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.