Pyrenees HRP - 2004 - Day 5

 

Sue and Martin's Big Adventure
 

Day 5 - Friday 30 July 2004 -  Stage 4

Postcard Summary 
Deserted gîte to wild camp at Col d’Ispeguy

Superb ridge walk, cloudless afternoon, camp at 685 metres. Good views – 7.25 hours, 14 km, 1300m ascent
Last night nobody else arrived at the gîte, which looked as if it normally housed masses of school kids.  We had a lovely meal at the local restaurant.  Tonight will be our first night cooking in the tent (or near it, it’s very sunny here).  The tent is at a ‘wild camp’ just above the Col d’Ispeguy.  We can use facilities at the col.  We have good views into both France and Spain.
Today’s route was great.  We climbed up to a summit at 1044m, where it was still enough to brew up.  The ridge narrowed and the views widened as we dropped below the cloud.  Had a favourite lunch today – tins of fish!  The ridge continued all afternoon and the sun came out, making it all quite steamy.  There are pigs here, snouting through the bracken, and horses who obviously like to be fed.  We should see sunset from the tent. 

Col d'Ispeguy postcard - our tent was in the grass mid left

Diary Entry (by Martin)

After a night alone in quite a large gîte, we had the place to ourselves for breakfast - yoghurt and banana - and the now customary 8.15 departure.  

The cloud was down over our route. Sore feet meant we were both in trainers (mine stayed on all day due to a sore ankle from the new boots).

 

It was humid and we soon got up a sweat on the long ascent to a col at 460 metres (we started at about 130 metres), where we paused briefly for water at 9.20 am.
 

 

Traffic noise on the main road below was slowly diminishing, and no one else was on GR10, which we followed for most of today. A very pleasant 20°C here, but cloud hovering ominously despite this sun trying to shine through. Go through a rocky area before reaching a grassy plateau at about 740 metres at 10 am.  

 

Lots of circling vultures, ravens and smaller birds of prey, possibly kestrels. Shepherds are moving the huge flocks of sheep around. Perhaps they are up here overnight.  

 

There's a cool breeze, but the sun looks as if it may be winning. We reach our first 1000 metre peak of the trip at 11.05, 10 minutes ahead of Georges Véron's 3 hour estimate.

 

Two French day walkers pass, and two backpackers who Sue thinks are American. It is Pic d'Iparla (1044 metres).

 

We have a leisurely half hour brew in the lee of the breeze, hoping for the cloud to lift. We just get occasional glimpses of hazy vistas. But from now on the cloud did lift, we got extensive, if hazy views, and by mid afternoon the sky was cloudless and we were sweltering in 27°C at 1000 metres. 

 

We stopped for another half hour - 12.35 to 1.05 -  at Col d'Harrieta, 808 metres, after meeting more people. Another brew, only an hour after the last one, in this pleasant glade. Tins of mussels (me) and sardines (Sue) made for an excellent lunch, supplemented in Sue's case by Mountain Mix from Unicorn, which is still going strong.  

 

Sun tan cream applied, and with Sue now in boots, we move on along the fine but easy ridge, to gain our second summit of the day  - Pic de Bustencelhay - 1028 metres (that's excluding a number of minor summit which probably wouldn't make 'Munro' status).

 

15 minutes here admiring the views, and with our destination in sight. We would be able to see the Atlantic, perhaps for the last time, if it wasn't so hazy.  

 

And so, down to a col where we leave GR10 and continue along the ridge to  Col d'Ispeguy, at 670 metres our highest sojourn by far. Sue quickly gets cokes and affirmation that we can camp anywhere. We enjoy more cokes before taking our possessions 50 metres up the slope behind Venta Ispeguy and spending the rest of the afternoon in the sun.  

 

We arrived here at 3.30 pm. and can see a diminishing number of car tourists admiring views into France and Spain. We get these views from our perch, and there are pigs snouting and Pottocks looking for food from tourists. We hope we won't be disturbed overnight. The tent is on a bit of a slope.  

 

Cyclists have a wonderful freewheel down into France. Considering we are 100 metres from a road, it's idyllic. Both of us discover more bites - there must have been mosquitoes in the gîte, where it was too hot for sleeping bags.  

 

And so - a leisurely evening in the sun with panoramic views, leek and potato soup, couscous with lomo meat and chasseur sauce, followed by a beer for Martin, angel delight ("bonkers butterscotch") and Highlights hot chocolate. Superb.

On the ridge towards Pic de Bustencelhay

Following the red and white paint flashes



 The view from near Pic de Bustencelhay

Camping at Col d'Ispeguy

Stats and route (Viewranger):14 km, 1300 metres ascent, 7.25 hours

 

Back to Start

Next Posting
Previous Posting

Index

 

 

 

 

 

Howtown to Pooley Bridge

 

 

 

 

After walking 42 km yesterday, Sue, Jenny and I wanted a shorter day today.

Richard, who remained in the background as chauffeur yesterday, was happy with that. We enjoyed Linda and Philip's breakfast at the well positioned Ginney Country Guest House (top picture), before heading to Pooley Bridge and the steamer service to Howtown, through which village we passed yesterday.

With no sign of yesterday's Macmillan event, we enjoyed coffees in the tea room before strolling back the 7.5 km to Pooley Bridge via the Ullswater Way footpath. Lunch was taken by Waterside House campsite, which looked like a pretty good place to visit, before the easy walk back to the car.

Wimbledon men's final (Djokovic beat Federer in 5th set tie break) and the Cricket World Cup final (England beat NZ because they scored more boundaries) vied for our attention during the drive home, whilst Lewis Hamilton won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Around Ullswater

 

 

 

 

Today, Sue and Jenny and I had the pleasure of joining over 2000 other hikers for a 25.7 mile walk around Ullswater in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

The organisation was excellent, and it's a fine route, if a bit 'single file' at times.

