Pyrenees HRP - 2004 - Day 35

 

The view back up to Colomers Refuge

 

Sue and Martin's Big Adventure

 

Day 35 - Sunday 29 August 2004 - Stage 27 (continued)

Postcard Summary (on yesterday's card)

Relaxing Camp to Salardu

Nice morning descent through pine forest – 3.7 hours, 12 km, 100m ascent

An easy and pleasant descent in trainers to Salardu – a small village where a suitable hotel is found and we spend the afternoon washing selves and clothes before adjourning to a restaurant (late for us, they don’t open until 8.30 in Spain).  In between – beers and ice creams, and on the way down we enjoyed coffees at another hotel, which had an outdoor swimming pool.  All very decadent!

 

Diary Entry (by Martin)

We were asleep by soon after 9 pm after a very relaxing evening. The extra hour gained from not having to wait for Julie made a big difference. We woke to a (surprisingly) clear sky, 10°C, but it soon clouded over.

 

We got away from our relaxing camp by the lake (pictured - top), on a big but deserted path. The day trippers had not yet arrived - Spanish eat late and start late. We were soon below Colomers Refuge on a soft path through a pine forest.

 

At 10 o'clock we emerged onto a road and the Bahns de Tredos Hotel - quite new - not in Véron's book. As we had used all our treated water a café au lait was most welcome, and sped us, both now in trainers, on our way. Quite a posh place with a heated pool outside. Sadly, we also saw a very woolly dog with a pigtail.

 

As we continued to descend in thin sunshine and increasing cloud there were an increasing number of cars with their day trippers. The road was easy, our packs were light, and we soon reached the place where we could take a narrow path to Tredos, and on down to Salardu by 11.50.

 

 

 

Hereabouts there are a few very old buildings, but many many new buildings in this developing winter sports area. We wandered around and chose a hotel - Deth Pais Hotel - they seemed very quiet. We were quickly installed and immediately washed most of our clothes and used our two spare guy lines to ring a washing line on our small balcony.

 

The room is very comfy, and a rare TV opportunity brings us to a motor race from Spa - Schumacher got his 7th championship - and the last day of the Olympics. An interlude at a bar - mid afternoon - got us beers and tapas, to supplement our meagre Tex-Mex (tuna salad) lunch.

 

Then a look around the impressive old church before returning to our room as it started to spot with rain.

 

Nice meal at Restaurant Cabillac - paella - we were the only customers. Now out of season.

 

Spaniards - smell of talcum powder and leave a trail of tissues.

 

Latest kit failure - an eyeet on the KSB 300 GTX boots - 'mended' using Swiss army knife to thread lace through hole. Also, Sue sewed up Sprayway trousers.  

 

 

Stats and route (Viewranger):
12 km, 100 metres ascent, 3.7 hours 

 

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Pyrenees HRP - 2004 - Day 34

 

Sue and Martin's Big Adventure

 

Day 34 - Saturday 28 August 2004 - Stage 27

Postcard Summary

Orchid Camp to lake near Colomers Refuge

Journey continues through magnificent high plateaus with lakes – 8.2 hours, 12 km, 800m ascent

We see no-one until having climbed to and descended from our first col, to a lovely blue lake, Estany de Mar.  An undulating path alongside it, then a descent through pines to a refuge, Refugi de la Restanca, that looks austere but quickly serves lovely hot chocolate!  This sees us up to the next col, where we lunch in the Aigűestortes National Park.  There are small lakes everywhere.  From the highest col of the day, very clear views of the area we’ve walked through in the last few days.  Descend to another refuge which provides cokes to take us off route to a lake to spend the night.  Yoga in the sun whilst waiting for a party of kids to leave!

 

 

Diary Entry (by Sue)

Another sunny day but only 6°C at 7.30 ish.

On dry days, the morning routine is as follows:

My alarm - 6.50 am - ignored as we enjoy the warmth of sleeping bags.

Martin's alarm - 7 am.

We dress in our bags, and the inner door is opened to put water on for tea.

We start some muesli and water in bed whilst the water boils.

Tea is made, and cools whilst sleeping bags and liners are packed.

