our campsite, Telemark Pyrenees, and, after trying on half the shop, I decided on a set of thermals by Woolpower - green leggings and a grey jumper. They are seriously toasty, particularly when layered up with other clothes. Although this brand is rather pricey, I would definitely recommend them as they are soft, comfy and really easy to wash (despite being 60% merino wool, you can wash them up to 60 degrees celsius if you need to). Nothing beats being cosy in a tent!

Day 49: La vallée du Montiguillou to Ax-les-thermes (via Merens-les-vals)

Waking up cold to another frosty morning, feeling extra tired and sore from yesterday's bouldering episode, walking down what was effectively a waterfall before the valley finally turned nice (not that we'll forget its darker side any time soon), people gathering bilberries in the sunshine, the lake looking all pretty and reflective, stopping to cook spicy instant noodles and a herd of horses taking a keen interest - this was our 3rd ambush since we started hiking and the most invasive yet: bags were licked, clothes were nibbled and spatulas were whole-heartedly chewed before being discarded. At least 60% of our possessions have now been violated by horses! Marching towards Merens-les-vals, a town the guide had us believe was a thriving metropolis, discussing all the food we would buy there (supplies were down to just 3 cuppa soups and some plain couscous. No chocolate left whatsoever. Dire) only to discover that the only shop in this one street village closed for "winter" 11 days ago, despair, tears, and then putting our brilliant minds together to form a new plan: simply hop on a bus to the nearest actual town and camp there for two nights, resupplying and resting before coming back to the GR10 the day after tomorrow. So that's we are doing. The campsite here is perfect (a little peaceful hill for hikers so Colin feels right at home), we bought all the food in the supermarket, found an excellent pizzeria and a owl is hooting whilst the moon glows. Oh and it just so happens to be another thermal spa town so no complaints from me ;)

***

After the disappointment of Merens-les-Vals, Ax-les-Thermes did not disappoint. There are supermarkets, cafés and restaurants galore. We ventured to a campsite slightly out of the main town which was rather lovely indeed - Camping Le Malezou.

We found an absolutely amazing restaurant for dinner - la Trattoria, where we feasted like happy happy hikers

P.S. Unfortunately I don't seem to have recorded the vital statistics for this day
:(

Day 47: Angaka to Andorra (a river valley near Inclès)

Waking up in our cosy yurt, emerging to misty cloud, breakfasting and leaving origami birds for the yurt lady, making good progress on the plateau de Beille where the paths are cross country ski slopes in the winter, mountains of all shapes and sizes peaking out from the sea of clouds below, a raven perched on a post, etorki sarnies for first lunch, clambering over bouldery paths, up golden sandy coloured grass banks that were dotted with the red autumn foliage of myrtille bushes, heading up and along a crête that gave amazing views either side of jagged teethlike ridges and lakes and their wiggly inlets impossibly far below, choughs squawking as they flew by, vertigo related panicking from me when the path did stupid things and much reassurance from Gavin, heading down to the refuge de Ruhle where the cloudsea tide came in fully overhead shutting off all views, second lunch cooked by the sleepy gardien who had been napping -omelettes, mmm! - then out into the mist for a wee diversion off the GR10 to Andorra, passing two lakes but seeing nothing but cloud until we peaked over the Port to Andorra where a marmot yipped but stayed hidden and the sun shone down on a beautiful valley where the tent is pitched, a fire is lit and the sky glowed pink as it disappeared…
 

***

Our golden Andorran valley

Before heading into Andorra we popped into the Refuge de Ruhle for a late lunch. We managed to procure some very tasty omelettes and wine once the gardien had woken up from his nap! At this point we were still uncertain about whether to bivouac near the refuge or press on to Andorra, but our decision was confirmed when the gardien told us that there was a snow warning in place for places over 2100m – which included the refuge itself. We could see from the map that it would be possible to descend much lower to wild camp in Andorra, and that's what we did. It was a very windy night, but no signs of snow whatsoever – and we kept ourselves warm in the evening with a wee campfire. If weather conditions are better and you're not interested in diverting off the GR10, it is possible to bivouac near the refuge.

The Vital Statistics:
Total hiking time: 8h45
Peak: 2400m
Total ascent: 1095m
Total descent: 880m

Day 44: L'Etang de Bassiès to Auzat

Letting the sun warm us and dry the tent before we emerged into the day, thousands of tiny crystal rainbows shimmering as the breeze blew through sunny dew drops on the long grass, the lakes below bathing in misty clouds, huge banks of soft pink heather spilling out between the giant silver boulders and soft yellow grass, dark green pine trees lined up like a Christmas tree parade, clouds dancing around distant peaks as I wandered and pondered it all trying to imprint the colours and light onto my mind's eye to keep forever and always, stumbling down dusty stone paths, leaving the GR10 and its weird North-South ways to go East, chasing speckled woods and red admirals and other pretties, a stupid bee flying into Gavin's boot and stinging his leg, a pretty floral village where Gavin had a close encounter with a kingfisher that flew off before I could spy it, wagtails wagging, dippers dipping, so many pumpkin patches, a peaceful campsite with a friendly dog, an absolutely amazing bottle of wine and dinner in the village which included a cheese course where the waitress just brought out half a huge cheese and let me slice as much I wanted... 

