Through this page I hope to pass on some of my knowledge of the Pyrenees and the HRP, gained from a combination of research before I went and first-hand experience whilst I was there. Also a bit of information about how I chose to tackle it. The weather was unusually hot this summer following a winter with above average snow cover, so in future years you might find the conditions to be significantly different to those that I experienced. If you are planning a visit then I hope this helps to supplement your own research. I also recommend reading some of the excellent guidebooks listed in the bibliography section.

I've arranged this section all on one page so you can either read it all sequentially (if you're really keen) or use the links below to jump to the bits that interest you. If you want to know more then feel free to drop me an e-mail using the link in the address bar at the foot of each page.

The Haute Randonnée Pyrénéene (HRP) passes through some of the most deserted and spectacularly scenic regions in all of Europe. The route runs from Hendaye on the Atlantic coast across the tops of the Pyrenees to end at Banyuls-sur-Mer on the Mediterranean. It sticks as close as possible to the France/Spain border which roughly follows the watershed of the range. The traverse involves about 45 days hiking, plus any rest days or days off needed to restock with provisions.

I've struggled to find statistics on the HRP. I guess the people that have done it don't get hung up on such things. It's shorter but much harder than the GR10 or GR11, both of which are lower level routes that follow well marked paths and tracks. From studying the maps I reckon the HRP is at least 800km long and includes a cumulative ascent of about 50,000m.

The HRP is one of three routes which cross the Pyrenees from ocean to sea; the other two being the GR10 which always stays on the French side of the frontier, and the GR11 which is its counterpart and is entirely within Spain. The two GR routes are generally well waymarked by signs and red-and-white paint flashes, and they keep to well defined paths, tracks and in some places roads. The HRP, in contrast, is rarely waymarked and it has sections where the path is indistinct or non-existent on the ground. The HRP is certainly much more rugged and requires greater competence and confidence at travelling over steep rocky ground, snow and ice. It also requires you to carry more. You don't have to camp, but there are several places where accommodation is hard to find if you don't.

Having said that, in other ways the GR routes should not be considered a 'soft' option. The requirement for them to remain within their respective country means that they sometimes have to deviate around historical anomolies in the frontier resulting in both routes being longer than the HRP. Also they are designed to provide a bed to sleep in each night which often means lengthy deviations to find a village or hostel with an associated loss of altitude, which must be regained the following day. Losing altitude often means higher temperatures or dropping into the cloud when the higher mountains are enjoying a cool breeze or bright sunshine.

So, which is best for you? Well that really depends what you are looking for. If you are looking for the ultimate challenge that trekking in Europe can give you, then the HRP is for you. And I would recommend carrying the extra weight and camping out as I did. But don't expect it to be a nice holiday. It's tough going and you will spend days looking down at where to put your feet rather than wandering along looking at the view. The advantage is that you will see more wilderness and really get absorbed in it.

If you're not looking for a big 'macho' challenge, and want to enjoy a long trek and see the infinate variety of stunning scenery that the Pyrenees has to offer then I would recommend one of the GR routes. You can spend less time worrying about the navigation, less time stumbling over boulders watching your feet, and more time enjoying yourself and looking at the view. If you are doing one of the GR routes I would opt for travelling light and leave the tent at home. That will more than make up for having to descend into the valley at the end of each day.

As for which GR route to do? Well, on the GR10 you will get to speak French and enjoy the excellent facilities on the French side of the border. The villages and towns provide Gite d'Etapes which specifically cater for GR10 walkers and in the mountains the network of CAF huts is excellent. The downside is that you will spend a fair amount of time walking in cloud and mist.

