Chris Bennett at Cap de Creus

Faro Cap de Creus

The FOUR Chris's

All 4 now including Chris Little (the one and only) of Cap de Chaos...I mean Creus. Do not go past this place without eating here...amazing.

THE END!

the end of the journey

Monday 22nd LÉspolla to Llançà 20 kms

It is nice weather and we walk through pleasant rolling countryside. There are only 2 climbs today, not too hard. The area we are walking through was up until recently mainly planted in vineyards and olive plantations with grazing sheep. Today the economy of Spain has changed and the wine industry of old is in crisis as the consumption in Spain has plummeted and no one wants to work as a shepherd any more (though the price of olive oil remains high), as a result most of the plantations of grapes and olives, and all of the grazed land, has been taken over by wilding pines and undergrowth, and the terraced lands built up over generations is slowly eroding. The big danger which constantly threatens is that of fires. Before, with the farmed land being cared for, fires weren´t the problem they are today with dry undergrowth and drying leaves, pine cones etc.

Today we reach the Mediterranean sea though it isnt our last day. Tomorrow is our last day.

We will have to climb up from sea level to St. Pere de Rodas and then down to sea level again to El Port de la Selva, and then across the length of Cap de Creus to the lighthouse at the end. 22kms in total and, as usual with the GR11, none of it easy going.

Unfortunately my cellphone has chosen today to die which means that I wont be able to upload any photos or in fact report our finish when it happens as even though I am now updating the blog from a cybercafe in Llançà, I wont be able to do that at Cap de Creus so it will have to be assumed that as at 6 or 7 pm tomorrow we will have completed the job of walking the GR11.

42 walking days out of a total of 53 days, 900 kilometres (more or less - 12 kilometres more for Chris Bennett because he walked back to get his mattress), 38,000 metres of climb, 38,000 metres of fall, sunshine, snow, rain, freezing cold, adventure, being lost, eating great food, meeting good people, sore feet, extra muscles, lost weight (and put it back on again) broken and lost equipment overcome with kiwi knowhow. All in all an amazing time.



To quote the words of New Zealand´s most respected citizen, Sir Edmund Hillary, "We knocked the bastard off!".



Apart from the people I have already thanked on the blog, I need to thank lots of people here because without help from others we would not have been able to complete this.

I would like to thank the following people:

Montse Baste and Joan Cararach for generously housing Chris´s Bennett and Jackson,

Maria Dolors Masana i Carles Nadal per els missatges de animo,

Ken Martin for sending weather reports and encouragement, and for helping with the Boston business in my absence,

Thanks to the entire Boston crew for keeping the business going, I really appreciate it.

I would also like to thank Hayley for letting CB do this thing so soon after Eve´s arrival,

And also Anna for letting me do the same.

Thanks to my sister Vicki for taking care of Emma and sending messages of support

My brother Tim for setting up this blog, and all of the people who sent in their comments to the blog.

CB says hi to his Mum and loves her very much, and thanks to Hayley´s family for their support and good wishes during the trip, and a big hello to his bro Andrew and wife Keri and their kids, Campbell Jack, Cait, and Zach.

Chris Jackson says hi to his family and all the folks in the Valley.

I personally would also like to thank my two companions on this trip without whom I wouldn´t have been able to complete it, thanks guys!

Sunday 21st La Jonquera to L'Espolla 21 kms

I had always thought that La Jonquera was horrible when I sped past on the motorway en route to France. Turns out there is another Jonquera; the original town and the hills behind it near the border that make for a really good walk. The weather helped, sunshine. We had a 4 km climb which lifted us 600km. Nice views over to Le Perthus and Ceret, also Catalan villages but on the french side of the border. On the way up we passed the 13th century church of Santa Llùcia. As we approached the top we were hit by the Tramuntana, the cold wind from the high Pyrenees. I dig out my snow jacket from the bottom of the pack. Despite the sun the wind was icy. We get to the top of the first climb of the day and are given a fantastic view of the plain of Empordà and the Bay of Roses. We work our way around the high hills to Requesens and stop for a coffee and a view of the 10th century castle. We have a long way to go yet today. Its a good day for views, both where we are going and where have been. Tonight we stay at a 13th century mini castle in L'Espolla. It has been in the possesion of the current owners family since the 16th century. I guess the mortgage is all paid off by now. We have a great dinner in the local community centre while there is an oldies dance going on with live music and Formula One racing on the TV. We drink the local wine and enjoy the ambience. We have only 2 days more of this walk and while the body is screaming out for a break, the mind has already entered into celebration mode. Tomorrow we walk to Llança, and on Tuesday we climb to St. Pere de Rodas then on to Cap de Creus via Port de la Selva.

A surprise in the forest.

In the hills 2kms away from the french border CJ glanced up into the forest and saw this large plane wreck. The tail section was intact but the fusilage was totally wrecked. I was told by the locals that the accident occurred in the late 80's during a large forest fire that was burning on both sides of the border. 4 french firefighters lost their lives. Their families requested that the plane remain.

CB and Requesens Castle

On the way from La Jonquera to L'Espolla

View from hotel window

Look! No mountains.

The view over my shoulder is our 1st view of the Mediterranean.

