THE TEAM AND HIGHLIGHTS AND LOWLIGHTS

THE TEAM

COLIN DILKS, “FUERTE”

SARA HAMILL, "HUNGRY"

SANDY GRAUPERA, “MS METEOROLOGY”

BEST MEAL

The roast duck Sandy ate in Elizondo in Hotel Trinkete

The flan in Planoles

Breakfast in campsite Ochagavia

Lentils in Bujaruelo

Anything in All i Oli, Vielha (off route)

The wild boar in the restaurant in Sallent de Gallego 

BEST REFUGIO GUARDADO

Casa de Piedra

Vallferrera

BEST EQUIPMENT

Thermarest mattress

GPS

dental floss (does a lot more than flossing)

anti-inflammatories

Colin's book (Cicerone)

Moisturiser (hours of taking the mickey out of Colin)

WORST EQUIPMENT

Pack of cards

Moisturiser!

Ferrino sleeping bags

Radio

BEST CAMPSITE

Off the route but Puyarruego

Puigcerda

Planoles for the bar

BEST CAMPING SPOT

Collado Adatún

Refugio no guardado in Casas de Irati

Guarrinza (morning views)

The corner in the Añisclo Canyon!

BEST CASA RURAL

Casa Mendilatz

Canfranc, Hostal Cabana

BEST DAY

Encamp to Cabana dels Esparvers

Vallferrera to Arinsal

BAD THINGS

Cold shower for €2 in swimming pool in Vilaminiscle

Walking the road to Balneario de Panticosa (off route)

Camp site in Port de la Selva

RAIN

WEIRD THINGS

Refugio Góriz

Camping by Conxita's garage, La Vajol

Paco in Puyarruego (off route)

Crashed plane near Requesens

Restaurant / farm in Requesens

Hotel Casa Eskisaroi in Elizondo

LINKS

Colin’s fantastic Flickr page of all of our photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/visualadventurer/collections/72157609733730018/




I have kept a lot of telephone numbers for places that we stayed and am happy to pass them on.

DAY 0. May 28th. TRAIN FROM BARCELONA TO IRUN

Not too nervous. Train down from Girona to Sants where we meet Mar who has got us a solar-powered battery charger. The train is an old, once comfortable Talgo which seems to have a broken suspension aswell as the knackered springs and cushions in the seats. Arrive in Irún after 8.30 hours and get a taxi in the rain to Hondarribia. Nice taxi driver who seems a bit gay, especially when he talks about Montgomery Clift’s summers in the area. Tapas OK, nothing special and not cheap. Like the cider. Hotel San Nikolas: friendly and well-located, clean and comfy. Nice Patxarán in the Parador opposite. Release the novel I read by Joyce Carol Oates in the square but have never got around to checking Book Crossing.

Day 1. CABO HIGER TO BERA May 29th.

Good sleep in Hotel San Nikolas, breakfast in smokey bar just outside walls. Sunny day. Get taxi to Faro. Convinced that we should start at the sea so we walk in the wrong direction for an hour. Officially start at 11am. Lunch in the unattractive centre of Irún. Tapas and 2 bottles of cider (perhaps not the best way to start). Leave civilization behind, start to climb hills and weather starts to deteriorate. Packs very heavy and backs sore. Lost at various points due to lack of marks and being a bit hopeless with the GPS. Arrive in Bera at 10pm with nowhere to stay. Follow sign for casa rural which takes us up a very unwelcome hill. Woman takes us in but offers no food so to bed with one or two biscuits and warm beer. Sandy with feet problems already. At some point she loses her sleeping mat.

Day 2. May 30th. BERA TO ELIZONDO

Yesterday we surpassed the stated hours in the books by over 4 hours and today sticks to this rule. Get up early and hobble stiffly to get bread and cakes from nice bakers down the hill in Bera. Climb up the hill in mist and see the sun break through the trees. Make tea at the bunker at the top which seems to be above the clouds. Set the gas canister on fire for entertainment. Sunny. Terrible hay fever. Farm-land, beech trees, views of valleys, up, down, up, down. Heavy rain, get wet changing and then it stops. Mud, mud, mud. Sheep, ponies, cows, vultures, bit lost, bunkers, refuges. Cyclist passes us. Tired and slow. Long, long way down to Elizondo, sporadic rain…enough to keep us damp. Entering town meet nice couple who walk with us to hotel Casa Eskisaroi which is a dump but clean, friendly and incredibly cheap. Like Elizondo a lot. Dinner at Hotel Trinkete very good (€72 for 3 with 2 bottles of wine). Good sleep but beds terrible.