On the GR11 I don't believe the facilities are as well developed. In fact camping might still be a better option? Some of the Spanish huts that I called at were excellent, but others were a tad seedy. Many of the Spanish mountain villages were the epitome of traditional charm, but offered no commercial facilities whatsoever, so you might be relying on the good nature of the local inhabitants. On the upside, the weather is much more reliable in Spain and you are virtually guaranteed a suntan. I walked a few sections of the GR11 that coincide with the HRP and a lot of work was being done to improve the waymarking of the path. If the route is being improved and promoted then it is likely that the facilities will improve as well.

In summary, a few people have asked me if I would do the HRP again. No I wouldn't. I've been there and done that, and next time I want to spend less time suffering and more time enjoying it. I would certainly do one of the GR routes, and then include one or two deviations into the wilder bits of the Pyrenees. But then it's easy for me to say that....I've done it!

As with all big mountain regions the weather can be fickle both from day to day and year to year. I have met a few people who tried walking in the Pyrenees last year (2002) and experienced day after day of cloud and rain. I even heard tales of snow and blizzards in August! In contrast, this year has seen a hot & dry summer and I experienced temperatures upto 40 deg C in the valleys.

The western end of the Pyrenees usually get a fair amount of rainfall, and trekking through the Basque country you have got to expect a few days of low cloud and rain, even in the height of summer. The French side of the frontier is also a lot wetter than the Spanish side, and it is common to walk along the frontier ridge with cloud billowing below you to the North and a heat haze over the arid country to the South. If you are walking North of the border and getting day after day of cloud and rain, try moving South into Spain and you are likely to find the sun again.

Thunderstorms are frequent, especially in the Eastern Pyrenees where they are sparked off by the intense heat of the afternoon. During the last 3 weeks I aimed to be off the high ridges by 4pm, which was when the storms would typically start.

There is a huge range of temperatures in the high mountains too. Don't be fooled if you experience persistent high temperatures during your first week in the Basque country. When you are camped at 2700m in the middle of the Haute Pyrenees after an evening thunderstorm it can seem very cold, and I awoke on a few mornings to find frost on my tent.

The HRP passes through a huge range of different types of country and scenery, and though much of it is rocky and mountainous, there are also green valleys and beech woods, alpine forests and pastoral meadows. The weather varies too, from the damp Atlantic coast to the dry Mediterranean, and with these changes comes a huge variety of birds, animals and flowers. The high mountains are home to Griffon Vultures and Lammergeiers with 3 metre wingspans, Black Kites and Royal Eagles. Marmots live in the mountains, as do Izards (a relative of the Chamois), though sadly the Brown Bears are going the same way as the Lynx and the Wolves. The region is reknowned for it's wild flower meadows, including Gentians, Asters, Iris's and Orchids, plus hundreds of others. It is this variety that maintains the interest, and ensure that no matter how far you walk or how many times you return, there is always something new to see.

Mammals

The two predominant mammals are the Izard and the Marmots both of which I saw almost daily in the high mountains. The Izard were generally very timid and were usually seen running in the opposite direction. They are incredibaly nimble and can run at high speed across sliding scree slopes (despite their delicate looking legs) often disturbing a lot of rocks and making a lot of noise in the process. They were usually seen in social groups from two or three up to a dozen. They keep to the high ground during the day and were usually seen on the steep slopes and scree just below the summits and the tops of the ridges. However, they come down to drink in the high valleys during the evenings, and they came quite close to my tent on some evenings when I was camped out in wild spots.

The marmots were more often heard than seen, and their high pitched warning cry was a constant accompaniment in the Western Pyrenees National Park. In the more popular walking areas they were more tame and would sit up on their haunches and watch you walk past, ready to dart back into their burrows if you got too close. In the Cirque de Troumouse they were particularly tame and continued grazing whilst I walked past only a few metres away!

Birds

I was a little disappointed with the variety of birds that I saw in the mountains of the Central Pyrenees. I had expected to see a huge variety of birds of prey, and that wasn't the case. However, the Griffon Vultures, Lammergiers and Royal Eagles were hugely impressive. There were occassions when walking on high ridges or crossing high cols that the vultures would soar so close that I could hear the sound of the wind ruffling their feathers. At the sight, sounds and smells of a large group of vultures feeding off a carcass was very memorable!