Saturday 20th Oct Maçanet to La Jonquera 21kms

After last nights dinner with a bottle of rosado del Empordà and rugby game with 2 bottles of Catalan cava, and not a huge amount of sleep due to the church bell tower chiming every 15 minutes, this morning we took things slowly. Back to La Quadra for a big breakfast and then out into the day. After yesterdays marathon pace today went relatively leisurely. We had a hard climb toward the village of La Vajol passing by an old mine that was used during the civil war to store priceless art works from El Prado and about 50 million dollars of gold bullion. Shortly before La Vajol we came up to a high point and had our first real view of the Mediterranean. We could clearly see the Bay of Roses and the rocky hills to the north of it which were our final destination, the Cape de Creus. For us it would be another 3 days walk to reach the end as the GR11 twists around looking for all the hardest tracks to follow, while to get there in a car from where we were would only take a couple of hours. A short stop in the tiny village of La Vajol for a glass of mineral water, Vichy Catalan, and on. Lunch later in a field with views of the Med of the usual white bread (my only complaint about spanish food, most of the bread is not good), cheese, sliced sausage, sardines, biscuits. We arent going to miss the lunch menu. The walk today is fairly boring, just following gravel tracks. We finally hear the hum of traffic. La Jonquera is today a major truck stop on the main motorway from France into Spain. It is full of shops selling cheap alcohol, perfume, tobacco, etc., and the french flock here to buy stuff. Being a major truck stop means there are drivers from all over Europe and I am hoplng that there will be a bar with a tv that is showing the rugby world cup final, a big ask on a saturday night in Catalonia when Barcelona are playng as well. Sure enough every single bar had the tv tuned to football, rugby nada. I managed to convince the owner of the hotel we were in to tune the little tv in the reception area to the french channel (we were only 4 kms from the border) and we watched the Sth Africans beat the English. This time we only drank Vichy Catalan.

Copas en La Quadra

Friday 19th Albanyà to Maçanet de Cabrenys 20 kms

We get away early (8am) from our little cabin at the camping ground at Albanyà. The sun is just coming up. Daylight saving doesnt finish for another week here in Spain. We walk through the village and straight into a vertical climb. Even though we are out of the high peaks the GR11 doesnt let up. The next few days are long distance days but we decide to up the pace. We push through at high speed and dont have a break until El Moli d'En Robert. The guy there says they only open on the weekends this time of the year but I explain that we are doing the GR11 and he brings out 3 beers. You cannot complain about that. The weather is perfect. Sunny but not too hot. We go on and in 30 minutes we arrive at Maçanet de Cabrenys, a beautiful village that dates back to when Adam was a cowboy. Its 2 o'clock and lunch is the first item on the agenda. We go straight to Hostal La Quadra and have nearly the best lunch we have had. Certainly the best dessert and the largest cognacs (Carlos 1). We next had to organise accommodation and thanks to Juan Molina we got in touch with Maria who organised us a great apartment. We go back to La Quadra for dinner and meet Mari and Harry for a drink first. The owner puts on the french tv so we can watch Argentina play France while we eat an amazing dinner. Argentina 34 France 10. Great game. Buenas noches.

Relaxing with a cava at the cabin in Albanyà

Leaving Can Galan in the morning.

Thursday 18th Bassegoda to Albanyà 10 kms

Easy day today. Just a downhill cruise to the village of Albanyà so we sleep in until 8 o'clock. The sun is only just coming up and for the first time, in the distance through a gap in the hills, we can see flat stuff, the Mediterranean sea. We knock off the 10Kms in just over 2 hours dropping 600 metres. At 230 metres above sea level, this is the lowest we have been virtually since the beginning of the walk and it shows in the temperature. From here to the end it will be shorts and t-shirts, the snow gear gets put at the bottom of the pack. We have a lazy afternoon, lunch at the only bar in the village, we rent a little cabin in the camping ground and drink a few beers. After yesterdays exertion we figure we deserve a break.

the climb up to Bassegoda

12th century romanic church of St. Christopher in Beget

Wednesday 17th Beget to Bassegoda 22 kms

The forecast was for bad weather and we had a dilemma. We had a 2 day walk from here to the village of Albanyà with no confirmed place to stay on the route. We have found it really difficult to get information about the GR11, even from the villages that are right on the route so it makes it hard to make decisions. Some people have compared our trip to the Camino de Santiago but as CJ put it very aptly today: the Camino de Santiago is a walk, the GR11 is an adventure, and part of that adventure is not knowing where you will be sleeping that night. The actual day's walk as planned by the published GR11 map is around 14 kms and stops at Sant Aniol d'Aguja. However, there is nowhere to sleep at Sant Aniol so our only choice was to continue further on to Bassegoda where there was a refuge though we didnt know what condition it would be in or even if we could get into it. The days walk would take us over 22 kms with 3 climbs totalling 1400 mtrs so we knew that we would be arriving near nightfall. If we couldn't stay at the refuge the nearest town, Albanyà, was another 3 hours away and would be a walk in the dark. We set off from Beget the day being a little cloudy but no rain. Nice. We climbed up to an old abandoned farm, Las Feixanes, and stopped to look at the impressive view down the valley. The area we were in, La Garrotxa, was forested with beech and oak making for really pleasant walking. We walked past some rivers with clear water and trout. Waterfalls pouring down narrow gaps carved out of the rock. The valleys were steep sided with sheer limestone cliffs showing through the forest cover. At the top of the 2nd climb we stopped for lunch near the old romanic church of St. Martì de Talaixà and the small Refugi d'En Rodri de Talaixà. It was a quick lunch cut even shorter when it started to rain. We headed off towards Sant Aniol walking along mule tracks made centuries ago. We walked through the abandoned village of Talaixà taking note of the terraced hills supported by drystone walls which would have taken generations to build. Originally built for farming, the forest has now taken them over. Like many of the remote villages in the Pyrenees without roads, only as little as 2 generations ago the younger people moved off the land to the cities and little by little the villages died after being inhabited for hundreds of years. We arrive at Sant Aniol. It was a monastery built in this remote valley in 859. Virtually nothing remains except the church built a 1000 years ago. For me Sant Aniol has a special significance; it was here 15 years ago that I found out about the GR11 walk. Now we had the tough climb up to the Coll de Bassegoda. CB as usual taking the lead with me as tail end charlie. The walk is magnificent, stunning views. By the time I get to the top the sun is setting and I still have 2 kilometres to go down through the forest. Meanwhile CB has arrived at the refuge to find it locked. Fortunately there is notice written in several languages including english advising that a key is available at a nearby farmhouse. By the time I get down there night has just fallen and CJ has the dinner cooking. The refuge is at 820 mtrs altitude and tonight will be our last night in the wilds. With only 6 walking days to go we will be staying in small towns from here to the finish. After dinner we go outside to look at the stars and in the sky above the hills on the horizon in the distance, the reflection of the glow of lights of a city can be seen. Something we havent seen since we set out on this trip.