Martin usually gets out of the tent about now' and I pass his things out, followed by mine. Karrimats are last out and first into the rucksacks.

We pack, clean teeth, and this morning were ready by 8.15 am.

My toilet spot was an excellent one this morning - I could sit instead of squatting. We burn toilet roll, also effective today with a slight breeze. We had seen no one since pitching camp yesterday, and were to meet the first people nearly an hour into the walk.

Under a cloudless sky we climbed to the Collado d'Estany de Mar at 2468 metres on a bouldery path. (Pictured above)

From the col, a lovely view of Estany de Mar. 
 

 

'Estany' is Catalan for mountain lake, and this one was deep blue. A steep descent to a sandy beach and a stop to change film, don t-shirts and look up a flower.

 

  

Giant Bellflower

 

 

White False Helleborine

The walk along the lake was very peaceful, although the path undulated. At the end of the lake, a view of the Refugi de la Restanca on the shore of the Estany de la Restanca, with pines and a rushing river. The descent was steep and the pines smelled lovely.

 

 

Despite looking austere, the refuge was welcoming and hot chocolates on the first floor were made instantly.

 

Arnica

 

Part of the reservoir system, seen from Refugi de la Restanca

 Another climb followed, to the lovely Estany deth Cap deth Port.

 

 

This was another blue lake with a scenic backdrop, then a further climb to the Coll de Crestada.

 

In usual weekend form, plenty of people are out for the day, most moving quickly. This col marks the entry to the Parc National de Aigűestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici, a national park we leave again just an hour later! Lunch on a grassy slope just after the col.

 

With bread gone we're on to Tex-Mex tuna, a brew, and a bit of chocolate and mountain mix. Views of the Estany des Monges. Today, high cloud is visible and we don't want to linger too long over lunch as the wind is cool. Next, another climb to a small col, then down briefly to the two Mangades lakes, again clear and blue.

 

Then the highest col of the day (2560 metres) Port de Caldes, from where we can see the area we've walked from in the last few days.

 

 

A delightful descent on a nice path, near burbling streams, to the Refugi de Colomers, where two cokes see us revived for a short climb to the lakes we camp by.

 

Today is a well-deserved 'short' day, and we settle by the lake at 4.25 pm, in the sun. Whilst Martin fetches water, I enjoy a long yoga session. Soup is made before the tent is pitched (in Spain bivouacing is allowed outside the national parks but should be between 8 pm and 8 am).

 

 

The group enjoying themselves by the lake leave us in peace to cook pasta. Then we escape the mosquitoes by going inside the tent, where mint tea and hot chocolate is on the menu (7.45 pm). We then had the luxury of reading for an hour until the light faded around 9 pm.

 

Stats and route (Viewranger):

12 km, 1000 metres ascent, 8.2 hours

 

 

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Sunday 6 October 2019 - The Highland Folk Museum

 

 

 

 

On a rainy morning, after a sociable evening and breakfast, Sue and I joined Gayle and Mick for a jog to Kingussie and back. 8 km in about 50 minutes. A good way to start the day, especially as by then the rain had eased.

After a lengthy elevenses in Bertie, M&G's campervan, Sue and I decided to visit the Highland Folk Museum that we had jogged past earlier. We went by car, after discovering that the batteries in both of our keys for Sue's car had failed. Consequently, when we used the manual key to enter, the electronic key wasn't recognised and the alarm sounded. A loud siren. Luckily this wasn't in the relatively remote spot where we had been parked when we last started the car yesterday, and replacement CR2025 batteries could be bought from the CoOp that is next to the Balavil Hotel where the car was parked. We were also relieved that it didn't appear to relate to another issue whereby the car's warning messages insist that one of the tyres is flat, despite it being properly inflated.

Anyway, we got to the outdoor museum in time to enjoy a three hour wander around all the many and varied exhibits, giving visitors a flavour of how Highland people lived and worked from the 1700s up until the 1950s! This is done by displaying over 30 historical buildings and furnishing them appropriate to their time period. Some have been built from scratch on site, and some have been moved here from other locations.
The site is a mile long with a 1700s township at one end, and a 1930s working croft at the other.

The weather had cheered up by then. The expected rainy day didn't transpire.