DAY 3. May 31st. DAY OFF IN ELIZONDO

Rain, storms and orange alert for afternoon so we decide to stay. Stiff and tired. Breakfast nice in Bar Gloria. Internet, tourism, phone-calls, picnic, shops, fantastic siesta. Great town. Hotel move us to even cheaper rooms (€16 double, €11 single). Beds TERRIBLE. Washing. Doesn’t rain enough until later to stop me feeling bad about not walking. Wedding in town, hotel full. Good to rest blister, back and legs. Rain heavy from 6pm. Dinner at Trinkete good but salty. Sandy will remember the roast duck for the rest of her life. Bed 9pm.

DAY 4. June 1st. ELIZONDO TO COLLADO ADATUN. 10 hours

Leave Elizondo in the cold and drizzle after breakfast in the bakers near the church. Up, up, up, water, water, water. Begin to understand that the GR11 consists of up in the morning, up and down after that and finally down, down, down into a town. Get to Puerto de Urkiaga down route of many bunkers, refuges and pigeon-hunting towers. Urkiaga dark, spooky and damp so decide to try to make it to the collado. Camp but it rains and is freezing. Ferrino sleeping bags recommended by Intemperie are absolutely useless. Can’t sleep and knee hurts. Laxative taken the night before was a big mistake! Wait in tent in the morning in the hope that it warms up, but no sun, just cloud.

DAY 5. June 2nd. COLLADO ADATUN TO UBARRI CAMP-SITE.

Shorter day. Start walking down forest path following stream. Green and beautiful, crossing streams and rivers many times. See a lovely salamandra. Sore right knee and sleepy. Casa Pablo, Sarogain for lunch and dog eats Colin’s insole. Up hill after lunch, take old GR route so as to avoid going back on ourselves to Burguete. Bit lost as farmers seem to reclaim the GR as part of their land. Saved by the GPS. Join the “motorway” (Camino de Santiago) for a while and get to camp-site just before the heavy rain. Decide to stay in the albergue in the camp-site for €9 each. Hot shower, washing, making reservations for the weekend. Camp-site good (menu €11.50), hot water but barking dog all night and French Christians noisy early in the morning (consequence of the Camino).

DAY 6. June 3rd. CAMPING UBARRI TO FABRICA DE ORBAIZETA (CASA MENDILATZ)

Days getting shorter now or maybe we are getting faster. Out 7.50 hours, walking 5.56. Rain nearly all day and very cold. Breakfast in Burguete bakers. Local man walks with us and manages to put Sandy’s mind at rest re wild boar. It’s not hunting season anyway. A quick stop in Roncesvalles and then we join the motorway of mud going the wrong way (El Camino). Long way up and some of these pilgrims don’t look like they’ve been in the rain before. Mud, mud, mud. Lost the feeling in my fingers as they were wet for so long. Got sick of being wished “buen camino” or told we were going the wrong way. In Fábrica de Orbaizeta we buy cheese and ask what race the sheep are for Colin. Long way down to Casa Mendilatz but it’s worth it. Main house plus annex where we are with log fire, sofas, etc etc. Try to dry everything. Dinner great. 3 other walkers arrive who are doing 35 days of the GR11 but taking short-cuts. Sleep on sofa bed in room for 3 and sleep well although the bed is rubbish.

DAY 7. June 4th. CASA MENDILATZ TO CASAS DE IRATI.

Ask about where to sleep before we leave as camping not allowed in Irati and nothing there. Given directions to non-guarded refuge. Good breakfast. Cup of tea and biscuits by the river, along the reservoir and then to our damp but pretty refuge. Wash in freezing river, sunbathe and get smokey fire going. Abandon cabin due to smoke. Tents outside. A bit cold but sleep thanks to my super mattress, unlike Sandy.

DAY 8. June 5th. CASAS DE IRATI TO OCHAGAVIA

The smoke that drove us out.

Only 4.30 hours walking today although 820m ascension. Pleasant weather, no rain, cold up high. Hard climb through woods. Little food. Down pretty valley from 1500m to nice but lifeless town of Ochagavia. Can’t find a room so go to the very basic camp-site. Water not hot, feel very cold. Get washing done in machine. Go to town for dinner in hotel (as that’s the only place to go). Average food, not friendly. English couple on next table from the Cotswolds who know a lot about the Pyrenees and birds. Buy gas and thermal t-shirt in shop under flats on the way back to the camp-site. Also go to supermarket and butchers. Sleep well, Sandy doesn’t. Rain in the morning. Large breakfast in the campsite was great but not cheap.