***

The GR10 does weird things in the Arriège region: it has several confusing branches; it spends entire days taking you North and South rather than head East; it leads you through several ghost towns. After waking up to our tent freezing (again) we wanted to make some sort of progress before winter arrived, so we opted out of a huge North-South loop and followed a local path instead. This led us to a town called Auzat, where we set up camp in a very quiet campsite, Camping La Vernière and went out for a lovely meal in a restaurant in the village: La Tabled'Arconac. It had an entirely meaty menu and The restaurant were a little hesitant when it came to veggie options, but we managed to negotiate a rather tasty salad (I think it involved requesting that it came without ham, and the waitress offered to replace it with cheese or eggs). The noteworthy thing was the cheese course tho. Seriously, this is what I was presented with….

So good.

The vital statistics:
Total hiking time: 5h17
Peak: 1638m
Total ascent: 75m
Total descent: 984m

Day 35: Melles to l'Etang d'Araing

 

Waking up to rain, the sun coming out as we walked along a long and winding road, a screeching woodpecker, a creepy doll perched on the garden wall of the only house we'd seen for miles, tough steep forest paths, buttery noooodles for lunch by a waterfall, the biggest frog we've seen in a while, emerging from the forest to rewarding views due west back where we've been, the landscape changing to high mountain plateaus of golden grass and boggy marshes, vultures overhead, 4 isards/deer leaping about down below, a kestrel hovering about, finally cresting a col and heading down to a lakeside refuge for a 3 course feast with friendly fellow ramblers before pitching our tent.

***

Beautiful views on the path up to the Etang d'Araing

After realising that we couldn’t restock or find anywhere to stay in Fos the previous day we were a bit worried about supplies running out and where we would camp. I called up the refuge http://www.refuge-araing.fr/ at the Etang d’Araing because I had heard that some refuges in the Arriege area will sell hikers supplies. The gardien said that as it was nearing the end of the season, he couldn’t sell us supplies but that we were welcome to eat there. So we booked ourselves in for dinner and breakfast and also ordered a sandwich for the next day. Up to this point we had only eaten in refuges for lunch when you can usually just turn up and buy omelettes and sandwiches. Evening meals are a bit different – you have to reserve and you don’t get a choice of what you eat as one meal is prepared for everybody that is staying. It is even more imperative to call ahead if you are veggie as this will involve them preparing a separate dish. The meal at the refuge Araing was really tasty – 3 courses including veggie soup, an omelette and ratatouille and homemade mint chocolate cake. It was an interesting experience to eat dinner at the refuge as it meant we met other hikers that were staying there and to got to hear about their adventures. It was very convivial with everybody sitting around one table and serving each other the food. We got top tips from hikers coming in the other direction about potential resupply sources and must-see places. And then afterwards we got to wander back out under the stars to our tent for a peaceful nights sleep by a beautiful blue lake.

Altogether dinner, breakfast and lunch and showers for two people came to just over 60 euros (pitching the tent outside the refuge was free) so it wasn’t cheap but it was a bit of a change from our usual cooking routine and the gardien gave us some useful advice about where we were going next… 

The vital statistics:
Total time hiking: 6h32
Peak: 2185m
Total ascent: 1477m
Total descent: 257m

Day 34: Forest by cabane d'Artigue to Melles

Sleepy forest mornings, paths that went up instead of down but then zigzagged peacefully under pine trees for an hour, arriving in Fos, the village that promised much (a shop, a restaurant, a campsite, a bakers, a hotel) and delivered nothing but an eery deserted gîte d'étape where we spent a weird hour waiting; nobody came except a Belgium hiker who was equally confused so we left money for the coffee we had made and continued on to the flowery village of Melle in the sunshine and found an amazing auberge with friendly owners who fed us very well and gave us local bivouacing secrets courtesy of their collie

***

The vital statistics: 
Time spent hiking: 5h30 
Peak: 1293m  
Total ascent: 314m 
Total descent: 862m

Day 31: Lac de Saussat to Bagnères-de-Luchon

 

Waking up super cosy in our tent, marmots yipping outside, Gavin opening the door to reveal perfect mirrored reflections of the lake and the first frost (we were camping above 2000m), coffee then 2nd coffees at the refuge, back to the Gr10, views of the Lac d'Oô from above before the cloud swirled in, climbing up and over a horquette then down again and up again over a col, the temperature rising and falling repeatedly requiring many costume changes, finally some glimpses of nature after days of rain, flurries of black butterflies, flocks of choughs screeching overhead, a solitary raven, vultures and dung beetles galore, crumbly cheese sarnies with views of Spanish mountains, another depressing ski station (Super Bagnères), a weirdo man trying to stroke a cow and the cow not being at all impressed, descending gently through a beautiful forest, a shy deer bounding off, the rooftops of Luchon coming into view, and a peaceful campsite with a field almost entirely of our own to rest in tomorrow and a late night visit from a hedgehog who snuffled around outside our tent.