A dedication to Austin Holden and Laurie Bell Tuesday 16th

We had a 20 km day today and the weather looked good. After an excellent breakfast at L'Esquella we filled up our water bottles from the spring in the main square in Setcases and set off. In the first 3kms we had to climb 600 metres to a high meadow. We were able to look back at the mountains that we had crossed yesterday before the downhill walk to the village of Molló. We stopped for lunch there before starting the 10km trek to my favourite Catalan village, Beget. I have been to Beget a few times before but this was the first time on foot and it was interesting to follow the old original track that was the only way to get to the village up to 40 years ago. Beget has an important historical building, the church that was built in the 12th century and is the church of Saint Christopher the patron saint of travellers. So, apart from being a 4th Chris, he was the guy to ask for good things to happen to us on the rest of the trip. Also I thought it appropriate to light a candle for a couple of old friends who are no longer with us; my good friend Laurie Bell who died in an accident nearly 20 years ago and our mutual friend Austin Holden who passed away only a week ago. They say only the good die young, particularly true with Laurie and Austin. The world is a better place for them having lived in it.

Refugi d'Ull de Ter

Lunch outside the refuge which is set amidst the ski fields of Setcases. Ull de Ter in Catalan literally means "Eye of the Earth" but it refers to a mountain spring. The water we got from the spring just below the refuge was superb.

Blue skies, big mountains

Our last day of snow and altitudes of 2800 mtrs. From now to the end we would still be climbing through steep hilly country but apart from crossing Bassegoda (1124 mtrs) it would all be under 1000 mtrs altitude.

Monday 15th Nuria to Setcases 20kms

After a cup of coffee from the vending machine in the railway station, Javier pointed the way to the GR11. Today was to be our last day in the real high mountains of the Pyrenees. We had a perfect day for it, cold in fact there was ice on the ground, but a clear blue sky. As we climbed up towards the high ridge of Noufonts, we saw mouflon, a mountain goat brought in from France to replace the Cabra Hispanica which was decimated some years ago by a virus. Near the pass we arrived at the snowline and crunched through the icy crust to reach the Coll de Noufonts (2645mtrs). We had a clear view from there to Puigmal. Over the next hour and a half we followed the ridge through the snow with amazing views. We climbed to the top of 7 peaks before midday before finally reaching the Coll de la Marrana and the descent through the snow down to the Refugi d'Ull de Ter where stopped for lunch, then following the pista to Setcases. An excellent last day in the tops. Once in the village of Setcases we looked for a room. Finding cheaper accommodation in Spain these days is not easy. A bed in a "cheap" hotel has typically cost us 20 euros each even when the 3 of us share a room. Add dinner and breakfast and the bill for the 3 of us runs to between 120 and 150 euros a night. So a bit of searching around is always required to find the best price. So after asking around we found L'Esquella, a restaurant that rents rooms, the best value in Setcases. A good 3 course meal with a couple of bottles of vino rosado and bedtime.

Santuari de Nuria

Hemos hecho cumbre!

There were also about 20 others there including some that came up carrying their mountain bikes!

Puigmal summit

Sunday 14th Puigmal to Nuria

The weather for the last few days had been perfect and Albert suggested a better plan for getting to the Santuari de Nuria instead of a 2 day walk south around Puigmal (2910 mtrs) through Planoles and Queralbs, he suggested climbing to the summit of Puigmal and then down the other side directly to Nuria, a much more interesting route and , with the good weather, more scenic. So sunday morning we set off in Alberts 4 wheel drive (Luxury!! After spending the last few weeks having to climb the entire distance up a mountain on foot, to get driven halfway up the mountain is amazing!). After we parked the car, Albert accompanied us on the 2 and a half hour climb up to the summit, the last part of which was snow covered. Amazingly when we reached the summit, there was a party going on. It was a holiday weekend and there were more than 20 people on the top. The view was fantastic. Puigmal is right on the border with France (we had climbed up on the french side) so we were looking over France as well as Spain. We could see as far south as Montserrat and even Tibidabo, the high point just above Barcelona. After a quick lunch on the top we said goodbye to Albert (Moltes gracies!) and headed down the Coma de l'Embut valley to Nuria. The Santuari de Nuria is owned by the catholic church and I guess was originally a place for religious devotion by monks. Today it is a holiday place for visitors in the summer and ski resort in winter run by the Generalitat, the Catalan government. Apart from walking, the only way into this high alpine valley (1900mtrs) is by the "cremallera", a train that uses a cog drive system to get up the steep incline. Unfortunately for us, the resort was undergoing major renovations and so everything was closed leaving us nowhere to sleep (we had left our tents with Albert to reduce weight for the last section thinking that we would no longer need them). At this altitude the temperature would drop below freezing during the night so we needed cover. We sat at picnic tables by a water fountain and cooked soup and pasta on our little camp stove for dinner as the evening closed in. We were wearing every bit of clothing we had. A security guard walked up to find out what we were doing there and I explained our problem and told him we were doing the GR11. He immediately sympathised and said that he too had done the GR11. It was like being part of a brotherhood. He took us to a large storeroom below a ski station with blankets and mattresses and said we could sleep there. Fantastic! (muchas gracias Javier).