Other regular sightings were Choughs and Ravens, the ubiquitous Pipits and huge numbers of Black Redstarts. Yellow Wagtails were common around the mountain streams and I saw a number of greenish finches which I took to be Siskin though I was never able to confirm this.

One of the highlights for me was seeing a large flock of Crossbills in the pine forests of Bouillouses in the Cerdagne valley. I had never seen a Crossbill before despite numerous trips to Scotland, and I have long wanted to see one. On this occassion I was able to sit outside my tent eating my dinner watching about 20 of them fed on pinecones in the surrounding trees whilst chirping noisily to each other.

I saw Red Kites and Black Kites in the Basque country, and what I think were Honey Buzzards. I am sure that I saw many other birds of prey along the way but wasn't clever enough to be able to identify them.

Reptiles & Amphibians

Lots of lizards, as you would expect, including one live Salamander and numerous dead ones that had been squashed on the roads. Mac and I also had a close encounter with a sizable Adder. We were relaxing in the sun outside the Wallon hut when everyone at the adjacent table leapt onto their chairs. Wondering what the fuss was all about we casually followed their frantic gesticulations (our French isn't up to much) and peered into the shadows under our table. There was a 2 foot long snake slithering past our feet! I've never climbed onto a chair so fast in all my life!!

Wherever the grass was long enough to hold moisture there seemed to be frogs of all shapes and sizes. It was a common sight to see them leaping out from under my feet as I walked along.

Insects

Of all the wildlife in the Pyrenees, I think it was the insects that impressed me the most. I never knew there were so many species of grasshopper, and there were billions and billions of them!! From the little brown jobs like we get in this country to big black ones with bright orange wings and bright green chaps with natty red legs. There were so many in some places that I appeared to push a bow wave in front of me as I walked through the grass. There were also an impressive number of crickets and cicadas, especially in the Eastern Pyrenees.

Biting insects were not as big a problem as I thought they might be. I went armed with a tropical grade repellant, but only felt the need to use it on one or two occassions. Mosquitoes were in evidence, and I picked up a few bites, but there were never large numbers of them. The biggest nuisance was the horseflies (clegs), but despite feeling them bite me a few times and swatting loads of them, I didn't get any bad bites. In the Basque region I came across a different species of horsefly to the usual cleg, which seemed particularly resistant to being swatted. I resorted to crushing them under my thumb - very unpleasant!

Camping

The big decision before you set out on a trek is 'to camp or not to camp'? To a large extent this is dependant on two issues:
(i) Personal preference - will the pleasure and convenience justify the extra weight carried?
(ii) Cost - have you already got all the camping equipment, and if not can you justify the investment against the cost of alternative accommodation on this trip and the likelihood that you will camp again in future?

For me it was a 'no-brainer'. I love wild camping and the Pyrenees were reputed to offer some of the best wild camping in Europe, I knew I was fit enough to be able to cope with the extra weight and on the HRP it would avoid having to drop into the valleys to find a bed for the night. Also, I had most of the gear already though I did invest in a new tent for this trip. The camping provided many of the highlights of my trek - it was definately the right thing for me to do.

On the other hand if you are walking the GR10 on a tight schedule and camping 'ain't your biscuit' then travel light and take pleasure in skipping past all those heavily laden backpackers as you tick off 20 miles a day! Each to their own.

If you do decide to camp then keep the gear to an absolute minimum! The majority of trekkers end up posting gear home after the first week, so save yourself the bother and postage and get it right before you go. I recommend one or two test trips in the UK before you set off, which will help with the fitness training too! Gill and I did the round of Mullardoch in the Central Highlands in blizzard conditions - that was a good test! For more info on gear see my Equipment section below.

