Pyrenees - Looking for a Good Route

The Ordessa canyon and environs are superb - especially the "claviges"
(spelling?) which include 100 year old steel pegs banged into a cliff
which you walk along. Perhaps something like Ordessa canyon, over or
around Mount Perdido to the next canyon, back by slightly different
route include Breche de Roland and a bit of France, back to Ordessa.
Adding extra or reducing according to fitness and weather etc. There is
a hut on the foot of Perdido, and another on the glacier by the Breche.

Hywel

The Ordessa canyon and environs are superb - especially the "claviges"
(spelling?) which include 100 year old steel pegs banged into a cliff
which you walk along. Perhaps something like Ordessa canyon, over or
around Mount Perdido to the next canyon, back by slightly different
route include Breche de Roland and a bit of France, back to Ordessa.
Adding extra or reducing according to fitness and weather etc. There is
a hut on the foot of Perdido, and another on the glacier by the Breche.

Hywel

Some good suggestions at
http://www.randonnees-ariege.com/travail/site2003/nouvelindex.php
suggestion:
Orlu (near ax-les-thermes) to gite de mérens les vals (gr107)
to refuge des bèsines (gr10)
to refuge d'en beys (gr10,gr7)
to Orlu (over couillade d'en beys)
an other beautifull trip:
l'hospitalet près l'andorre to refugio de siscaro (shelter in andorra)
to refugio de juclar (another shelter)
both in good condition
to l'hospitalet près l'andorre
Some(old) spanish maps at
http://www.esquidemuntanya.com/mapes_icc/

Over mount perdido: that isn't easy!!

Ivo

On 21/11/05 21:42, in article
[email hidden], "Northern Helmets"

Quoted message said:

NB I have both the Rough Guide to the Pyrenees and Walks and Climbs in
the Pyrenees from Cicerone already.

Get out Walks and Climbs.

Start in Cauterets and walk to Refuge Wallon. Walk from Wallon to the Refuge
at the bottom of the Oulettes glacier (a great place to wild camp). Descend
down the Gaube valley back to Cauterets. 3 days.

A good addition would be to (on day 2) do the Circuit des Lacs, starting and
finishing at Wallon.

For a quickie you could go up to Wallon in an afternoon, do the circuit the
next day returning to Cauterets rather than returning to Wallon.

These will give you a good flavour of the place. Try and do the 3 or 4 day
trip. You'll be sure to be back.

These routes take in the High Route but they are quite accessible in the
season. If you wanted something lower you could go to Lescun and spend three
days happily walking from there.

--
Andy Howell, Birmingham, UK. To mail simply put back the dots ...

Must Be Over There ...
http://www.ecotrend.org.uk/trek

Andy,
it looks like I will be based in Gavarnie for 10/12 days next
July/August. No private transport. Any special recommendations for 2/3
day walks? Just learning my way around the Cicerone book.

--
Len Trim
[email hidden]

Talking about Lescun:
-Lescun to refuge d'arlet
-going to borce(gite d'etappe)
-going to Lescun (gr10)
when you have more time
- after refuge d'arlet over 'pas de l'echelle' going to candanchu
(refugio el aguilla) (there you can take a bus if you want)
when you have more time ;-)
-after candanchu going to refuge d'ayous
-going to borce
-to Lescun

Ivo

On 23/11/05 18:16, in article [email hidden], "Leonard

Trim said:

it looks like I will be based in Gavarnie for 10/12 days next
July/August. No private transport. Any special recommendations for 2/3
day walks? Just learning my way around the Cicerone book.

Do you have to stay in one place? 10 days in Gavarnie would drive most
people completely bonkers !!!

There are quite a lot of ideas. I'll email you my phone number and you can
give me a ring over the weekend if you like - not around much for the next
few days. I'd be happy to talk you through it.

Walks and Climbs in the Pyrenees is the usual book to work from, although it
is a bit minimalist. Douglas James Streatfield(?)'s 'Trekking in the
Pyrenees' is good for around there.

You could walk over to Spain via. The gentle route to Bularajo (spell?),
cross behind the cirque and return over the Breche du Roland (4 days
probably). A good walk.

Another really nice - and under-estimated walk is over the the Cirque
d'Estuabé (spelling?). This leaves Gavarnie on the raod that goes towards
the Cirque and then climbs off (before the cirque) to climb over the
Hourquette d'Alans - great views of the cirque on the climb. The walk then
decends towards the Lac Gloiriette - I've wildcamped alongside the river
here - a nice spot. But you could walk on to Heas and spend the night there
camping outside the Auberge. You can then re-trace your steps to the Barrage
of Gloiriette and walk to the North West around the hill and back into
Gavarnie from the other direction.

Another idea might be to walk on the GR10 variante west towards the Barrage
d'Ossau and then cut across on the HRP to Refuge Sarradets (Breche du
Roland), spend the night there and then descend back to Gavarnie. You could
wildcamp at the Barrage d'Ossau - an afternoon's walk from Gavarnie but all
uphill.

