Diary volume 8
21st-27th July 2003
Valle de Benasque - Val d'Aneu

21st July 7.00 am.

My alarm went off in the half-light at 6.00 o'clock. The next thing I knew, it was daylight and ten to seven! I slept really well! Surprisingly there was no rain overnight, but looking up at Aneto there is still a murky cap of cloud over the summit of the glacier. Elsewhere there is plenty of blue sky, so I hope to be OK going over the pass to Viellha. From the guidebook description, navigation will be tricky today, probably the most challenging stage yet, so it will be interesting if the cloud comes down! It will take a lot to keep me from Viellha tonight, and the prospect of seeing Gill again!

1.45 pm.

The terrain has been every bit as rough as the guidebook promised today, but I have made good progress and have enjoyed the scrambling and rock-hopping. Despite the cap of cloud on Aneto this morning, my route has remained clear, for which I am grateful. Route finding would have been desperate in the fog!

I climbed out of Pllan dels Aiguallut passing some caves on the left. The geology of this valley is interesting. A large river runs across the Pllan and then tumbles over what I assume is a glacial morraine, down a very picturesque waterfall. It then enters a steep-sided valley which promptly terminates in a vertical cliff under which the river disappears!

I walked up the valley above the Pllan into granite country, through a series of narrow defiles and small flat plains studded wih tarns. As I climbed, these tarns became more snowy and glacial looking, with the sun sparkling off their surfaces.

I then popped out into a wide open bowl of bare granite surrounded by peaks and cols. On the way up I had met the 'Mad Swiss Couple'. They had acquired this name on the leg to Rioumanjou, when Jim and Chris had camped up on the ridge and got caught in a storm. The Swiss couple had likewise got caught, but without a tent! At 3.00 am there were flashing lights and the sound of zips and they climbed into Jim and Chris's tents for shelter. Jim's exasperation was complete when the chap, who ended up in his tent, promptly went straight off to sleep and snored loudly!!

Anyway, I toiled up over the granite, taking care to head for the right col, but it was hard work and it took a lot of concentration to find the easiest line. As usual in these situations, there were cairns all over the place so they couldn't be trusted to show the best route, and the fault-lines in the granite did their best to bar my way.

Photo: Aneto from the summit of Tuc de Molieres. The acsent was across the granite wilderness on the right.

Eventually I won through and gained the shattered and sharp ridge, with lovely views down to the east onto lonely blue glacial lakes. I dumped my sack and clambered over granite blocks up the ridge to the south and gained the peak of Tuc de Molieres, at 3010m my fourth 3000er of the trip. The view west to Aneto was spectacular as the cloud had now lifted to reveal its glaciers and serrated ridges.

Back at my sack I searched for the easiest descent down a steep scramble into the Molieres valley. I made a couple of false starts before I was confident that I was on the right line, and even then had to take my time over some tricky moves and over some steep snow. But once down I found a good path and descended into the valley. I think that was the hardest bit of the route so far, excluding bits where I have been off-route.

7.00 pm.

Well I have made it to Hospital de Viellha and I think Gill and Ian are going to get a taxi here this evening. Not only that, but I managed to wash socks, hat and even trousers in the river on the way down the valley. On arrival the Hospice has HOT showers, so I have cleaned myself and had a shave. I haven't felt so clean in weeks!

The walk down the valley was lovely, if a bit windy. It was especially nice to drop into the woods lower down where the river fell in cascades through flower meadows. The mountains around here don't appear to be grazed as much as they were further west, or perhaps it is because we are now in Spain?

I am sat at the bar waiting for the big arrival. I hope they do make it. I have ordered them an evening meal, and I haven't got enough money if Gill doesn't get here with my replacement supplies!

22nd July. 2.00pm.

Well Ian and Gill made it to Viellha de Hospice in the nick of time for dinner. It was great to see them, though they were both exhausted after the long day of travelling. They did really well to get from Harrogate to this remote spot in one day, especially as they had to hitch a lift from the border above Luchon.

Breakfast was left out for us this morning so we were able to make a reasonably early start. It was nice to climb out of the valley and leave the unsightly tunnel workings behind. Last night I met one of the guys who updated George Veron's guidebook last year, and he commented on how much the area around the refuge has been developed since the original guide was written.

Once over the first col we entered a region of granite boulders and blue lakes. A sparse and rugged landscape of coarse grasses and hardy Alpine flowers, with the jagged broken ridges of the Besiberri range as a backdrop to the south. These lakes are entirely natural but actually look a bit like reservoirs. The water levels must fluctuate a lot with the seasons as they are surrounded by barren rocky beaches.

Having crossed the second and highest col of the day, Col de Mar at 2510m, we stopped for lunch and sunbathing with a wonderful view over the Lac de Mar to the hills behind."

Photo: With Gill at our campsite near the Restanca Hut. The hut can be seen in the right distance.

8.45 pm.