There are very few restrictions to camping in the Pyrenees. In the National Parks wild camping is prohibited within one hours walk of access points, you are only allowed to stay in one spot for one night and you are only supposed to camp between specified times (7pm and 9am, I think). In practice this didn't restrict me much. When close to access points there was usually a refuge within reach with an official bivouac site.

All the French huts provide campsites next to the hut and allow you to use their toilet facilities and water supply for free. You can go and have your evening meal there too, which is usually very filling and good value (see Hut info below). The Club Alpine Francais and the French National Park both have a philosophy of providing facilities to help visitors and to care for the environment. In contrast, the Spanish huts actively discourage camping near their huts, presumably on the basis that you are depriving them of income. So camping in the Spanish National Parks might be more of a problem, but the HRP doesn't go through either of them so this wasn't a problem for me.

Outside the National Parks I didn't come across any restrictions to camping in the mountains in either France or Spain. Providing you respect peoples privacy and avoid cultivated land then you shouldn't have a problem. The most difficult area was during the first couple of days out of Hendaye in the Basque country, where water is in short supply and most of the land is cultivated or grazed by ponies. However, the locals were very friendly and provided me with drinking water on more than one occassion, and I found quiet spots to pitch the tent for a few hours without being intrusive.

Of course all the usual commonsense rules of wild camping apply. Never leave any sign that you have been there and take your litter with you. Be very careful about lighting fires. I only lit a campfire when I was in company on an official campsite, where we could see that other people had lit fires before us. It never seemed worth the effort when I was on my own.

In the towns and villages the commercial campsites usually have good facilities, and they are good places to have a shower and wash your clothes whilst you rest your feet and stock up with provisions. Most sites have toilets, showers, handbasins, laundry rooms and electicity points (where your can charge up your mobile phone). It will cost you about E10 for a pitch.

Huts and Refuges

There are 3 catagories of refuge in the Pyrenees indicated on the IGN maps:

• (i) Manned refuges; (map symbol - black hut with doorway) these have a guardian who looks after the hut and cooks meals. Sleeping accomodation is in a dormitory or a shared room with bunk beds and matresses. You will need to have a sheet sleeping bag or a sleeping bag. The evening meals are usually very filling and good value, generally based on traditional local dishes. Breakfasts are also available but are usually insubstantial and not such good value. Many huts also provide packed lunches and provisions for sale. Bringing and cooking your own food is accepted. Facilities usually include toilets (variable quality), drinking water and (in the bigger huts) washing facilities in cold water. Running hot water is a rare luxury in the mountains. In the busy season you might have to book in advance to be sure of a bed for the night.
• (ii) Unmanned refuges/Bothies; (map symbol - black hut without door) do not have a guardian but are maintained for exclusive use by walkers and climbers. Often they will be cared for by a local shepherd. Usually comprise of a well maintained building with one or more sleeping platforms with matresses of variable cleanliness and a supply of drinking water. No toilet facilites. Very similar to the Scottish bothies.
• (iii) Shepherds huts; (map symbol - outline of hut) are not really there to cater for walkers. They can be used to provide shelter in emergencies but you will often find a shepherd in residence during the summer.

The manned refuges are fantastic sources of food and provisions, and without them the HRP would be impractiable. I found the dormitory accommodation was often hot, stuffy and noisy so I preferred to camp, but I took advantage of the evening meals whenever they were available. Many of the huts have a lunch menu, so they are good places to stop off for lunch during the day too.

Prices are suprisingly reasonable when you consider that most of the supplies have to be either delivered by helicopter or brought up by donkey. At the manned huts a bed for the night will typically be about E10, the evening meal about E15-E20 and a breakfast about E6. Some of the unmanned huts have an honesty box and ask you to donate about E5 for a night.

The guardians are usually very friendly and helpful, and are great sources of information about the local area and the weather forecast. If your French/Spanish is as bad as mine, you will usually find someone who can speak English. The huts can contact each other via radio and the guardians are happy to book ahead for you to ensure there is a bed available that evening.

