GR10 diary,Central Pyrenees and the Ariege

Running for the Mediterranean

Click the thumbnail images for a large version	26/08/02 Merens les Vals Q to Lac 'La Ballosa' (todays totals: 2000m of acsent and 1400m of going down, hmm still a definite Ariege feel to the place!) The rain seems be hanging about today - rain, cloud, mist and sun all put in an appearence before lunch. The route wanders East up through the back of the village following the increasingly pretty stream. You pass a funky little (now partly renovated) roman church just before the path dives into the wilds. This valley has cradled civilisation for millenia. The pass up to Andorra and on into Spain is an ancient trading route across the largely unbroken spine of the Pyrenees (as with most passes in this area the gardens are thought to be fertilized by Hanibal's elephant droppings...). The route up to the 'Porteille des Bescries' is well maintained with convenient foot spas - there are Roman baths just off the side of the track in the undergrowth! There are many thermal spas in the Pyrenees, and still a few ancient ones like this, hiding in the back woods (and with no entrance fee!). From the Porteille (col, saddle, droopy bit between the hills or whatever you want to call it), you drop down to a very nice refuge for a morning coffee, stopping for some myrtille collecting on the way. This is a very pleasant place for hiding out in a brief thunderstorm, even if the guardian reckons that a North-Easterly is coming with its associated cold weather. With the forecast in mind we pushed on over the cols, thunder on our heels, on a good path (just the odd patch of rather fun boulder hopping). We trolled past the leaking refuge, with its two grimacing happy campers, where we had considered pitching up, and went on over a low col - 150m climb (with amazing views back back along the valley and over the lake). On the other side, a long valley leads down to the La Ballosa lake/reservoir. We set up camp halfway down, in the rain, next to some very loud wild horses. The weather was a shame as this is a stunning area. "It's been a very abnormal year" we were often told...	Click the thumbnail images for a large version