Despite today being an 'easier' day the going was still very rough. Though there wasn't a great deal of ascent to do on the map, the 'level' ground was all humps and bumps and boulders. After lunch we descended to Lac de Mar with its granite-gravel beaches, island in the middle and turquoise water. We paddled on the beach before walking wearily down to the far end and descending to where Refuge Restanca dominates the view over the reservoir and dam.

Photo: Descending to the Lac de Mar

We have camped on a knoll overlooking the reservoir and spent a lovely evening cooking and eating. [My favourite passtime at the moment!] While we cooked, an English chap came down off the hills and asked if we minded if he camped nearby. His name is Richard and he's from Halifax - very close to home! Richard is an experienced trekker, having done the GR5 and other big walks in the Alps, but he says this is the hardest walk he has done. He is doing the HRP from Hendaye to Andorra, as he only has six weeks to spare.

It was great to share today with Gill and Ian. The weather was perfect: sunny with a cool breeze, and it was a nice stage with the mountain lakes and rocky scenery. Their fresh enthusiasm is helping to remind me how special this all is, and not to take it for granted. The next two weeks should be good fun!

23rd July. 1.30 pm.

We have found the going much easier today as the HRP shares much of this stage with the GR11. We have passed through a region of small lakes in a granite landscape just above the tree line. It has been a softer landscape than yesterday, reminiscent of the higher Lakeland fells.

Gill and Ian both seem to be coping very well and we maintained a steady plod over two passes down to Refuge de Colomers for a pre-lunch beer. The refuge was a hive of activity. It's not far from the road, so it attracts a lot of day visitors who walk up to look at the lake. We have dropped into the pine woods below the refuge for shade and lunch and are planning how to provision ourselves for the next stages after Salardu. The only places to provision in the next week are possibly Alos d'Isil if we can hitch a lift down the valley - that's two days after Salardu. After that the next place is El Serrat in seven days' time!

7.00 pm.

It was a long trudge down a track and then a road to Salardu, but it was a lovely valley with loads of wild flowers to look at. It was hot in the sun, and the farmers were getting the hay in. I can see why now, as there is a thunderstorm. I struggled to get my rucksack comfortable today and was adjusting it continually. I have found that this is a sign that I am tired, rather than problems with my legs. So as we descended to Salardu I decided that it is probably time that I had a day of rest. I haven't had a day off since Gedre ten days ago and I have done some big days since then. I suggested this to Gill and Ian, feeling rather guilty about it as its only their second day here, but they are being nice about it and saying that a day off is OK. Lovely people!

We all agreed that we would rather find a campsite than go to a hotel or gite, but there wasn't one in Salardu, so we have caught the bus to the next village down the valley called Arties. It has a nice campsite with good washing facilities and looks to have some nice shops and restaurants. We have all had showers and are lying in the tents listening to the rain and thunder. The plan is to eat well tonight and tomorrow morning and then return to Salardu tomorrow afternoon and camp up the valley somewhere to give us a good start on Friday.

24th July. 9.00 pm.

There was a thunderstorm last night just as we were planning to go out to eat. The rain hammered down for over an hour and turned the campsite into a swamp. Fortunately we were on a slope, but the tents got muddy from all the splashes. So we were late getting to the restaurant, but made up for it with a good meal and a couple of bottles of Rioja.

Today was cool but sunny and it was lovely to laze about the campsite, do a bit of shopping, get the clothes washed and the 'phone charged up. I now feel well prepared for the next stage of the walk.

Arties is a lovely little town which seems to be focussed on the winter skiing trade. There are lots of new developments of apartments, but they have been beautifuuly done in stone with nice wooden balconies and window boxes. The place is full of nice restaurantas and Tapas bars.

At 4 o'clock we packed up and caught the bus back up to Salardu, and then walked the 500m up to Plan de Berets where the ski development is, to give us a good start tomorrow. The climb up was steep and through a lovely flower meadow that was abuzz with insects and spiders.

We are camped on a featureless grassy plain in the bottom of a wide valley which is grazed by wild horses. It is an exposed spot but the weather seems settled now and there is no wind, so we should be OK.

25th July. 2.00 pm.

We have continued across rough boulder country this moring. Once we had left the ski development behind we were back into high rocky valleys and cols and lakes. We had intended to take in the peak of Tuc de Marimanha and then camp at the Airoto lakes, but the ridge onto the summit looked broken, rocky and difficult, so we came direct to the lakes from the col and got here for lunch.

I have had a bad morning. We split all the food three ways, so I don't feel I have access to to food as I need it when walking, whilst Gill and Ian are worried about it lasting. My pack is still making my shoulders ache, and the hip belt has started springing open when I try to put more weight on my hips. All in all it felt like a grind, and I didn't appreciate the scenery much.

We have had lunch next to the Refuge d'Airoto which is also being used by a Spanish group who have been fishing in the lakes [unsuccessfully]. This afternoon we plan to go down to Isil a few kms down the next valley. Perhaps we will be able to supplementour supplies there?