We started at 9.40 and took less than nine and a half hours for the walk, giving us plenty of time to return to our guest house to 'refresh' ourselves before adjourning to the Boot & Shoe in Greystoke for rehydration and a meal.

I'll report in more detail in due course. The four pictures shown above are representative of this excellent day out in great weather for walking.

Thursday 11 July 2019 - An Evening in Deepest Cheshire

 

Last night we were pleased to join Andrew, who emerged from a long standing cocoon to lead a short evening stroll in Deepest Cheshire.

 

We assembled outside The Whipping Stocks on the A50 near Knutsford.

 

Soon we were storming along the footpath beside Radbroke Hall.

 

This is a 'polo zone'. Richard decided he wanted to 'pull', forgetting that he needed white jeans, a broad white belt, and willing punters. Also forgetting quite a bit more than that... Never mind, Richard. At least you tried!

 

Pleasant paths drew a clockwise line on Andrew's map. Outside Peover Cottage, an owl winked as we went past and the overcast sky started to leak.

 

We dodged around Peover Hall, passing various antiquities that have featured on these pages in the past, as the rain tightened its grip over everything bar the sun, which is pictured through the deluge at the head of this posting.

 

Beyond the hall, there's a good track back to the Whipping Stocks. This 2 km track used to be the driveway to the hall before the age of the motor vehicle..

 

Despite the slow walk - Andrew is trying to recover from a hip problem, we were back at the A50 and the Whipping Stocks shortly before the sun finally adjourned for the day.

 

Thus, we adjourned to the pub for an hour or so after this pleasant 6 km stroll with virtually no contours - apart from a few stiles - to trouble anyone....

 

Here's the route:

 

Thanks to Andrew for organising this little reunion of 'The Famous Five'.

Pyrenees HRP - 2004 - Day 4

Sue and Martin's Big Adventure
 

Day 4 - Thursday 29 July 2004 -  Stage 3 

Postcard Summary (on yesterday's card)
Damp campsite to Bidarray
Wet morning, steamy afternoon, rocky descent – 8 hours, 17 km, 750m ascent

Set off in dark heavy cloud on forest paths.  Light drizzle during the morning and we were in cloud on a long ridge.  Better at lunchtime when we had a view to enjoy as well as goats cheese and tomato butties.  Bidarray has a gîte which we have to ourselves, and an interesting church.  Its shop has stocked us up with food for the next few days.  Looking forward to a ridge walk tomorrow.

 

Diary Entry (by Sue)

The grey clouds that had accumulated yesterday evening produced overnight rain, leaving a grey morning. Tea, remains of muesli and a yoghurt in the tent, and away at 8:15. The campsite is on the route, so we exited via their back gate and were on our way.

 

The woods next to the frontier river were dark, as was the road that continued. The only noises this morning were the squeak of the rucksacks and the click of poles on tarmac.

  

Once across the river, the climbing for the day began and before we were out of the woods, it started to drizzle. New paclite Gore-Tex waterproofs were donned for the first time and we steamed beneath them as it was still warm (21°C). The track diminished to a narrow path, overgrown with bracken, and after a brief stop for another yoghurt, it was a thrutch to attain the ridge. The view disappeared, obscured by cloud, and did not reappear until Col de Gorospil, where there were large flocks of sheep, some with bells.

It was missly, but never rained hard. Route finding was interesting, due to the numbers of paths and tracks here. We had seen only one person until Col des Veaux, when, despite the cloud and light drizzle, more folk were seen out walking. Thankfully the weather started to improve - cloud lifted and the drizzle stopped. So, lunch of soft goats cheese and tomato on a French loaf was eaten with views in the dry. Brew was extra good.

On this broad ridge were a mare and foal - she was after food and her foal was skittish -  skipping around looking carefree. (See top picture.) 

 

Bizarrely, the next section was littered with confetti, even on the steep section.

Today has seen the first steep ascent and descent - the path dropped into a ravine where poles were very useful. It was disconcerting that a multitude of vultures (perhaps over 30) were circling the rocks above us. Some goats were also high above.

During this descent, Martin switched boots for trainers - the new boots are not entirely comfy yet. The basket of one of my poles got lost and was luckily found (thanks Martin), and we explored a small grotto just off the path.

 

A feature of this area is the rocks - they appear to be conglomerates of loads of smooth pebbles.

 More descent on road - the feet don't enjoy these stretches, then a nice past that contours to bring us into the village of Bidarray. It is pretty - above the river Nive, with a fronton (Basque game played against a high wall), bars and an attractive Basque church with a very colourful graveyard from all the fresh flowers. 

 

The backdrop of hills is lovely. Four GR10 walkers arrived at the same time as us - one hobbling badly. They disappeared whilst we sat in the bar.

 We decided to use the gîte d'étape for accommodation rather than walk further to the campsite. We appear to be the first booking in to its dormitory style accommodation.
 
Spent time in a bar, and over beer and tea, wrote diary, logged flowers and the route, before showers at the gîte. Prior to our 7.30 table being ready at Hotel/Bar Barberaenea, we strolled around the church and wrote couple of postcards under still cloudy skies.Had a lovely meal, under plane trees again, accompanied by more English voices from a table of, predominantly, children. Salade with morue fish and garlic sauce, then veal/lamb and garlic potatoes, and tarte tatin/cheese (S/M). Red wine (and obligatory plenty of water) to go with it. 
 

A long-haired grey cat prowled the tables, requesting to be fed titbits. He was lucky with a few bits of veal fat! 
 

Stats and route (Viewranger):
18 km, 1100 metres ascent, 8 hours 

Back to Start
Next Posting
Previous Posting

Index