Author: alasdair.geo (Page 5 of 13)

Leaving Lescun we dropped down 100m into the valley and then quickly started a climb back up the other side.  This was through forest on a mixture of tracks and paths, before flattening out in a hanging valley about 200m above the main valley.  We crossed the valley and then the main climb started.  We climbed about 600m up through the forest on steep paths, finally reaching the col where we stopped for a rest.  The descent into the next valley started down a grassy slope before going into the beech wood.  There was the usual mixture of steep descents and zigzagging paths.  We finally came out of the trees onto a hillside covered in bracken, where the temperature rocketed up.  This section had long zigzags going to and from across the hillside, with the occasional tree for shelter.  Every so often we crossed a stream where the temperature dropped significantly.  We reached our accommodation (shortly before the end of the stage) and sat in the garden until the owner arrived.

I nipped out of the refuge when we got up to take a photo of the sunrise with the clouds filling the valleys below.  Breakfast was the worst so far; slices of bread, butter, jam, and coffee.  The woman opposite added quick porridge to her hot chocolate.  Breakfast was at seven and we had to be out of the refuge by eight, so we were soon on our way.  The first part of the walk took us round and above various ski lifts, walking upwards and across the limestone plateau.  We then had a section through a narrow valley, slow going as there was lots of up and down over the limestone.  This finished at another ski run.  We finally left the ski area gradually working our way upwards while admiring all the wild flowers.  Again, it was slow going because of the terrain, but we could see the gap in the cliffs ahead that was our target.  We reached the climb (about 10m vertical) which had a couple of wires fixed for assistance.  I went up first, then came back down to take Christine’s rucksack.  We both scrambled to the top and had a rest while we watched other people making the climb.  The track on the other side led down below the cliffs to the valley below, then back up to the next col.  The view from the top showed mountains and cliffs stretching ahead, with a few patches of snow still lying.  The descent down into the valley was surprisingly good (the track was much better than those in the Alps).  The walk along the valley took us into beech woods, and we were accompanied by the sound of cow and sheep bells for the whole stretch.  We thought we would be heading gradually downwards, but there was quite a bit of uphill in the forest.  Another couple of kms and we reached the tarred road.  We followed it down the hill and then had a final section of stony path before reaching the fields and roads leading us into Lescun.  The village is very pretty and there are mountains circling the entire valley.  We treated ourselves to a late lunch and then did some washing.

We’ve met quite a few people travelling west-east on the GR10.  Some are going the whole route and others just part.  Quite a few are carrying tents which means they can go further on the short legs, or do sections where there is no accommodation available and we will instead do the “variant”.  We see the same faces during the day, or at the refuges in the evening.  We saw Keilan from Ireland for several days, but he is now a day or two ahead of us.  Tracey from Australia is having a rest day in Lescun so we will be ahead of her from tomorrow.  We’ve seen Andrew (Australia) and Kevin (Scotland) off and on.  All of them are walking the full route like us.  There’s a couple of groups of French people that we also see regularly, but they are stopping somewhere.  There’s also lots of day walkers that we see out, including many grandparents with grandchildren (usually towards the end of our day’s walk). 

Last night’s dinner was good, but the main course wasn’t very warm.  We met a couple who were walking east to west so were able to swap bits of advice.  We had a room to ourselves in the gite, which had just been opened in May, and was nicely fitted out.  Breakfast was good with nice fresh bread.  Following yesterday’s walk down through the mud, and overnight rain we decided to walk up the road.  The fog was on the tops as we started up what was a very quiet road.  A few cyclists passed us, and one or two cars.  As we neared the top we were above the trees, but in the cloud.  We reached the refuge just after midday and were allowed to check-in.  

The cloud/mist persisted all afternoon so we relaxed in the refuge.  Dinner was very good (and hot).  There seems to be a lot of people starting the GR10 from here tomorrow, so it will be interesting to see how they do!  The cloud finally lifted for a while after dinner, so I took a photo of the ski resort.  There’s nothing worse than a 60s ski resort in the summer.  Only a few photos today due to the conditions.

Last night the dinner was good, and we were the only two in our dormitory, so two wins.  Breakfast was nothing special; yoghurt, apple puree, bread, butter, marmalade, orange juice, and coffee.  We were up early as this was going to be a long stage.  It was; highlights included crossing the suspension bridge, lots of raptors flying above (and below) us, and great scenery.  Lowlights were the distance and the state of some of the route; stony, very muddy, narrow, and very long.  We also missed a turn on the descent, walking past it and then having to come uphill to rejoin the path.  The final section was uphill to our lodging; a van stopped in the middle of the road and the driver (farmer) insisted that we get in.  We put our bags in the back and we both squeezed in to the passenger seat, to be driven the final 200m to the gite.  The cloud was getting lower and lower, and it started raining just as we went in the door.  I’ve included all the photos from today to show what the route looked like.  Some look forward, others back.

1 2 ►

We had our yoghurt and croissants for breakfast and set off.  Looking ahead, tomorrow is going to be a long stage (over 7 hours of walking), so we decided to take the easier option today of walking down the road.  This was a very long descent, but the road ( a variant for the Haute Route!) was quiet with only a few cars and cyclists.  The scenery was spectacular and it wasn’t too hot.  We were disappointed to discover that we had to climb up to the village of Larrau.  We stopped there and had a seat outside the old customs post.  We then walked the final 2kms downhill to the Auberge Logibar.  We had settled in to the dormitory and showered before any of the hikers arrived from the proper trail.  This is our first night in a dormitory, so hopefully a quiet night.  

