The bordermarkers of the Pyrenees : all my trips
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- 16 august 2011 -
Oral history

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Summary: part of a 3-weeks trip to the Pyrénées to 'do' the ± 60 remaining bordermarkers. All done as daytrips from campings.

Day 2: three short trips with bm196 and bm157 as primary targets. Basecamp is St-Étienne-de-Baïgorry

Weather: cloudy and drizzle in the morning,‭ ‬fine summer weather and clear skies in the afternoon
 esfr-trip-track-20110816-trip1.kml
(click to open this trip in Google Earth or copy link to Google Maps; click right on this link to download gpx-version)

Trip1: investigating the location of bm196, reported to be buried.


For explanation of the gps-coordinates and other cartographic backgrounds:
see my cartography page





According to visugpx

-‭ ‬distance‭ ‬:‭ ‬0,9km‭
‬-‭ ‬cum.‭ ‬elevation gain‭ ‬:‭ ‬16m‭
‬-‭ ‬cum.‭ ‬elevation loss‭ ‬:‭ ‬11m‭
‬-‭ ‬total elevation:‭  ‬27m‭

‬-‭ ‬altitude maxi‭ ‬:‭ ‬262m‭
‬-‭ ‬altitude mini‭ ‬:‭ ‬230m‭
‬-‭ ‬altitude average‭ ‬:‭ ‬239m
‬Jean Sermet stated that already in‭ ‬19‭76‬,‭ ‬this bm was almost buried,‭ ‬only the top visible.‭ ‬It's place: besides the venta-building and underneath  the word ESPAÑOLA, at the foot of a small wall.

(Source: "La frontière des Pyrénées", p134 - 5  by Jean Sermet)

Sermet tells that this borderstone was larger than the other ones in this region en had a diamond-shaped top.


The building on the picture has replaced.‭ ‬But I think I‭ ‬can reconstruct the location of bm196 :‭ ‬more or less under the word‭ “‬Berri‭”‬.

Then I ask two aged men in a house nearby what they know.‭ ‬They confirm Jean Sermet‭’‬s story:‭ ‬it‭’‬s buried since‭ ‬40-50‭ ‬years,‭ ‬they tell.‭ ‬

The little road next to the building is Spanish‭ (‬so the‭ ‬Navarra maps are wrong in this‭) ‬and bm196‭ ‬was located at the other side.


Looking from the other side.

I‭’‬m content with this confirmation by means of oral history.‭ ‬Bm-officials:‭ ‬it‭’‬s time to do some archaeological bm-digging.‭
From the other side of the river.


 esfr-trip-track-20110816-trip2.kml
(click to open this trip in Google Earth or copy link to Google Maps; click right on this link to download gpx-version)

Trip 2: from Col de Lindus to bm157, not found on earlier trip but reported to have tumbled from the ridge.


For explanation of the gps-coordinates and other cartographic backgrounds:
see my cartography page


En route‭ (‬±‭)‬:‭ ‬10.45‭ ‬– 14.15‭ (‬3.30h‭)

According to the gps-tripteller:‭
‬Distance:‭  ‬4,7‭ ‬km
Cum.‭ ‬elevation gain‭ ‬:‭ ‬230m
Total elevation:‭  ‬460m
Maximum height: 1227m
Time:‭ ‬3.28h
According to visugpx

-‭ ‬distance‭ ‬:‭ ‬4,8km‭
‬-‭ ‬cum.‭ ‬elevation gain‭ ‬:‭ ‬146m‭
‬-‭ ‬cum.‭ ‬elevation loss‭ ‬:‭ ‬153m‭
‬-‭ ‬total elevation:‭  ‬299m‭

‬-‭ ‬altitude maxi‭ ‬:‭ ‬1212m‭
‬-‭ ‬altitude mini‭ ‬:‭ ‬1135m‭
‬-‭ ‬altitude average‭ ‬:‭ ‬1176m
Bm155

Col de Lindus is easily accessed on a forest-road from‭ the col of Puerto de Ibañeta ‬in Spain.‭ ‬



Bm155
Bm156
Bm156

Bm157 has tumbled down the ridge and lies‭ ‬-‭ ‬according to Vigor & Sanz ‬and Charles Darrieu‭ ‬-‭ ‬20‭ ‬m lower on the Spanish side.‭ ‬I have a picture of it from Charles Darrieu. However,‭ ‬I can‭’‬t find it in spite of searching for more then‭ ‬2‭ ‬hours,‭ ‬zigzagging on the hill slope.‭ ‬

Later - back home - I will see on Google Earth that one Dr. Grijando has  geotagged it's pictures of bm157. His localisation correspondends with the 20 meters, mentioned above.
There‭’‬s heavy undergrowth,‭ ‬pricky and very tough to wade through.‭ ‬I try to match Charles‭’‬ picture with the scene but that doesn‭’‬t help me either.‭ ‬I have to give up.