DAY 9. June 6th. OCHAGAVIA TO ISABA

Tea break in a refuge on the way.

Rain, rain, rain until about 2pm.  Boring pista lined with pine trees all morning. When we get a view we get carried away and miss the turning to Isaba, adding about 2 hours onto the day and leading astray 2 men from Galicia who are also doing the same section…..sorry! Heavy, muddy descent to Isaba, bad right knee. Isaba nice, pretty and alive. Pension Txiki friendly and has bar and food. Tiny room for 3 with broken shower door and holder for shower-head but beds are good and the water hot. They also listen to Radio 3 in the bar. Had posh dinner in Hostal Lola next door (€80) which was good, especially the puddings and wine and lack of smoking. Noisy and full of men.

DAY 10. June 7th. ISABA TO ZURIZA

Easy 5 hours. Sunny morning, sore feet and tired. Decide to take easy route to Zuriza. Visit Isaba, make reservations, shop. Leave in sun but soon turns to rain and cold. Tired and grumpy. Colin decides to take the high, hard route so we give him the map and phone. Vultures, dead wild boar, cross river by taking off our boots and socks….freezing. Woods again and no energy but once we get to the border of Aragon it gets spectacular as we see our first high peaks. Camp-site in great setting with nice bar but albergue full and temperature drops below zero. Colin arrives soon after as he turned back and took easy route like us. Very happy to see him – it was strange and disconcerting to be separate. Good, hot dinner, unlike the shower. Colin eats wild boar and Sandy and him have migas de pastor….yuck! Cold, cold, cold in the tent despite wearing all my clothes and wrapping up in newspaper....those Ferrino sleeping bags are TERRIBLE. Ice on the tent in the morning. Manage to sleep a bit, Sandy doesn’t.

DAY 11. June 8th. ZURIZA TO GUARRINZA.

Spectacular! Real mountains, snow and sun. Lost after Refugio de Taxera up on big hill with GR11 down in big valley. Back on route and up through pass…all amazing. Patches of snow and icey wind. Bad knee coming down. Refuge of La Mina is not open so pitch tent among the cows by the river. Chilly but sleep well and lovely views in the morning.

DAY 12. June 9th. GUARRINZA TO SOMPORT

10 hour day. Up to valley of Aguas Tuertas. Lovely green, marshy valley. See sick, still isard and our first marmots. Climb again and encounter another diseased isard, this one mad and blind and torturing itself going round in circles. Sandy cries, HORRIBLE TO SEE. Climb to 1930m. Some snow, lots of rocks, hard work and hungry. Never-ending descent to lake where we had decided to eat. Make pasta and rain starts. Gradual descent through woods but miss turning to Candanchu and end up on the main road. Fortunate mistake as this leads us via the Camino to Somport where we have booked albergue “Ainsa”. €130 with room for 3, dinner, breakfast and beers. Hot water, bad mattress, bad food. Attractive setting, storms predicted for next day.

DAY 13. June 10th. SOMPORT TO CANFRANC

Dining room, Hostal Cabana, Canfranc.

Wake up late and weather looks dodgy so decide to go to Canfranc and rest. Nice walk down. Get to Canfranc Estación and have a bee in my bonnet about bar in Canfranc so we end up getting a bus down to there. Expected more, can’t find the bar I saw in the magazine. Hostal Cabana very good: friendly, warm and renovated. RAIN, RAIN, RAIN. Nice dinner, breakfast, get a picnic.

DAY 14. June 11th. CANFRANC TO SALLENT DE GALLEGO. 10.15 hours.

Exciting day. Leave Canfranc on the bus at 8.45 and generous bus-driver lets us off at at Canal Roya. Rain, mud, water. Difficult river crossings, wet boots, socks etc. Deer. Up, up, up and then snow. Traversing and then over the snow-covered lakes (guided by GPS) at 2700m. Very wet feet. Rain, sun, rain, sun. Adrenalin. Crossing rivers, wet feet again. Hungry. Long way down. Very boring after ski-station and lose the path as it disappears where there is a new road. Climb under wire fences many times. Prames says to walk the road but it’s very fast and big…..getting sick of Prames. Somehow find our way. Buy chocolate in petrol station, at least another hour to Sallent and very sore, wet feet. Arrive Sallent and albergue is locked up. Call number and go to buy provisions. Go to Bar Casino after nearly dying slipping in the shower in the school-like Albergue Foratata (€48 for room with 2 bunks and sink.) Beers and plan to change route tomorrow due to snow and altitude. Call FEEC for advice but they only say to call the weather service but don’t know the number…..!!! Call the Casa de Piedra in Panticosa who say noone is getting through the GR11 this week and last week only with crampons. They recommend another route. Average and solitary dinner in restaurant opposite pizzeria, menu €15. Have to ask Sandy to move from bunk above me during the night due to terrible creaking. No staff, no guests.