Sierra de Cadi

Thursday 11th to Saturday 13th Puigcerda Vacaciones

Thursday we stayed in Puigcerda in a hotel opposite the train station. It war of course a wonderfully sunny day. We got on with doing stuff (boot repairs, internet email catch up, laundry, haircut, etc) and most of all resting feet. On friday morning Albert and Olga picked us up and took us to their house in the village of Vilallobent. During the weekend, apart from eating too much good food (and putting back the kilos I had lost before) we visited the church of Sant Andreu in Vilallobent, an 11th century building now fully restored thanks to 4 of the local residents. We took a trip to Estana in the Sierra de Cadi (in a car - nearly no walking needed!!). And we visited the best place in Vilallobent for eating and drinking - the "era"(see foto). After eating prawns, escalivada, navajas and other shellfish, tortilla, chorizo, and drinking glass after wonderful glass of Montilla-Morales from the vineyard of Alvear, it was time to go home for lunch, which also wonderful, and then a siesta. Thanks Olga. Wonderful hospitality.

La peña de la era de Vilallobent

Moltes gracies per el menjar i vi bonissim.

Albert and Olga

Dos dias de relax en Vilallobent.

Albert, Maria y Claudia in Vilallobent

Adios Vicente

Gracias por tu compañia y ayuda Vicente, senderista de GR11 de Burgos.

Wednesday 10th Refugi de L'illa to Puigcerda

Woke before sunrise. So cold it is snowing. We are short on cooking fuel so its muesli soaked in cold water for breakfast. We have a short climb up to the lake and then we cross from Andorra back into Spain. We wander downhill into a valley with large Breton horses and pyrenean cattle grazing, the bells around their necks a constant sound throughout the length of the Pyrenees. We reach the bottom of the valley at Cabana de Esparvers. A sign indicates a change in direction and we start winding up towards a mountain pass in the distance. An hour and a half later we reach the pass. There is a stone pillar which indicates a border with France. We realise that we have walked to the wrong pass. As we think about where we went wrong, another walker arrives. He had seen the same sign as us below and had made the same mistake. The weather had turned bad, very cold with either snow or rain coming. It was too late to turn back so we crossed through the pass and into France and headed down into the valley without a clue as to what there was below. In one day we had walked through 3 countries. 3 hours later we reached the bottom of the valley and walked into the french village of Porta. It was raining hard and we entered the only bar open. I ordered 3 beers and asked where we were. About 18 kms north of Puigcerda. Together with Vicente from Burgos, the other lost walker, we caught a taxi to Spain. It means that we have arrived a day earlier than expected and I had arranged with friends Olga and Albert to stay with them over the weekend in their house in Vilallobent near Puigcerda. No problem, we would stay tonight and thursday night at a hotel and friday and saturday night with Albert and Olga. A really good rest for body and feet.

Adios Andorra

Tuesday 9th Encamp to Refugi de L'illa 16 kms

A 16 km walk that would take us up 1300mtrs right next to the Andorra/Spain frontier. Just as we finish breakfast in the cafe in front of the hotel Riu Blanc, the worst hotel with the most depressing room in which we have stayed in the entire trip, CB realises that he left his camera behind in last nights restaurant. With more than 1000 photos of the trip this is a disaster. It is 8am and we go to the restaurant. It of course is closed but also the sign says it will not open again until tomorrow. Big problem. We go to the police station and explain the problem. A very helpful women sets to work on the telephone and computer and within 20 minutes locates the owners of the restaurant. Even though it is their day off they kindly offer to come from their home and open up the restaurant. The camera is inside. Relief all around. We set off climbing away into the forest away from the noise of Andorras main road, distracted a little as we pass through an area where dog owning Andorrans obviously take their pets to go toilet. After 2 kms (and 350 vertical mtrs) we arrive at Estany d'Engolasters, a pretty lake and then we climb into one of the few valleys in Andorra that has no road and therefore is not full of buildings. We walk up and up beside the river Madriu. The sun shines intermittently and it really is a pretty valley. We arrive at the empty refuge at 5pm. The day has cooled right down. At 2500 metres the solid stone refuge is a cold place. We cook dinner and with no electricity and no fire its into the sleeping bags as the sun sets.

Monday 8th Ordino to Encamp

Chris Bennett has a hangover. Not much to report for today. The usual climb in the morning then over the top and down the other side. We lost Chris Jackson on the way down. He went the right way, we the wrong. We all ended up in Encamp but with CJ at one end and us at the other. Armed with instructions from the local police we found CJ and went in search of accommodation. Nothing much else to report except we went to a restaurant for dinner and CB left his camera there.