If you're staying in the campsite or in a Gite you can have a great 10/12
days there. A good day's walk takes you - along with the masses to the
Cirque. The old route to Sarradets gois up from the church and onto a high
plateau (straight on for Spain and Bularayo (ppell!) or up left to the
Breche - or back to Gavarnie for a nice and gentle day walk.

Public transport is pretty good in that part of France but Gavarnie has one
bus in the morning and one in the evening. Leaves Gavarnie about 9.30 am and
7.30 pm from memory. This bus connects into Luz St Saveur from where it is
easy to get to civilization.

Gavaarnie is very weird in the day but the tourists have all left by 7 and
the place can be quite pretty and pleasant. You can have rain - every time
I've been there I've been drenched - but in warm rain!

--
Andy Howell, Birmingham, UK. To mail simply put back the dots ...

Must Be Over There ...
http://www.ecotrend.org.uk/trek

On 23/11/05 19:28, in article
[email hidden], "Ivo"

Quoted message said:

Talking about Lescun:
-Lescun to refuge d'arlet
-going to borce(gite d'etappe)
-going to Lescun (gr10)
when you have more time
- after refuge d'arlet over 'pas de l'echelle' going to candanchu
(refugio el aguilla) (there you can take a bus if you want)
when you have more time ;-)
-after candanchu going to refuge d'ayous
-going to borce
-to Lescun

Not a bad route that Ivo. That stretch of the GR10 from Lescun to Borce
drives be bananas - I really don't like that hill. Mind you the Gite in
Borce is always worth a visit and they're very hospitable in the bar/shop -
espcially if you like 70's American pop/rock/soul.

For some reason I always get [censored] weather I Lescun. I was back there this
summer and was intending to go Lescun, Arlet, Somport. We lost a day because
of a storm and to move on I went to Borce on the GR10 - you can save a day
to Ayous that way. In the event I discovered the bus from Borce to Somport
next morning which meant we could go over the Col des Moines. The view over
that ridge after traipsing up from Astun is just superb! I reckon that
stretch of the HRP really doesn't get going until then.
Somport/Ayous/Pombie/Arrémoulit/Respunso/Wallon - a great stretch.

--
Andy Howell, Birmingham, UK. To mail simply put back the dots ...

Must Be Over There ...
http://www.ecotrend.org.uk/trek

On 23 Nov 2005 11:28:11 -0800, "Ivo" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Talking about Lescun:
-Lescun to refuge d'arlet
-going to borce(gite d'etappe)
-going to Lescun (gr10)
when you have more time

I did that Lescun to Borce route last September, and very beautiful it
was. There was a bit of a killer hill in the middle, though: my sister
glared at me for hours as though I'd nipped out the week before and
put it up just to be difficult! ;-)

Best wishes,
--
,,
(**)PeeWiglet~~
/ \ / \

Some other idees for Len:
-there are some good shelters in the neighbourhood: going at the
evening to cabane des soldals
http://www.hiking-site.nl/fotoalbums/showphoto.php?photo=116
(vallee des pouey d'aspé) where you sleep ->going over breche de
roland->llanos de millaris->collado de la catuarta->aguas tuertas (this
is a flat spot with soft grass fot putting a tent) Next day over faja
de las flores (xxxxvieuw over ordessa) back to Gavernie.
You can follow my expl. on this site
http://www.cimes-et-sommets.net/pyrenees/pye07.htm
-when you are at cirque d'estaube. cabane d'staube is a good shelter
but I recommend for going to brèche de tuquerouye for sleeping in the
oldest refuge of the pyrenees (xxxxvieuw over monte perdido)
-take the bus to Cauteret a 4 hour walk brings you (into vallee de
lutour) to refuge russell (sleeping for free). the other day over col
de culaus back to gavernie (long day ->8 hour)
-an other option is going into valléé de lutour->refuge d'estom->lac
couy is a beautifull spot for putting a tent
http://www.hiking-site.nl/fotoalbums/showphoto.php?photo=119&cat=3010
->over col des gentianes->back to gavernie
-or going to.....;-)
Ivo
http://www.hiking-site.nl/fotoalbums/showgallery.php?ppuser=1188&cat=500

Thanks for all the brilliant ideas guys. As we are probably flying out
we will have to watch the weight limit. Wondered if I dared camp for a
fortnight using the now year old Argos tent!

--
Len Trim
[email hidden]

Thanks for all the brilliant ideas - I now have a provisional route in
mind.... just need to wait for the airlines to release flights and then
I'll let you guys know (if you're interested!) on what we've decided.

Fingers crossed for a flight that gets us into Pau or Toulouse late
morning!

On 24/11/05 18:28, in article [email hidden], "Leonard

Trim said:

Thanks for all the brilliant ideas guys. As we are probably flying out
we will have to watch the weight limit. Wondered if I dared camp for a
fortnight using the now year old Argos tent!

Mot allowed :-)

--
Andy Howell, Birmingham, UK. To mail simply put back the dots ...

Must Be Over There ...
http://www.ecotrend.org.uk/trek