Gites and Hostels

The HRP doesn't visit many villages so there aren't many opportunities to use gites and I didn't get to know much about them. There seem to be various classifications from holiday homes that are booked out a week at a time to hostels with domitories. Of greatest interest to trekkers are the Gite d'Etape which are situated at the end of each stage on the GR routes. These are usually like a very good manned refuge with dormitories or shared rooms, but with hot running water and better facilities (i.e.showers and some comfortable seating). If you are planning to use a gite I would recommend obtaining the phone number and ringing ahead to book. You can never guarantee that the owner will be at home or that there will be spaces available.

One of the hardest things to do on a trekking trip is to carry everything you need whilst keeping your pack at a managable weight. There isn't a single correct answer either, because we are all able to put up with varying levels of discomfort and carry different weights of pack. As I have said before, my best advice is to test out your gear near home first with a couple of weekend trips to your local hills.

I found my equipment to be about right for me. I would have liked my pack to be a bit lighter, but couldn't think of anything that I was prepared to do without. In retrospect, I could have managed with a lighter weight waterproof and no waterproof trousers, but this year was exceptionally dry. Here is a list of what I took with me with supporting comments:

Clothing

Tilley hat - broad brimmed, kept off the sun and the rain and could be stuffed in the rucksack
Balaclava - could have done without it, but it helped keep me warm on a few cold nights
Gloves - lightweight windstoppers, not used often but essential in the mountains
T-shirt
Long sleeved shirt - Hard Wear Canyon shirt, lightweight and kept the sun off my arms. Fantastic!
Fleece - my trusty Alpinist, wouldn't be without it anywhere!
Underpants x 2 - wouldn't be without them either, one to wear while the others were washed
Trekking trousers - Hard Wear Pack Pants. The legs zipped off to make shorts. Proved to be tough and comfy.
Waterproof trousers - Rarely used on this trip, but essential in the mountains
Walking socks x 2 - kindly provided by Falke; I had very few blisters, which says it all!
Gortex jacket - a bit old, heavy and not very waterproof, but it kept the wind out on a number of occassions
Boots - Scarpa SL's. Provided plenty of support without being too heavy. Good kit
Sandals - Teva's; used around camp and to walk in on easy ground to give my feet some fresh air. Wouldn't have been without them.

Camping

Tent - Terra Nova Solar 2. I think the extra 1kg for a 2-person tent was worth it to live in comfort, and essential when Gill was with me.
Thermarest Ultralight- I've slept better when camping since I bought this a few years ago. Packs small too.
Sleeping Bag - Rab 3/4 season down bag. I've had it for years and it's still going strong
Pillowcase - A very small luxury item that helped me sleep when stuffed with my fleece top
Stove - I purchased a multifuel stove just before I went (see further notes below)
Pans - two lightweight non-stick, which doubled as plates/bowls
Cup - plastic
Cutlery - plastic knife, fork and spoon
Wooden spatula - to save the non-stick pans
Small cloth
Matches
Toilet Paper

Accessories

Wallet and money - I worked on about £10 a day when camping out to £30 a day when in refuges
Passport
Travel tickets and information - including useful phone numbers
Mobile Phone - my contact with home and worked well. I texted to save batteries
Walking poles - Essential for me when carrying a heavy pack over rough ground
Ice axe - Proved useful, especially as I did a few of the 3000ers
Compass
Altimeter watch - Suunto Altimax
Sunglasses - Julbo mountain glasses category 4
Headtorch
Water bottle - a 2 litre platypus with tube to allow drinking whilst walking
Maps - see below for more details
Guide book - Georges Veron's route description for the High Level Route
French & Spanish phrase books
Diary and pen
Writing paper and Envelopes
Camera - Olympus compact 35mm
Spare films - Fuji Sensia slide film. I limited myself to one 36 shot film per week.
Binoculars - Very small and light ones to spot the wildlife. I wouldn't be without them.
Penknife
Spare boot laces

