DAY 20. June 17th. SOMEWHERE IN AŇISCLO VALLEY TO AŇISCLO CAMP-SITE (PUYARRUEGO). 6 hours

Wanting my mum in Puyarruego

Our 1 tent camp

Glad we stopped where we did last night as there turns out to be nowhere else after that. Get to road and keep heading down. Hungry and tired. Sunshine most of the time which is a big help. Lovely road down the gorge but not sure how long we have to go. Eventually see town and camp-site after hours of fantasizing over what we will eat and drink. Have nice menu at the spotless camp-site for €12.50 and feel alive again. Wash clothes, get bungalow for €55: a lovely wooden chalet. Fantastic showers and very helpful staff. Sandy a bit freaked out and doesn’t want to do anything. Wash everything in washing machine and hang all our clothes out on the porches of three bungalows. We have neighbours opposite who shout at each other having normal conversations (QUE QUIERES?) inside their miniscule caravan and water the grass. Me and Colin go for a walk to the village of Puyarruego. We spot a bar / casa rural called “O Paco” which looks like a good spot for dinner. Lovely views from the town and information boards about the “navateros” who were responsible for transporting logs down the river by making them into rafts. Decide to get Sandy and go for dinner at O Paco which is a great place although the apparently gay and lonely owner, Paco, is completely mad and wants conversation so we end up watching him foam at the mouth as he plies us with Patxaran until rather late. Sleep for nearly 9 hours.

DAY 21. June 18th. DAY OFF FOR DECISION MAKING

Go to Paco’s for breakfast of two fried eggs very drenched in olive oil. Walk to Escalona where we are told there is a supermarket but it’s shut and the information office has no information except about the national park, not even a map. We go for beers on the terrace of the hotel opposite. Walk up to another little village called Las Punas and have another beer in a little bar. Walk back, swim in the river (sit really), call in on Paco and talk to his nephew who had just done the three refuge circuit. Decide to try to find a low-level alternative. Back to the camp-site for dinner and bed.

DAY 22. June 19th. PUYARRUEGO TO PLAN (via Saravillo). 8 hours. GR19, 15 and taxi.

Our bungalow

Way too hot. Woman in Aňiscolo camp-site very sweet and concerned for us. A truly great camp-site with top class showers. Heat very hard. Arrive in Saravillo and a man leads us to a bar where the barman is very surprised to see customers. We drink and eat so much that he can’t add up the bill. Decide to call a taxi to get to Plan as it is 7km on the main road. Stay at Casa Ignacio for €30 for a room with en suite bathroom and a great shower. Dinner at Bar Roche which is very good: selection of local cheeses, solomillo, local yoghurt, patxaran, wine, €70.

DAY 23. June 20th. PLAN TO EL RUN. 7.30 hours.

Pista up, up, up to 2100m. Boring as there are hardly any views but not too hot. Find nice refuge at collado and have lemonades. Good views from here but it’s all pista. Man picks us up in a van and takes us to El Run albergue, 20 minutes from Castejón where we can get info etc. Eat in Castejón and buy map and food. We decide to try to walk to the village of Aneto where we can rejoin the GR11. Back in the albergue they tell us that we would get lost and take 3 days to walk to Aneto. Decide to take taxi for €50. Sleep well as we get a room to ourselves but the breakfast is rubbish with no service before 8am. €16 per person incl. breakfast.  Abandon my stupid Prames book here.

DAY 24. June 21st. ANETO AND BACK. 9.30 hours. 1200m up, 1200m down.

The scarey scree. The damn dam

Boiling hot sun after long taxi ride. Find it very hard. Into another valley and head for Estany. Then we see the dam wall and the path starts to get treacherous. Find ourselves in a barranco with loose scree, ice and snow. NO DESIRE FOR MORE DANGER and we know that there is probably worse to come as we are not at the top so we head back to the village of Aneto. Boiling sun, pissed off, had enough, feet sore from the heat. Drinks on terrace of casa rural in Aneto but it’s San Joan so there’s no room at the inn. They tell us to get a bus to Vielha. Call Manel who says he will come to Vielha tomorrow and we can take it from there. Pension Casa Vicenta in Vielha, €65 for room for 3 with ensuite, very comfortable beds but very unfriendly man. Dinner at All i Oli, C / Major 9, €86 for big, big meal. Maybe our favourite restaurant so far and they are friendly too.

DAY 25. June 22nd. Vielha to Refugi Pont de la Font. RESCUED!

Refugi Pont de la Font and The All i Oli in Vielha

Great night’s sleep. Left hotel at 11am and sat on bench by the river behind the hospital. Set out our clothes to dry and waited for Manel and Maria. Feeling demotivated and wanting to give up. Very hot. Lunch with Manel and Maria in the All i Oli, lovely again. Drive to the refugi which is in a lovely setting but a little hippy in atmosphere. Food rubbish and people come to bed drunk and noisy and then snore. Very little sleep. Horses nice and great to see Manel and Maria who are keen to motivate us.

DAY 26. June 23rd. Refugi Pont de la Font to Refugi d’Amitges in Sant Maurici.

Sandy and the ice.  

Manel and Maria, our saviours

Up early and back to van to get to Parc Aigües Tortes via shop in Espot. 3 hour walk to refugi via Sant Maurici. Very beautiful if a little “Jurassic Park”.  Sunbathe and relax by refuge whilst MandM go for a walk in the snow. Dinner good in well-run, very full refuge. Only 2 showers for 66 people not such a good thing nor is sleeping with 32 – no sleep, spend the night listening to the I-pod.