Breakfast was basic; some cereal, bread, butter, and marmalade, and orange juice and coffee.  We were out the door by 8am and walked along a country lane, making some uphill progress.  We then cut onto a very good track that gradually led us down into a valley.  As we neared the end, we could see other people on the ascent on the other side.  The total ascent was about 350m, with the first 200m being steep.  The path flattened out near the top, finally reaching a road.  We walked on the road for about 1km, reaching a junction where the GR10 headed uphill again.  We decided on the easier option of walking the road for about 6km, where the GR10 came back down and joined the road.  There were lots of sheep on the surrounding slopes and we had passed a large group of shepherds rounding up sheep for shearing.  We stopped for our picnic lunch and were shocked to see how many of the sheep were lame, unable to use one of their legs.  The path went uphill again, then dropped down to a lake, before another climb and our final descent to Iraty.  We checked in, and were given the key to our bedroom in a chalet with three bedrooms and a communal kitchen and dining room (800m along the road from the reception block).  We crossed over the carpark to the restaurant to be told that the restaurant kitchen was already shut for the evening, and that we could have ordered a takeaway.  The reception team never told us about ordering, so we made a return trip to the reception area shop to stock up on some food for our evening meal and breakfast.  Back at the chalet we walked over to the restaurant where we could at least have a drink.  It had been quite cool all day, and the mist was now blowing through the trees beside the chalet.  We ate our biscuits and pate, and then went to a small van for a galette.  The sun was now out, the valley was completely filled with mist, and the mountains in the distance were bathed in sunshine.  A spectacular sight to end the day.

We’ve now being walking for a week, and covered 131km and climbed 5444m.

We left the hotel and walked back through the village.  The route took us uphill, first on a tarred road, but then on a track.  After about 500m of ascent we arrived at another road.  The option was now to follow the track round the east side, or the road on the west side, both climbing to the same col.  We walk faster on the better road surface, so we followed the road.  We got to the col, filled our water bottles at a tap, and set off upwards again, this time on a narrow path.  We reached the col, at just over 900m and stopped for a longer rest as it was very hot.  Again, we had a choice of continuing upwards, or walking on another road.  We took the road, thus avoiding an extra 100m of climbing.  We saw vultures circling above us again, as well as lots of buzzards and red kites.  As we descended the road we passed a feeding station for vultures; inside a large fenced area with dozens of carcasses, all picked completely clean.  We rejoined the GR10 and then had a very long descent in the heat down to the valley.  From there it was about another 6km to St-Jean-Pied-de-Port.  This is a nice old Basque town.  It’s one of the start points for the Camino de Santiago, so was thronged with pilgrims and tourists, which is always a bit of a shock, after several days of quiet.  The hotel owner offered to do our washing for us, so that was a big plus.  We had a good meal at a local restaurant and retired for an early night.  Tomorrow’s forecast is for rain, so we will probably be dodging showers.

After three strenuous days, we decided that an easier day was in order, rather than the GR10’s 16km and 1300m up and down.  A look at the map showed that instead of doing the ridge walk, we could simply walk along the country lanes in the valley below.  This was a great choice and we walked at a good speed, meeting only a few cars and cyclists.  All the time we were looking at the ridge above us, wondering how everyone else was getting on.  After about 10km we reached the “main” road, pleased to find that it had a pavement.  Even when there was no pavement, there was mainly a space with a dotted line separating us from the few vehicles.  Another couple of kms took us to Donostei where we stopped for lunch.  We had bacon and cheese quiche, and then a white chocolate and raspberry brownie.  (pronounced broonie.  According to the owner, “brownie” is allowed by the French Scrabble Federation.)  Then it was a few hundred metres to Saint-Etienne-de-Baigorry, our stop for the night.  We had walked 13km and climbed 300m.  We filled in time by sitting in the park, visiting the church, and then the chocolate shop where we both had a large ice cream.  Overall, a very pleasant day on the GR10.

We were up early and had a very nice breakfast.  We left at 8:30 and immediately started climbing on a road that became a path, ending up at three crucifixes about 300m above the village.  We had a short stop here, and then continued upwards, traversing round the northeast side of a hill.  We reached a col, and crossed over to the southeast side of the next hill.  There was a long section along the hill before we gradually worked our way down to a farm.  The path led us to a large pile of manure, with deep mud on either side and pigs lying in it.  We found a route through by jumping over the mud onto the dry manure and following other footsteps over and onto dry ground on the other side!  This was followed by a section on road, including some very steep sections; so steep that a couple of cyclists had to push their bikes up the road.  The road was blocked by horses and hen a short while later by cows, but they didn’t seem too concerned as we made our way past.  At the col, there were several Neolithic grave sites.  There was then a lovely walk on grass, slowly descending, before we arrived at the cliffs at the top of “the worst descent on the GR10”.  We had another rest and then started down.  The first section down was very steep, with wires to hold onto at certain points.  As Christine said, if you are only 5ft 2in with short legs, some of the some of the drops between stones were a bit of a stretch, and necessitated a sit and slide technique.  We reached the bottom of that section, where the path then traversed across the slope, gradually losing elevation.  Some bits were OK, but there were many steep sections down rocks that required care.  You weren’t going to fall over the edge and die, but a fall could easily lead to a broken ankle or leg.  Egyptian vultures were living on the cliffs opposite and every so often there would be twenty or more in the air, both above and below us.  We finally reached the bottom and were back onto tarred road.  After a couple of kilometres there was another track leading uphill, before a final section of wide path and then road leading to the village and our accommodation.  We had a good meal in the restaurant, finishing before the TV was turned on for the Spain-France football match.