Sunday 7th Arinsal to Ordino 10 kms

After a good brekkie (Andorran breakfasts are the real deal) we put the giant packs on backs and walked up the road to find the GR11 track. Andorran hills are SteeP and whoever made todays track didnt bother with zigzaging it up, it just pointed straight up through the pine forest. The achilles tendons and hamstrings on the backs of your legs get a real workout. Climbing takes time. Even though it was only 2 kms in distance to the top, the 500 meter height gain took nearly 2 hours. From the top it was a steep drop down of the same distance and height into the next valley. At the bottom was the village of Arans. We didnt stop though, our objective was Ordino, further down the valley. By road only 3 kms but the GR11 takes you up over the hills in a 6 km detour. CJ and self took the road trip but CB was feeling like extra exercise (that boy has got energy to burn) and took to the hills. We headed off down the road. Andorra is small but very mountainous. In fact there are no flat bits. With a population of 80,000 (20,000 andorrans and 60,000 immigrants) and several million visitors every year, most of the valleys are built up with apartments and roads. The hills are filled with ski resorts. So walking through this part of the Pyrenees was quite different. We had decided to make our walks shorter and traverse Andorra in 4 days instead of 3. Our bodies were showing signs of the constant pounding and we had to ease up a little. On arrival at Ordino we sat outside a bar in the town square to await Mr. B. I took off to find a good cheap hotel and a place to have lunch. Of all the towns we saw in Andorra, Ordino was the only one worth visiting.

back 2 the blog

OK. Back in contact with the web again after being shut out by the Andorran govt monopoly. I have uploaded a weeks worth of entries and a few fotos so u may need 2 look back through "older" pages to read it all. I still hav 2 write up the last 5 days to get this thing right up 2 date.

CJ & CB Port de Baiau

CM & CB Port de Baiau 2757mtrs

Freezing at nearly 2800mtrs

Saturday 6th Oct Refugi de Baiau to Arinsal 11 kms

Up early to find it had stopped raining but a complete white out. We decide to go ahead with an attempt at the high pass anyway as it is early and we have time on our side. It is really cold so we all put on our full on gear. The way is clearly marked which gives us confidence in the mist. As we climb the cloud begins to lift and we see glimpses of blue sky. The path disappears as the terrain becomes more vertical and rock covered. Eventually we are just scrambling vertically on the loose scree towards the top. We suddenly hear shouting from above echoing from the surrounding cliffs. 3 young spanish guys had reached the top before us. They had climbed up from the other (the Andorran) side. As they come down toward us we stop and share information. They are doing the GR11 like us but in the other direction. I wish them luck but i think they may have left it too late in the year to get through the high peaks of Aragon. Half an hour later we reach the top. 2757mtrs. The Port of Baiau. We cross from Spain to Andorra. Its very cold but it looks like some sun is coming and we know that as we climb down into the valley and lose height it will get warmer. Its a relief because we had been waiting nearly 3 days to get through this pass. We drop steeply (1500mtrs over 8 kms) through lightly wooded country filled with waterfalls and the colours of autumn. We arrive in the village of Arinsal in time for a late lunch, book into a hotel and find that, unlike Spain where the rugby world cup doesnt exist, Andorra has french TV so the rest of the afternoon is spent watching the brits beat the aussies. Later we then watch the french kill our hopes too.

14th century romanic church Àreu

Friday 5th Oct Areu to Refugi de Baiau 15.5km

Today the plan was to put in a big effort and get over the Baiau pass (2757mtrs) and walk through to Arinsal in Andorra, a total distance of 25 kms. We got away to a good start at 8am, skies overcast but no rain. It was a long uphill hike. We had to climb up 1500mtrs over the first 15 kms just to reach our first objective, the Baiau refuge (2517 mtrs), 250mtrs below the pass. We made it to the refuge in good time, 6 hours. It was 2.30pm. We had decided to break for lunch there and check out the weather before doing the push up and over the pass. There was some big stuff coming our way and as soon as we got into the tiny hut the temperature began to fall. Within 30 minutes it had dropped 10 degrees to about zero and it started to hail heavily. We were really cold, so much so that I cant feel my hands. With the hail hammering down carrying on over the pass was out of the question. Getting warm was the main priority so we pull out the sleeping bags and bunk down. I start to tap out this message and realise immediately that my hands are frozen. We snooze and slowly warm up over the next couple of hours. As evening arrives the snow and hail turn to rain (a good sign, it means a rise in temperature). CJ cooks the evening meal and by 7.30 we are back in the sleep bags again trying to keep warm. The rain pounds down most of the night. The refuge is tiny and made of aluminium.

Baiau refuge

A tiny hut at 2517 mtrs above sea level. Normally surrounded by mountains, they are all covered by cloud in the foto.

Thursday 4th Oct Àreu rest day

We are up early to discuss the plan of action. The next 2 days walking take us over a high pass into Andorra and we are advised that it should only attempted in good weather. The sky only has a bit of cloud but the forecast is bad so we decide to wait a day. We have a lazy day with nothing to do in the village we dry out our stuff and sleep, the body and feet asking for a rest. Typically the forecast is proved wrong and the sun shines all day, taunting us. As the evening arrives it finally rains promising wet weather tomorrow.

Wednesday 3rd Oct Tavascan to Àreu 16.5 kms

After one of the great breakfasts of the trip, a real hotel buffet brekkie, we walked 20 metres up the main road, crossed a small bridge and straight into a vertical climb. No warm up this morning, within 20 paces the sweat was beginning to pour out of my forehead. Within 1 km we climbed 450 mtrs and then relief, a nice level track that sidled around the head of the valley passing through groves of autumnal birch with views to small villages. We stop briefly at the village of Boldís Sobirà to fill up with water and to put on our wet weather gear. The rain hits as we climb above the village and the temperature drops the higher we go. We climb another 800 mtrs over 6 kms, the last 2kms very steep and slippery. We pass the skeleton of a recently dead sheep, not a morsel of meat left on it stripped bare by the huge vultures. We dont hang around on the top, its too cold. We drop into the forest to get out of the wind and have a short lunch break. We need to eat but not moving chills us down. Another layer of clothes, beanie and gloves on Im still cold for the next half hour. We have to drop 1000mtrs over 5kms to Areu and do it in record time. The village is dead but the bar is open. We find an apartment to rent with a kitchen which is lucky because the bar doesnt serve food and the village restaurant is closed. The weather forecast is very bad for the next 3 days with the TV showing scenes of flooding in various parts of Spain. All our gear is soaked so there is a lot of activity washing and hanging clothes, tents, packs, etc.