Toiletries and First Aid

Small first aid kit - with all the usual basic items
Diarrhoea tablets
Water purification tablets - Chlorine tablets and neutralisers
Suntan cream - factor 15
Lipsalve - with sun block
Insect repellent - to keep the blighters off
Anthisan cream - in case the blighters got past my defences
Compeed - plasters to prevent and protect blisters
Toothbrush and toothpaste - the smallest I could find
Razor and oil - a luxury item, but I hate growing a beard!
General purpose soap - bio-degradeable and used for everything. Face, hands, body, hair, clothes, pans...you name it.
Small towel

All that lot was packed into a Lowe Alpine 75 litre Liberty rucsack, weighing in at about 20kg without food and water. When loaded up with food for a few days and a few litres of water I was carrying close to 30kg.

My gear generally performed well and stood up to the task. The biggest frustration was caused by my rucsack belt which kept popping open when under load. This was potentially dangerous when scrambling over steep ground and I ended up having to strap the buckle up and step out of the waist belt when taking my sack off. Lowe Alpine have now replaced it with an updated design.

The choice of what stove to take to the Pyrenees is tricky. Screw top gas canisters are hard to buy over there, and most people opt for the old fashioned puncture-top Gaz stove as these are easier to find. I opted for a multifuel stove which enabled me to burn diesel or unleaded petrol, but I found it a fiddle to use.

The best bits of kit were my tent, which performed brilliantly (thanks Terra Nova!) and my Platypus water bottle, which encouraged me to drink plenty of fluids.

If you want to find out more about the Pyrenees or the HRP then the list below gives the best sources of information that I have found.

• Pyrenees High Level Route by Georges Veron If you're going to walk the route this is a must-have guidebook for following the trail. Not much background information though.
• Walks and Climbs in the Pyrenees by Kev Reynolds More in the way of background info. Notes on the HRP route and a collection of other walks and climbs throughout the more popular bits of the Pyrenees.
• Trekking in the Pyrenees by Douglas Streatfeild-James Lots of really good background information, particularly on the flora and fauna. The route descriptions are more related to the GR10 and GR11.
• The Pyrenean Trail GR10 by Alan Castle The guidebook for the GR10, but it contains some more background stuff.
• The Rough Guide to the Pyrenees A great source of general information on the area and how to get there.

I went for the IGN/ICC Carte de Randonnées 1:50,000 scale. The range of these maps has recently been extended to include (just about) all of the sections on the Spanish side of the border. The HRP and it's numerous variations is marked, together with camp sites, refuges and gites d'étape

I found the level of detail and reliability of the French based maps (1-11) to be very good, but the ex-Spanish maps (21-25) often lacked a lot of detail (e.g.woodland or crag markings) and were occassionally found to be inaccurate (usually contour lines being incorrect). The 1:50,000 scale was adequate for most areas, but I struggled a bit in the complex granite country of Catalogne between Vielha and Andorra. If you can get hold of 1:25,000 scale maps for this area then I would recommend investing in them.

This is the schedule that I planned, and it proved to be a good one. I didn't keep to it exactly (see my diary for the actual schedule) but it was a good starting point. The biggest fault is that I didn't let myself in gentley enough. I would recommend allowing a rest day after the first 3 days, and perhaps shortening the first few sections a bit, but once I got into it I found the rest of the schedule to be OK. I didn't need to take days off due to bad weather, but used the extra time that I had allowed for extra rest days or to shorten the stages.

Travel arrangements

I booked all my travel via the internet and went for the option of flying out to Biarittz and returning from Perpignan, both with Ryan Air. This probably made the cost of the flights a bit more, but it reduced the travelling by train and bus at the other end. The flights were from Stansted so I booked a return coach from Leeds. All that cost about £150 - not bad!

Insurance