DAY 15. June 12th. SALLENT DE GALLEGO TO BALNEARIO DE PANTICOSA

Flat route to the town of Panticosa, sunny and pleasant. Feeling good but we are all generally tired. Lunch in Bar Escalar in Panticosa where they are very friendly and make good sandwiches. Sandy in pain and the way to Balneario is along the road but decide that €25 for a taxi is too much…..mistake. 8km of narrow, dangerous road with huge lorries and lots of hairpin bends. According to my Prames map not many bends but the reality is the opposite. Sandy limping badly. Balneario de Panticosa is a weird and maybe wonderful, but I’m not sure, mix of falling down “Victoriana”, wild-west style buildings, state-of-the-art modern architecture and, hidden away behind the prefabs of the builders, a lovely moutain refuge. Very helpful in the Casa de Piedra refuge, good food, great beds and we get a room to ourselves. Wander around this strange mountain planet. Sandy injured so day off tomorrow. See a red squirrel. Colin researches the new balneario for tomorrow.

DAY 16. June 13th. DAY OFF IN BALNEARIO DE PANTICOSA

1. The new balneario. Fight to get in, it's worth it.

2. What's it all about?

3. The lovely Casa de Piedra. Is it still there?

Sleep very well. Sunny day, walk with Colin after washing all our stuff. Sandy rests and makes phone calls. Lovely place. Like a bowl in the middle of a circle of mountains with a lake fed by various rivers, all of which seem to form waterfalls at some point. Lunch at refuge and then nearly lose my cool arguing our way into the balneario…..honesty being our problem…"no we don’t have bikinis, just black knickers and aerobic class type bras and no we can’t pay €30 for a swim-suit which we will throw away after". Demanding an “hoja de reclamaciones”, which I guess they didn’t have, did the trick. Pay €30 each and enter the world of luxury. Pools, cascades, jacuzzis, big, fluffy robes etc etc. Round off our day of pampering with a drink in the equally empty 5 star hotel: €6 for a bottle of Guinness! Nobody here…how do they make money? Tomorrow off to Bujaruelo: snow, avalanches, whatever. P.S. There was a plan to move the Casa de Piedra from this site (it would never fit in with the BMW 4x4 crowd) but I have no more details.

DAY 17. June 14th. BALNEARIO TO SAN NIKOLAS DE BUJARUELO. 12 hours.

1. World champion high altitude knitter.

2. Sandy and Colin

3. Campsite / Albergue, Bujaruelo

Beautiful day. Exciting and maybe not too safe with all the snow, ice and high rivers. Wet feet, frozen toes, sun-burn. Slow because of the soft snow and difficult river-crossings. Marmots, isards, waterfalls. Arrive at refuge / camp-site of Bujaruelo at 8pm, negotiating our way through cows. Lovely setting and nice room for 4 with bathroom and duvets. Good dinner, especially the lentil starter. Breakfast. All for €106 including 3 beers.

DAY 18. June 15th. BUJARUELO TO GORIZ. 10.30 hours.

The view from our window in Bujareulo.

The weather in Ordesa

The day we should have got advice! Lots of noisy people in the refuge in the morning - Spaniards who like to shout the moment they wake up (at 6am). Rain the word of the day plus low cloud or fog making it impossible to appreciate the views and mountains. Start to cross very high rivers as soon as we set off so wet feet very early on. Depth of the water and stones mean we have to do it with our boots on. End the day without drying out as there turn out to be loads of rivers and the rain doesn’t stop. Lots of wet tourists in Ordesa Valley. Impossible to see the blue of the water in this weather. Go up to Góriz by the longer route in order to avoid those terrible chains that freaked me out 7 years ago. To my dismay the refuge is the same dump as before i.e. stand-up, outside toilets and cold water. Also the lockers are so small and close together that it’s impossible to put stuff out of the way. Food rubbish, staff uninterested. Speak to nice boy from Pamplona and 2 Dutch tourists at dinner. Another table is all English. Bed early expecting to freeze but they must have changed the windows as it’s actually warm. Slept little due to smell of farts and snoring. Lost my only spare trousers in the mess of people’s wet gear. Nothing has dried overnight.