Our photographer

Boldís Sobirà

Bridge into Tavascan

Tuesday 2nd Oct Estaon to Tavascan 11.5 kms

An "easy" day. Good weather, in fact the warmest day we've had for weeks. We have a 600 mtr climb over the 1st 4 kms through mountain pasture. Its interesting to note how over the course of the walk the geology and ecology, even human architecture, have changed. We are now closer to the Mediterranean, a warmer, drier climate, and now pines predominate. The treeline closer to the Atlantic was about 1200 mts altitude, now we have forest up to 2000 mtrs. As we are walking we come across a herd of mountain horses. Strongly built, they race down steep slopes at impossible speeds. We reach the top with me soaked in perspiration as usual. Its always interesting to look down into the next valley and look eastwards towards the next mountain ranges we will have to face. From these high viewpoints I try to identify where the next day's challenge is, though it pays not to work it out, everything looks incredibly steep and high. After a brief rest we begin the descent. Quite steep, we drop 450mtrs in the 1st 2kms. The narrow path then edges around a high, vertical bluff for another 2 km. I don't look over the edge, just focus on where I am placing each foot. I'm glad the weather is fine. I would not like to be doing this section on a bad day. We then drop another 200 mtrs to Aineto, a tiny village, fill our water bottles from the village spring. The water from the mountain springs is generally clear, cold and delicious. The stream water usually looks clean but with so many animals around its not safe to drink. I carry a water sterilizer for this. We walk on a km more to Tavascan. We front up to Hotel Llacs de Cardo. The hotel people know our host from Estaon who told me to tell them to take care of us. They give us a discount and 2 nice rooms with a bathroom each. CB immediately claims a room to himself muttering about smelly boots and socks. CJ and self take umbrage but open windows.

Dorve church belltower

Monday 1st Oct Espot to Estaon 17.5 kms

Well we started this walk 1 month ago during which we have completed 25 walking days. Now that we are into October I am getting concerned about the weather and the shortening days. We have some big mountains to get across in a few days when we cross from Spain to Andorra and we dont want to get caught by snow again. The GR11 section we will do today is usually done over 2 days but the weather is good so we want to push on. A pleasant level walk out of Espot is soon followed by the usual uphill grind to gain altitude. Halfway up a bit of excitement when a large fallow stag erupts out of the forest above and thunders down the hill towards us. It jumps the stone wall beside CB and almost runs into CJ coming up a section of road below us. Quite amazing. We carry on climbing going through a couple of small mountain villages. Walking this way you really come to appreciate how isolated these villages were before roads existed. Most transport back then involved mules and a lot of the tracks we are walking on are the original mule tracks. What is even more astonishing is that mules only stopped being the mode to transport goods between these high mountain villages about 2 generations ago. Now most of the people have disappeared from these alpine valleys and the grazed land is reverting to forest, the old farm buildings are deteriorating, and the villages are being converted into weekend and summer retreats for city dwellers.
We arrive at La Guingueta d'Aneu at 10.30am and for the first time on the trip we have the opportunity to stop at a cafe and have a "morning tea". We order a sandwich each with the local sausage, botifarra. A cup of coffee and a glass of the best mineral water in the world, Vichy Catalan, and we are ready for the 2nd half of the day. A 2km climb lifts us 400 mtrs higher to the village of Dorve. It appears completely abandoned but road works have begun to push a road through so a couple of the old stone houses look like renovations have begun. The sun is out and we have a 4km climb out of Dorve which will lift us another 900 mtrs to the top of El Calvo and then a 3.5 km downhill to the village of Estaon 1000mtrs below. It is a village of 20 old stone houses and the only place to stay is in the house of Señora Rosa Feliu Torrent. I had called her from Espot and she was waiting for us. Her husband had converted the ground floor of their house into a self contained flat. She gave us 3 cold beers which disappeared immediately much to her astonishment so she brought 3 more. She and her husband had farmed these hills for 40 years. She told me that her son lived in Barcelona and her daughter had met an Australian and lived in Sydney, since 1975. We had a story in common. After we had a hot shower (bliss!!) she cooked us dinner, an excellent tortilla de patatas with botifarra and salad, all of the ingredients including the eggs out of her organic garden. Delicious. After a good nights sleep and an excellent breakfast we agree that it has been the best nights accommodation so far on the trip.

Oooops. tech problem

Hi guys,
You will have noticed a lack of updating of the blog over the last week. Unfortunately, as the TV people used to say, this has been beyond my control. First of all, at the beginning of last week we were in a valley in the Pyrenees that did not have Vodafone coverage. Then we climbed over a high pass into the country of Andorra which of course is a separate state and appears to have a state monopoly on cellphone coverage. This has meant that I can receive calls to my cellphone but as I have no data contract with the Andorran cellphone company I cannot send emails. I update the blog by sending emails to the blogsite and no email means no blog updates.
I am writing this from a cyber cafe so you will have to wait until we get back into Spain before I can continue with the blog.
We crossed into Andorra in the northwest of the country through a high pass called the Port de Baiau (2757 mtrs). We had to wait two days for the weather to be right and even then we almost froze and got caught in a wild hail storm but managed to overnight in an emergency refuge up near the pass.
We have been 2 days in Andorra (in Arinsal and today Ordino). Tomorrow we make the climb through to the town of Encamp and then we will go overland for 2 days without seeing any civilisation until the town of Puigcerda in Catalonia. We will be meeting up with friends, Olga and Albert who have a house near there and staying the weekend of the 12th Friday / 13th Saturday with them. From there it will be 10 more days of walking to the end, Cap de Creus. I think that by now we have had enough of struggling up vertical climbs of mountains only to get to the top and see...more mountains that we have to climb. All 3 of us are looking forward to sweating our way up to the top of a mountain and seeing...the sea. We have been at it since the 1st of September and it has been bloody hard work. Fantastic views, great experiences, but we are all looking forward now to the end. We still have many more hard days to go and the weather could still close us out with winter coming on, especially in the higher altitudes. But we are now determined to finish the damn thing.