Photo: The bothy of Refuge d'Airoto in the high country West of Isil

26th July. 11.00am.

Well, we did walk down to Isil yesterday, but it turned out to be a long difficult trek through dense undergrowth and woodland. What we had assumed would be an easy two hour stroll, was actually a three and a half hour ordeal. However, the good news was that Isil had a bar and, incredibly, a sophisticated pasta restaurant. We drank beers at the bar, booked a table for 9 pm at the restaurant and walked up the road to find a quiet and secluded field to pitch our tents.

The meal was delicious, but I went a bit mad by ordering a spaghetti starter and a steak for maincourse, and then Ian and I shared a very nice bottle of wine. The steak was enormous and I struggled to eat more than half of it after the spaghetti. I then started to feel uncomfortable and woosey. I stood up to go to the toilet and then fainted at the top of the stairs which led down to the toilets in the basement!

The next thing I remember is waking up in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. I had gone head first down the tiled stairs and was very lucky not ot have broken any bones. As it is I have cut the inside of my mouth and grazed my chin and also grazed and bruised my left hip. It could have been a lot worse!

Gill and Ian took good care of me and got me back to the tents where I slept it off. I was still feeling wobbly this morning, and Gill confessed to feeling a bit queasy, so we hitched a lift down the valley to Esterri d'Aneau to have a day off.

We were very lucky with the hitch as a young woman in a small van gave all three of us a lift with our sacks. She had moved to Isil from Barcelona 18 months ago and was clearly loving the change of lifestyle. Isil is in the process of being smartened up and developed - hence the restaurant - because there are plans to extend the Salardu skiing area into the valley. There is a lot of local opposition as it will spoil the valley, but it seems that there is money behind the plans and little that the locals can do.

Esterri is quite a big town and we are now established on the campsite south south of the town. I intend to eat well and eat IN MODERATION!

Photo: With Ian at the Esterri campsite, recovering from malnutrition!

27th July. 1.00pm.

We enjoyed a very restful day off in Esterri yesterday. We wandered into town at lunchtime, did some food shopping and then sat in a cafe and drank San Miguel, Fanta shandies and ate pizza. Back at the campsite we rested in the afternoon and did some washing, and then ate in the campsite cafe in the evening.

The people who ran the site were very friendly and helpful. The lady ran me down to the garage to buy some diesel for my stove, and then the man explained the menu to us and cooked some lovely meat on the barbeque. I had the local black sausages - very nice! Finally they booked us a taxi to get us back up to Isil this morning at 6.30 am.

So it was an early start, packing up the tents by headtorch this morning. The taxi arrived on time and once back at Isil we set off back up the track, passing our camp field of two nights before. At the top of the track we stopped for breakfast, including a cup of tea now that we are restocked with fuel. I am much happier now that I have plenty of food. We have agreed to share the main meals but carry our own breakfast, lunch and snacks: a better arrangement for me.

From there we climbed up steep meadows to the abandoned buildings at Bordes de Rise. The fields here are a mass of insects. Grasshoppers and crickets of endless varieties, and some big cricket things which might be cicadas? We then started traversing northwards and initially followed a clear, if overgrown track, through birch and pine woods. It was a lovely walk with an adventurous feel to it, but eventually the track petered out into thick broom. The next two hours were spent hacking through trackless undergrowth and shrubs. I think the path has just become obsolete and the vegetation has taken over. We have won through to a side valley where we have stopped for lunch, but still have another couple of miles of hacking to do before we rejoin the official HRP route.

Photos: View down onto Isil from our bushwacking traverse, and the old shepherds huts at Bordes de Rise.

I have quite enjoyed the wild feel of this bit, and if we accept that progress will be slow today then it will be a memorable experience. There is certainly plenty of wildlife and flowers to look at, including some Izard and lots of signs of wild boar where they have turned over the turf.

9.00 pm.

The bush wacking continued this afternoon, through more broom and pathless undergrowth. It has taken us all day to traverse round to the head of the valley above Alos d'Isil and rejoin the HRP We are all tired, but satisfied that we won through to the good paths again and thankfully not frustrated at our lack of progress. For me, it was a completely different experience today. Very wild and adventurous! Though it was hard work it made a good contrast to the other days and will certainly make me appreciate paths and way markings in the days to come!

The valley head where we have camped is beautiful: a bowl where three streams converge from the surrounding mountains, with a lovely waterfall. We sat and ate tea in the tent and watched Izard graze on the hillside. Cloud has been threatening to spill over from the French border but only a little fine mist came down. The wind does strange things here: we have clouds at different altitudes going in opposite directions!

Adrian, the Belgian guy I met at Barroude, had a fall so he needed to rest. He turned up this evening and has camped nearby. He is back to fitness now, so I don't think we will see him again. He is moving much faster then me. I gave him my web address so perhaps he will contact me later!?

Photo: Our campsite at the head of the Comamala valley having 'found' the HRP again.

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