The bordermarkers of the Pyrenees : all my trips
Print this page

- 27 august 2010 -
Assiette du randonneur

previous trip     next trip
 esfr-trip-track-20100827.kml
(click to open in Google Earth or copy link to Google Maps;
click right on this link to download gpx-version
)

Summary: part of a 11-days backpacking trip from Cauterets to Loudenvielle ‘doing” bm315 to bm330. Day 3: descending from the border-ridge to Gavarnie and climbing back into the mountains.

Weather: overall a warm and sunny day.
For explanation of the gps-coordinates and other cartographic backgrounds:
see my cartography page

Start: 08.30, break: 12.45-14.15, finish: 16.45, net walking time: 6.45
 
According to the gp-tripteller:
Distance: 17,6 km
Time moved: 5.36h
Time standing still: 2.39h
In total: 8.15h
Total ascent: 813m
Maximum height: 2285m

According to visugpx
- distance : 16.02 km
- cum. elevation gain : 826 m
- cum. elevation loss : 972 m
- total elevation:  1798

- altitude maxi : 2281 m
- altitude mini : 1374 m
- altitude average : 1872 m
Very windy night causing numerous wake-ups by the noise.

I try a shortcut to bm319 but the roadside is too steep, it’s better to take the path to the parking area and then continue on the tarmac road to bm319

 


Further on, the road is blocked by fallen rocks like this. The roads ends at the borderline anyway
The Port de Boucharo in sight, with the rock with bm319.
Bm319
Bm319
Bm319, looking back into France
This whole area around Mont Perdu is an Unesco Heritage site as this plate at the back of the rock, kindly tells us.
Looking into Spain from the Port. On a Spanish map there's a winding road visible from here to down below.
But there's no trace of it in the landscape, only a footpath.
Then a long tiring descent into the Vallée des Pouey Aspé along Cabane des soldats to Gavarnie.
A bit lower in the valley
Before and after Gavarnie splendid views of the Cirque de Gavarnie.
In Gavarnie lunch with an “assiette du randonneur”.

Beyond the Maison du Parc and between two houses in a narrow alley, starts the trail to Refuge de Espaguetttes.
After the bridge to the right and the path climbs along a stream at your left through a beach forest. That’s a delight after two days of exposed mountain terrain.
Later on there are sign-boards again, waymarking is not abundant but it should do to bring you to Refuge des Espaguettes, 200m off the path.

This is a zoom-in on the summit of Vignemale, visible to the nw.
And again: splendid views on Cirque de Gavarnie
And here looking forward to the rocky ridge of Hourquette d'Alans, the mountain-pass I will climb tomorrow.
It's too late to continue to bm320 and there’s a nice camping-spot with a running waterhose nearby and with some shelter from a wall.
The wind has subsided and low clouds are sailing in, sealing off the outer world.

Camp: N42 43 12.6 E000 00 52.6 H2061m
previous trip     next trip