	27/8/02 La Ballosa (Lac des Bouillouses) to Mont Louis (camp on old terraces). An early start, shortly after 6am. It wasn't raining first thing, but was soon chucking it down again, so we packed up inside as much as possible in the weather-dimmed light. We had a little reprieve from the weather gods for just enough time to roll up the tent, then we were wading for the day. At the dam, we took the soft option and went into the beautifully warm and dry Refuge de Bouillouses. We thought about waiting out the rain, but after three hours it wasn't looking likely. There was ample time, however, to chat to two other hardened walkers (cowering in the refuge), also doing a coast to coast. They were taking the HRP route and reckoned they would be done in 8 days. After hearing how two people had been struck by lightning on a high ridge the previous day, we were pleased to be taking the lower route on from there (especially since storms were forecast for the next two days). We were planning to get to our highest point by taking a breathtaking (even without electical help) route up the ridge to the 2861m Pic de Noufonts; a peak and ridge famous for their beauty and views. Instead though, we jumped puddles down the route of the GR10, hoping to get some sun at the beach. That evening we had a break in the clouds and a burst of sun, just in time to see it set ... ahhhh (mind you rain was still forecast and storms expected, and 2 high cols coming up...). PS the little terraced fields on the plateau near the old fort of Mont Louis (great place for a castle visit) are just right for camping.
	28/8/02 Mercredi, so some-one told me. Mont Louis, Planês to a very nice refuge (non-gardé) just past a manned refuge that looked great! Just 7€ a night, 20€ for demi-pension and it has a friendly, hungry donkey!). The weather held for us (!) and we had a pretty good route. The GR10 takes some annoying wiggles early on, but the area around the manned refuge is great (the refuge is brilliant, with good looking food, nice coffee and a very cheeky donkey that tried to eat my knife). There are a lot of routes up the valley from here, some rejoining the HRP, which starts to follow the GR10 more closely from here on. Up from the refuge you pass through a wild and ancient pine forest, with twisted forms and beautiful little glades. The GR10 (not all that well signed) swings up towards the barren tops, through a classical glacial U valley, to the Col de Pal (by 4pm, following an 8am start). We got to our stop just down the far side for about 5pm, passing stunning views of the plains of France to the North, over to the Spanish mountains in the South (some sporting a white frosting they received the day before), and Eastwards to the 'Massif du Canigou' - our next obstacle. We were hoping that from there we might get our first view of the coast? That night, we found ourselves in a great little cabane "l'Alemany" with windows, fire, matresses, table and good company!
	29/8/02 l'Alemany Cabane to Canigou Cabane 'Arago' Great weather and a good, fast, interesting route up to the final massif. The day starts off with a gentle warm up as you trundle downhill, through ancient field systems and stone-age village remains, towards the beautiful little village of Mantet. There is a quick hop up over the col above it, then you sweep down the next valley, passing another village with a small shop and (handily for us at the time) a baker's van! We crossed the little river after lunch, then started climbing up onto the flanks of the massif. There is a good path then forestry track up to the very touristy manned refuge (good place for a sit down and citron pressee though!), and loads of people with wicker baskets shuffling up through the woods. It seems that there is a great source of chanterelles and other mushrooms to be collected up here after rain - they looked delicious! Above the refuge there is a well-defined path that can be easily followed up to the highest cabane where we stayed the night. The cabane is in a great spot and has a good roof, but has been spoilt by the ease of access - most day trippers seem to go to the loo behind it. The place is amazing though and it is easy to understand why this mountain was always thought to be magical, possesed or alive. Just 50 years ago (or even now, depending on who you ask) people stayed away from the mountain for fear of upsetting it, or meeting witches and the like. In historical times professional hermits and holy men were even paid to live up here to keep the bad spirits and witches away! We slept well on a breathtakingly beautiful starry night.
	30/8/02 Canigou cabane to Arles-sur-tech We awoke to a stunning moon-bathed morning, with Orion's belt still twinkling over our col. We had chosen a very 'variant' route to take us up and along the 'Serra del Roc Negre'. This is a short cut (if you don't miss the turn on the ridge, lose all your height and have to reclimb to the route, whilst being chased by a brewing thunderstorm), which takes you to the wilder part of the mountains and back down onto the more round about GR10 and HRP routes - well worth it even with a detour! We started after a breakfast of chocolate semoule (semolina), and on our way up to the col south of the Roc Negre, we walked straight into a family of Isard (Pyrenean Chamois). The adults shot off at high speed up our planned route (they have massive hearts and oxygen-rich blood, allowing them to literally run up mountains in minutes!), but the more inquisitive youngsters stuck around and watched us as we followed at a more sedate pace! After a tricky scramble up, and awkward navigation on a long, bouldery ridge, we made our way down through patches of cloud hanging on to the valley sides towards the campsite in the town of Arles-sur-tech. The route passes old mine workings, which have left deep scars on the mountain. We were chased into town along crumbling granite rain-formed furrows, followed by a moody thunderhead that growled at us all the way but let us off with just a short shower to cool the evening down.
	31/8/02 Arles-sur-tech to Refuge des Salines camp The path heads up into the hills from the town (still blocking any view of the sea...) along the same strange landscape of eroded granite, up into scrubby trees and cork-oak plantations. We headed up towards the Roc de Frausa along old wood and village tracks carved into the hillsides, passing the odd abandoned village, where broken teracotta and reddened walls blended in with ground. Here we were suddenly aware of how different the landscape had become - more Mediterranean, with succulents and brown scrub taking over from the lush wooded slopes of before. A personal annoyance here: the GR10 route has been changed to run up a road rather than follow the ancient rights of way through beautiful woods and past more abandoned villages, because some idiot has bought an old house and refurbished it as a holiday home. Evidently some bent official has been paid off to re-route a centuries old right of way, and one of the longest unbroken walks in the country, around his garden so that he doesn't get interrupted on the 2 days a year he is probably there taking a swim in his new pool... OK rant over, it's too nice an area for anger - git. Since we had already planned our route to leave the GR10 and take in the Roc de Frausa, we carried on regardless up to the frontier ridge. This is a great spot, with views down into Spain, across into France and back to where you stood, over a km higher, the day before. The view East to the sea however is still frustratingly absent, because the mountains drop much faster and later in the East than on the Atlantic side. For us, the weather cleared and we had a blustery but sunny ridge walk down to the Col du Puits de la Neige. From here we dropped into Spain to camp by the Refuge des Salines (which has a non-garde refuge and manned hostel). Don't bother buying warm bottled water in the bar - just into the woods there is a lovely fresh spring gushing ice cold water - very welcome after a day in the convection oven.
	1/9/02 Refuge des Salines camp to cabane Our next stage was a bit of a boring slog, mainly along tracks towards the coast, passing more and more civilisation as we popped in and out of the woodland. There are some great blackberries on the route, but watch your heads - we passed by on the first day of the hunting season, and dogs and guns were out in force. We also passed an ancient Roman fort, and the more recent massive fort which guards the last route through to Spain before the coast. The forts are interesting but the 'venta' town (Le Perthus) just past it is definitely worth missing (good for booze as usual though, not that we tried any of course...). There is a road romp up out of Le Perthus, before the route thankfully dives back into the Med countryside and cruises past old fortified villages, ruined castles and secluded retreats for the wealthy. We stayed in a little cabane after pushing right on along the ridge, covering two days planned walk in one 'the end is in sight' epic!
	2/9/02 Cabane to Banyuls and the SEA. We could smell salt in the air, and just blasted our way towards the coast, flying up and over the final 'pic de Sailforth' (a jagged limestone 'sail' on the ridge down to the coast) to see the sea again after 41 days of walking! From here on we were in a daze, as we plowed down through fields of vines to the seaside resort of Banyuls sur Mer, then into the sea. Champagne, a massive icecream, a slap-up meal, campsite, shower and a great big BBQ in the rain. You couldn't want anything more! The best holiday of my life through the most beautiful lands.