But this picture of Dr. Grijando (see his panoramio-page) gives a better clue. Unfortunately too late.


And I found back this picture, giving even more directions.

What strikes is that this bm seems to be of an older type. Most of the bm's on the ridge from 156 to the north are large square concrete blocks.

But it also seems different from the previous series bm152-155.

If we compare Dr. Grijando's waypoint with my gps-track, I must have passed bm157 several times.

Early‭ ‬spring 2012 will be a better time to scrutinise this hill-slope.


This picture: a bit higher on the ridge and looking back.


esfr-trip-track-20110816-trip3.kml
(click to open this trip in Google Earth or copy link to Google Maps; click right on this link to download gpx-version)

Trip 3: a reconnaissance of routes from Arneguy to bm195.‭ ‬


For explanation of the gps-coordinates and other cartographic backgrounds:
see my cartography page

En route‭(‬±‭) ‬:‭ ‬15.30‭ ‬-‭ ‬1730‭ (‬2h‭)

According to the gps-tripteller:‭
‬Distance:‭  ‬6,1km
Cum.‭ ‬elevation gain‭ ‬:‭ ‬314m
Total elevation:‭  ‬628m‭
Maximum height: 528m
Time:‭ ‬1.57h
According to visugpx

-‭ ‬distance‭ ‬:‭ ‬5,8km‭
‬-‭ ‬cum.‭ ‬elevation gain‭ ‬:‭ ‬310m‭
‬-‭ ‬cum.‭ ‬elevation loss‭ ‬:‭ ‬305m‭
‬-‭ ‬total elevation:‭  ‬615m‭

‬-‭ ‬altitude maxi‭ ‬:‭ ‬537m‭
‬-‭ ‬altitude mini‭ ‬:‭ ‬249m‭
‬-‭ ‬altitude average‭ ‬:‭ ‬390m
From Arneguy, a tarmac road climbs ‬after some winding‭ (‬±‭ ‬½‬h‭) ‬until‭ ‬the road ends at a farm.

 ‬I see on my gps that I‭’‬m‭ ‬± 120m from bm191‭ ‬and I walk through the forest and via a‭ ‬forest road to bm191.‭ ‬It‭’‬s beyond that crossing with that peculiar metal barrier.

This could be part of the GRPdesBF main trail:‭ ‬from b191,‭ ‬crossing the metal barrier





‎  

and then at the next crossing‭ (± 120‬m‭) ‬with a road coming from the right:
go left,‭ ‬
right through the forest‭ (NEE) ‬to the tarmac road‭ ‬S‭ ‬of the farm.

‬Then descending on the road to Arneguy.
I redo bm191-195:
-‎ ‏191-192:‎ ‏down the dirt-road,‭ ‬at its end descending to the right on a no longer used walled path‭ (‬the meadow at the right is easier to use‭)‬,‭ ‬then to the left 
until bm192.
Bm192

-‎ ‏192-193:‎ ‏same story,‭ ‬from‭ ‬192‭ ‬descend to the right on a no longer used walled path.‭ ‬The meadow at the right is‭ ‬-‭ ‬again‭ ‬-‭ ‬easier.‭

Then bend to the left and you‭’‬ll find
bm193.
Bm193

-‎ ‏193-194:‎ ‏continue on the forest trail,‭ ‬you‭’‬ll reach an open space at your right.
‭ ‬Bm194‭ ‬is a bit off the forest ridge and currently lying flat.
Bm194

-‎ ‏194-195:‎ ‏descend in the forest,‭ ‬not on the old trail along the forest edge because that trail is blocked at the end. Descend parallel to that trail until you reach‬ the tarmac road NE ‬of a house.‭ Access from the forest to the road might be a bit difficult.
‬Bm195‭ ‬is standing on the other side of the road.

Then a gentle walk and some jogging back to Arneguy.‭ ‬I see where I skipped - on my way up - the branch to the right which leads directly to bm195.‭ ‬Finally in Arneguy, ‬it‭’‬s time for a well deserved beer.

In the evening I hear from my 'copine' Karin that an interview on the GRPdesBF-project is published in the Dutch tabloid‭ “‬De Telegraaf‭”‬.‭ ‬I‭’‬m very content.‭ ‬See‭ this page
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