Yet another mountain

Estany de Sant Maurici

Sunday 30th Sept Refugi d'Amitges to Espot 10.5 kms

After the last 2 hell days we awoke early hoping for good weather. We had an easy day ahead, a gentle downhill all the way to Espot, a small village but with some shops and a bar or 2. The dawn sky was cloud free and the surrounding high peaks reflected the early morning sun. The night before we were absolutely exhausted. A hot shower and dinner was all i could manage. I was unconscious by 8.30. We would not be able to stay at refuges any more, at least the ones that provide food and bunks with mattresses, as the season was over and they all close. So from now on overnighting in the mountains will be in the tent or in the "free" refuges which generally amount to little more tham a stone shack with a wooden platform on which to sleep with no other facilities. To make it worse, most of them have been vandalised. We wandered down past Sant Maurici, a lake after which the national park in which we are, was named. Very pretty but it was sunday and there were lots of "domingueros" (sunday visitors) about and, as we had become used to having all of the scenery to ourselves, we pushed on. We arrived in Espot a little after midday, had a couple of beers at a cafe, walked out to the edge of town and set up the tents at a camping ground. After doing all the domestic stuff (laundry, shower, gear repairs, etc.) we shouted ourselves a restaurant meal then wandered back over the ancient street beside the rushing river in the darkness to our sleeping bags.

The start of the hardest day.

Saturday 29th Sept Restanca to Refugio d'Amitges 17 kms

Early start at dawn. Straight into an uphill slog. Clear skies but very cold which means the snow has not disappeared. I for one am regretting the party last night and I notice the other 2 are quiet as well. Due to the fact that the refuge at Colomers is closed and the weather is freezing we have to climb through 3 high mountain passes today to get to the next refuge on our route. We climb to 2500 mtrs to cross the Port d'Oelhacrestada and drop into an alpine valley with some magnificent lakes. It is full of deep snow and dark cloud is starting to blanket the sky. As usual in many parts of the GR11, the waymarks are few and we spend an hour and a half walking through the snow up hills and down to lakes in a frustrating waste of time and energy looking for the route. We regroup and decide on 1 last attempt. The weather is really starting to look bad now and if we dont find the way in the next half an hour we will have to turn back. Unbelievably we almost immediately stumble on a track marker. We cross behind a lake and begina grind up to a pass, the snow obscures the boulders we are trying to walk over, feet slipping and at times plunging down into the gaps. As we get near the gap in the mountains the wind is building and the temperature drops. Suddenly, as we reach the pass, we are bombarded by a driving snow storm. We hide behind a boulder and pull on more gear. It was 12 midday. We had been going since before 8am and had completed only 4 kilometres. We literally slid off the top of the pass, skidding and at times floundering in the deep snow. As we dropped in altitude the snow turned to rain. 2 hours later we arrived at Colomers, a lake with the closed refuge. We still had another 10 kms to get to D'Amitges so after a 15 minute pause to eat a muesli bar and a bit of orange we pushed on through the drizzle. We were in the National Park of Aiguas Tortes which is a region of beautiful lakes. Our path wound past dark green meres fringed with mountain pines. We still had one more high pass to get through and now we were slogging uphill in heavy rain. As usual CB was leading the charge with Mr Jackson on his heels. I followed a very distant 3rd. We had been going for over 8 hours in bad conditions with barely a break and I was just focusing on putting 1 foot in front of another following the footprints in the snow and pulling myself up from 1 boulder to the next. Up ahead CB was struggling to breathe through a full on cold. Chris J, in a moment of literary inspiration, describes the pass we were sweating our way up to, as "El Collado (the pass) of Mental Fortitude". The pass, when we got there, was shrouded in mist. We were only 2 kilometres from the refuge. It took us an hour and a quarter to get there walking along a narrow, snow covered track cut into the side of a steep mountain side 60 metres above another lake. We arrive finally at the refuge sopping wet, 11 hours after we set out. As we approach I ask CB what time it is, "Dinnertime" he answers. Never better put.

Merci beaucoups les françaises de Restanca

On the way to Restanca

Last look back at Aragon

Pico del Mich de la Tallada

How can u lose weight with food like this? (Fortunately its not so good in other refuges)

Elena, la cocinera de Conangles, can cook up a storm. Chris Jackson wants to marry her.

Bart and Rene

Two good evenings waiting at Conangles having dinner with new friends from the Netherlands (not Holland!). Thank you both for your company and generosity.

The Conangles dog

Waiting at the refuge for the storm to pass was helped by the good people at Conangles, Genìs, Elena and fun with their dog, Cana, a Gos d'atura (catalan sheep dog).