***

In Bagnères-de-Luchon we stayed in a lovely little campsite that is about ten minutes walk from the centre of town and very conveniently located if you intend to visit the Thermal spa (and you should!): Camping des Thermes They have a special separate field for tents that is set back from the rest of the campsite where the camping cars are parked. It’s peaceful and secluded and a great place to stay for a rest day. The sanitaires were tip-top and the woman who ran the campsite was very helpful when it came to using the laundry facilities.



The vital statistics: 
Time 7h51 
Peak: 2279m 
Total ascent: 679m  
Total descent: 1955m

Day 30: Granges d'Astau to Lac Saussat

 

Saying goodbye to the PJs after breakfast (they're off back to civilization, warmth and sanity!), the sunshine reappearing less than half an hour after they had gone, heading up a nice track, catching my right shoe on a sharp edge and the whole thing ripping open, bursting into tears (we're two days walk from the next town!) then finding the whole thing hilarious, the nice refuge lady wrapping my foot in duct tape after we devoured delicious omelettes, a glorious waterfall cascading into the lac d'oô, a beer at the refuge de lac espingo, setting up our tent at the lac d'astau where another waterfall cascades, the cloud sinking down as we lit an awesome fire that warmed us right through as we ate enough spicy noodles for 4 people!

Close-up of that ripped open useless boot!

***

If you're hiking this section and wondering which of the refuges to visit, I can highly recommend the Refuge d'Oô, situated by the Lac d'Oô. They were super friendly, made amazing omelettes and the view of the turquoise blue lake is incredible. The lady who served us was so kind and sympathetic when I showed her my ripped open boot. She found some duct tape and lovingly wrapped my foot up, like a nurse tending to a distressed patient. 

The refuge further up that was closer to where we stayed gave us a much frostier reception - literally and figuratively. It was freezing inside and the gardien was not the friendliest, even when we were happily spending money there....
 
The vital statistics: 
Total hiking time: 5h 
Peak: 1959m 
Total ascent: 860m 
Total descent: 119m

Day 28: Vielle-Aure/St-Lary-Soulan to Loudenvielle

A late start after suggesting a nice gentle short half-day of walking just over the hill to the next village to Nick and Katie and then facing our soggiest worst weather conditions yet... climbing steep paths to a village in the clouds, pre-lunch refreshments at an auberge with happy sunflowers, emerging into gentle rain with collies to guide us on our way, seeking out a suitable spot for lunch, the rain getting heavier, deciding "suitable" meant a soggy spot under the nearest tree as the rain began to pour and the path turned into a stream, Nick uttering the words "well at least that thunderstorm in the forecast hasn't hit us yet" and seconds later boom ! Thunderbolts of lightning! Increasingly soggy feet, negotiating muddy quagmires and Gavin's boot sinking totally under the mud, cresting the col and heading down through ferny moorland, zigzag paths overlooking the village as the rain finally died down, excellent hanging baskets to cheer us up as we entered the town seeking warmth and shelter and finding a cosy B&B for the night and an excellent restaurant for dinner.

***

We stayed in a lovely Chambres d’hôtes, Les Noisetiers which was warm, cosy, charming and run by a lovely couple who prepared the most amazing breakfast the next morning. There were so many kinds of jam and honey, including a chestnut one which was absolutely incredible

We ate dinner in a quirky restaurant called Le Chante-Coq They had an excellent wine list and were perfectly happy to prepare us a veggie meal even though there was nothing on the menu.



The Vital statistics:
Total hiking time: 5h51
Peak: 1608m
Total ascent: 781m
Total descent: 621m

Day 24: Gavarnie to Luz-Saint-Saveur.

 

Feasting for breakfast, wandering through Gavarnie, urban marmots on the outskirts to show us back into the hills, a red squirrel, a swallowtail butterfly, a cooling breeze making the golden grass dance and keeping us cool as we climbed up the side of a mushroom covered mountain, the Cirque de Gavarnie ever-present and ever-epic behind us, good coffees at a gîte, lunch in the shade before the path suddenly became a scratchy gauntlet with different thorns on either side and scarlet red grasshoppers leaping about, descending into a glorious forest with sunbeams dancing through the leaves then descending again into lightless, viewless, soulless, stony, awful goblin tunnels down to a D road that was as hot as it was long, terrifying scarecrows and posters advertising local cake (I've never been more terrified at the prospect of cake), songs to spur us on blasted out of my phone before finally arriving at a campsite where we are camped by a 12th century castle and have eaten like kings. A very long day!

