There was not much noise overnight so we had a good sleep. Breakfast was basic: cereal with powdered milk, toast that comes in a packet, jam, and coffee.
Today was a downhill day to Cauterets. We followed the GR10 most of the way, which cut across the graded track that led up to the refuge. On the final crossing I made the mistake of choosing the GR10 path rather than the graded track, and we then saw people passing us as they walked at about double the speed we could achieve as we worked our way down through boulders. We reached the tarred road and decided to walk the last few kilometres of descent into town on it as the path was very steep. We found a bakery and treated ourselves to a large cake each. It was only about midday, so we found a park opposite the hotel and ate our cakes and did the crossword. Chris and Severine and their dog came past and we had a chat. We checked in about 2pm and then visited the launderette just metres from the hotel. While the washing was on we wandered around the town and stocked up on supplies. We then visited another cake shop, then back to the hotel for a pre-dinner cocktail. An excellent meal, washed down with a 50cl (half bottle??) of red. I’ve include a photo of tonight’s bedroom to compare with last night……
Max elevation: 1989 m
Total climbing: 42 m
I think that there is a correlation between the number of cakes consumed and the difficulty of the terrain.
Pleased to see that a launderette features in this adventure. The first bedroom is reminiscent of those in the Youth Hostels of the 70s.
The staggering views are well worth the effort.