Snow at Conangles

Friday 28 Sept Conangles to Restanca 13 km

Cold but sunny. The thermometer shows 3 degrees outside at 8am. It is not a long day today, or so we think. We say farewell to Rene and Bart from the Netherlands. We have had a good time at Refugio de Conangles for the last 2 days while the weather has shown us what it can do and we have enjoyed the hospitality of Genis and Elena. We have eaten very well, too well in fact because Elena's cooking is amazing. I think i have added the 3 kgs i thought i had lost. We walk in the sun and it lifts our spirits. After we climb out of the forest we hit the snow that has fallen over the last 2 days. We climb 900 mtrs to the pass the snow getting deeper. At times we are sinking up to our thighs in powdery snow. The views are amazing but the going is slow and hard because of the snow. En route to the refuge we look down from the tops into a valley that Anna and i once camped in many years ago. Then its a final slog up the steep, rocky side of a mountain, traversing around to the east and the Restanca refuge comes into sight just above a large lake. It has taken us 6 hours. We arrive at the refuge to find it populated with french real estate agents on a team building thing. Immediately the talk turns to the rugby world cup. They are convinced that the french have it in the bag. How wrong could they be, but no amount of cheap red wine and argument could convince them otherwise. Tomorrow is going to be a long, hard day so we should go to bed early, but we dont.

Snow at Conangles 1550mtrs

Thursday 27th Sept. Refugio de Conangles

Woke up at dawn this moring to find heavy snow falling all around the refuge we are staying at. The mountains we want to climb up to were completely invisible in the white out. So no walking today. The forecast is for it too improve in the next day or two. We can only hope so. The owner of the refuge where we are staying, Génis Roca, gave us a lift in his car to Viella, the nearest town, so we could do some shopping and other jobs.
Its a bit frustrating because we want to get on but common sense must prevail.
Fortunately the food is great where we are staying and they have a nice fire to warm up around.

www.refugiconangles.com

"Far From Home" by Chris Bennett

We are halfway through our journey now and a lot of the time we are completely isolated from the world. At times we walk together, at times alone and we think about those we miss. Chris Jackson worries about his dad, I miss my family, and Chris Bennett misses his family and new arrival to this world, Eve. He wrote this poem about it.

"The way is steep; up through angled mountain peaks,
I sip my water, replacing sweat from weeks and weeks,
Of,
Climbing and descending and climbing again in the rain and the sun.
Awesome, beautiful, majestic peaks off which cascading waters run,
We are rewarded by our day's efforts to gain Pirineos lofty peaks and passes,
Picturesque yet mighty landscapes forced up during earth's past is,
Inspirational and calming for our bodies and soles,
But the ones on our boots are getting worn and ripping holes!
We are happy to be here amongst nature's most rugged,
At times whining when we feel a bit buggered.
But mostly we are happy to continue along the path,
Of the GR11 whilst we talk, and sing, and laugh,
But sometimes we are brooding quiet as we wander, seek and roam,
When remembering loved ones and the comfort of our homes.¨

Chris Bennett. Refugio de Pescadores. 24/9/2007

Wednesday 26th Sept Beaten by the weather.

Rain this morning and a bad forecast. We set out with wet weather gear on and follow the track through the drizzle for an hour reaching 1800mtrs. At this stage the rain turns to snow and looking up we can see nothing. A complete white out. The temperature has dropped below freezing. We huddle for a conference. We had planned to climb to 2350mtrs and set off across country to the next refugio, Restanca but with freezing temperatures, snow and low visibility we decide to abort the attempt. We have returned to Refugio Conangles. The forecast is no better for tomorrow but so many times the forecast has been wrong. For sure tho, winter in the Pyrenees is arriving and we still have 22 more walking days to go. They are going to be cold ones.

Chris Bennett and Chris Jackson at Ballibierna pass 2710mtrs

Last day in Aragon

Glacial lake at 2440mtrs. After this we climbed to 2710mtrs and crossed over the Collada Ballibierna.

Tuesday 25th Sept Puente de Coronas to Refugio de Conangles 17.5 k ms

The weather has definitely chilled. We woke early, it was still dark. Breakfast and off. We were below the peak of Aneto, 3404mtrs, the highest in the Pyrenees. Unfortunately the grey clouds obscured the summit. CB and J surged ahead but for some reason it wasnt my day and the higher we climbed the slower I went. We had to cross the Ballibierna pass at 2710mtrs and it was a struggle to the top with cold wind at our backs. We climbed down into a valley of lakes and tussock with fairly easy walking for an hour or so. Then the landsape changed and we had a 700mtr steep fall through forest down to the Salenque river. After that we had a fast walk through beech forest finally reaching the Noguera Ribagorça river, the boundary between Aragon and Catalonia. We stayed at the Refugi de Conangles and had without doubt the best food of any refugio. Our hosts, Ginès y Elena, were great. Ginès Roca had been in the first spanish climbing expedition to the Himalayas in the 70s.

refugio de estós

Early morning.

Sunday 23 Sept Biados to Estós 11.5 km

What should have been an interesting day amongst high peaks turned out to be a dreary, cold damp hard climb up to the Estos pass with the cloud level at 2200mtrs which meant that since we were above that level we walked in the mist with views of nothing. We were going to push on further than the refugio but we arrived there cold and the thought of trudging on in that weather was not appealing. A shame as the Estós valley has a lot to offer in the way of scenery.

Monday 24 Sept Estós to Puente de las Coronas 19kms

Today is an object lesson in how high mountain forecasts can be wrong. We are up before dawn and the stars are twinkling without a cloud in site. A quick breakfast and we are away shortly after sunrise. It is amazing the difference blue sky makes. Spirits lifted and yesterdays dreariness forgotten we march down the valley. An "easy" day today, we only have a climb of 700 mtrs to our destination, Refugio de Pescadores, a simple hut beside the Vallibierna river with no facilities. We arrived late afternoon with the sun still shining but a cold wind blowing. Wash some clothes in the river, collect firewood. We have the place to ourselves. By tomorrow night we will have finished the section of the walk that goes thru Aragon, and we will have arrived in Catalonia.

Ainsa at night