 ***

We stayed in this campsite, the Camping Toy - very central with views of the castle across the river

This pizzeria, Che Coulet, in Luz-Saint-Saveur was so good we ate here twice.

The vital statistics:
Total hiking time: 9h30
Peak: 1825m
Total ascent: 866m
Total descent: 1475m

Day 20: Resting in Cauterets

Sleeeeeeeping, resting and napping whilst firecracker lightening boomed though the valley and rainbows appeared, lazing about after a long week of many mountains climbed and then enjoying a very very tasty pre-niversary meal and some fancy drinks.



 

***

The Camping Vignemale was a lovely peaceful campsite in the last week of August. Excellent pitches, only about 10 minutes walk into town and clean sanitaires where the radio was always playing a happy song.

We went to the Pizzeria Gril Giovanni both nights that we stayed in Cauterets. It was delicious – we tried an amazing buffalo mozzarella salad for starters and the pizza and the pasta were incredibly fresh and tasty. A special mention must also be made of their Kir à la myrtille which I very much enjoyed as an aperitif. Sadly, we didn’t manage to eat a dessert as we were so full – but they looked delicious. Lots of veggie options and super friendly staff.

Day 19: Estaing to Cauterets

Devouring local honey and homemade jam at breakfast, second coffees at a geranium/begonia filled restaurant terrace, climbing through dark quiet pine forests and into the hot sun, up, up, up surrounded by epic views and purple flowers, powered by mars bars, past waterfalls and more marmots (hooray!) to the col d'Ilhéou (2242m) where rows of ragged peaks appeared on the horizon, continuing down to the blue blue lac d'Ilhéou where the refuge people cooked us some damn tasty omelettes and proved once again that it is possible to procure wine in very remote places, finding baby lizards, descending more stony paths in the hot sun past wild raspberry bushes, ugly ski lifts and crazy big waterfalls into Cauterets, finding a pretty campsite to rest in, devouring pizza and marvelling at the madness of ultra runners who are halfway thru a 160km route...

The vital statistics:
Totak time hiking: 9h21
Peak: 2243m
Total ascent: 1245m
Total descent: 1368m

Day 14: Valley above the bois du Braca d'Azuns to Borce via Lescun

Waking up in a sunfilled paradise valley, washing in a freezing mountain stream, wandering down through peaceful woods, kids getting donkey rides (I wanted one), coffees and epic views at a refuge, battling through sticky mud patches, emerging into sunny meadows, a giant cicada, cheese and chips & crème brulée & rosé in the quirky town of Lescun (good bunting and arty signs everywhere) up over the col de Barracq through woods and past angry patou dogs defending their flock of sheep, all the way down to Borce where we've pitched our tent at an awesome gîte where there is a veggie falafel van and much real ale for Gavin and an owl hooting us to sleep.

 ***

The Refuge de l’Abérouat were more than happy to serve us huge bowls of coffee mid-morning. We sat and sipped them in the hot sun, marvelling at the incredible views of rocky mountains that could be seen from the terrace.

We managed to find an excellent vegetarian lunch at a very friendly restaurant in Lescun (the name of which completely escapes me now), despite there being nothing advertised on the menu. It’s always worth asking restaurants if they can prepare an “assiette vegetarian”, even in tiny villages. The usual response is a dramatic gasp, a series of “ooh la la!” exclamations, a look of horror and then a perfectly lovely sounding suggestion. Make sure to emphasize that vegetarian does not mean you eat fish, or indeed ham.

The gîte d’étape in Borce, Le Communal has gone down in legend in our cross-pyrennean hike. The staff were really friendly, they charged us just 2 euros to bivouac in their back garden, the bar featured an extensive range of beers and ales, the shop had a huge amount of useful supplies and was open the whole time the bar was so you could turn up late/early and still get food. The best bit was the Falafel van that was parked outside – it was, quite simply, one of the best veggie meals we ate for the whole two months. The guy even had a vegan burger on the menu! We had one of those and some falafel, with tasty potatoes chips drizzled in his homemade garlic mayo and it was seriously delicious. All made with local, homegrown produce and served with a smile. He was there for one month this year (2015) - if you’re luckily enough to catch the Falafelo man in his falafel van in the future, consider yourself a lucky hiker indeed...

The vital statistics:
Total hiking time:9h39
Peak: 1611m
Total ascent: 1909m
Total descent: 1806m