The
bordermarkers of the Pyrenees : all my trips
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-
saturday 22 july
2017 -
Redoing bm065 to 074
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Summary: part of 13 day-trips in
the Pyrenees, covering various
targets from the Basque country up to Llivia.
Today: redoing bm65 to bm074 in two trips
Weather: cloudy
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Trip 1 |
Bm065-072
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track-20170722-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). The gps-track has not been
manually corrected which explains the
inaccuracy and misalignment at some points. For cartographic
backgrounds: see the cartography-page
According to Google Earth: 12,8km, max-height 138m, min-height 51m,
elevation: +446m -448m
Start 9:23 Finish 14:49
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 | Luxurious breakfast with marmelade on my toast.
It's about 7 km along the GR10 (from the camping in Dantxarria) to bm065.
I cover that stretch while trailrunning with a small backpack which goes surprisingly smoothly.
It seems that my escalator-training in the gym has benefitted me.
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 | In between: this view towards La Rhune
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 | Important change of course in the GRPdesBf, when coming from bm066.
Going straight on would bring you to Ainhoa. Turning right brings you to Dantxarria.
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Still looking fit.
The GR10 follows in the last kilometers of this stretch a muddy trail
along a stream with the dirtroad just meters besides it. For the
GRPdesBF I will use the dirtroad.
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 | Bm065 seems even more tilted than before.
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 | Bm065
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 | Bm065 |
 | Bm065. The number is still visible. |
 | Walking back.
The yellow line is the borderline
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 | The GR10 takes a short shortcut to the left in stead of continuing along the dirtroad but my GRPdesBF sticks to the dirtroad.
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 | At the abondoned house near bm064 I change some clothes (capri-trousers and long socks instead of my running-short).
I think I will need them in the blackberry-undergrowth and I'm indeed right.
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 | Besides the (abandoned) house crossing the fence and descending to the stream.
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 | There is a remarkable difference in the landscape compared with 2009: blackberries and ferns are taking over entire fields.
In 2009 we could cross the stream easily, climb a fence and walk uphill to bm67 (in fact we did that the other way around).
That's not possible anymore. The stream seems more wide but more
important: the lower part of the hillside is a jungle of ferns and
blackberries.
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 | Bm66 is particularly difficult to reach, it is now surrounded by a dense layer of blackberries.
I almost give up but in my last trial I use my walking sticking to hit
and slay a path through the blackberry which is easier than it looked.
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 | Bm066 is about 10m from the stream.
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 | Bm066
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 | Bm066 |
 | Bm066 |
 | A look into the corridor
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 | with a zoom-in to bm066
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You need to enter the meadow besides the house to get as close to bm066 before you force yourself a path to it.
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 | Zoom-in to where to struggle yourself to bm066.
As said before, crossing the stream and climbing the hill to bm067 is not possible anymore.
The stream seems more wide but more
important: the lower part of the hillside is a jungle of ferns and
blackberries.
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 | But thereĀ“s an alternative. Back along the dirtroad I've seen a branch entering the forest.
That is here.
That brings me,
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 | taking twice the right fork at two successive biforks, in the direction of bm067.
This is the first bifork.
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 | Passing this ford.
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 | This is the second bifork, a fallen tree ahead.
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 | I arrive at open terrain
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 | and from here I walk over the meadow
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 | to a second meadow towards bm067.
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 | But (the destroyed) bm067 and its neigbour - a municipal borderstone) are hidden in ferns and in between two fences.
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 | I use my walking stick
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 | to clear the spot
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 | In the front the demolished bm067 and behind the old municipal marker.
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 | I don't find any trace of a number or cross on the bm-pieces.
So far so good. |
 | In the adjoining field I make a half circle around the forest edge to the NE-end of the meadow.
From the end of the meadow a muddy trail goes SE to this muddy stream-crossing.
Then I go wrong, going S, and I'm puzzled because I follow my own
directions and pictures on my website.
It takes a while before I
discover what is wrong: my website is wrong. There are two muddy
stream-crossings!
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Let's show it on the map.
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 | So: from the first streamcrossing, follow the trail NE and E
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 | which descends to an even more muddy stream-crossing
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Now you have arrived at the
border-fence. It's is best to keep at the Spanish side with all his
cow-trails, keeping close to the fence.
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 | I
try the French side but the forest strip along it is difficult to get
through. Bm68 is however on the French side of the fence.
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 | Bm068
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 | Bm068 |
 | Bm068 |
 | I switch back to the Spanish side, reach now easily the meadow and then the large building which you see at this picture.
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 | Just before the building's premises, it is easy to get over the fence to the left and proceed
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 | to bm069.
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 | Bm069
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 | Bm069 |
 | Bm069 |
 | The
building itself - once mysterious, seeming abandoned - is now in use as
a group accomodation for the scouting-movement (I think).
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 | Then along the N-side of the Spanish meadow
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 | to its NE-point where a muddy cow-trail
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 | descends along a stream
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 | and a fence
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 | until it ends at bm70, close to an abandoned house.
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 | Bm070
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 | Bm070 |
 | The abandoned house.
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 | Bm070 |
 | Bm070 |
 | Bm070 |
 | At the other side of the stream, a steep trail (a game trail, I think) brings me to a field, fully taken over by ferns
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 | View back towards
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 | La Rhune.
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 | Wrestling through the fern uphill, I reach a forest strip and bm071 which is at the Spanish side of the fence.
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 | Bm071
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 | Bm071 |
 | Bm071 |
 | Bm071 with a view towards Dantxarria
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 | Bm071 |
 | I know that the Spanish meadow is in use for horses so I switch back to the French side.
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 | I have - further on - to cross a meadow with cows and can descend to the road, following the forest-edge.
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 | I discover that at the back of the Venta besides bm72, there's a gate which gives access to the venta's premises and the road.
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 | Almost at the road.
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 | Bm072 to the left.
Back to the camping for a break.
I'm content with this trip and surprised how the landscape is changing, nature beating agriculture.
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Trip 2
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Bm73-74
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According to Google Earth:
5,5km
Start 17:13 Finish 18:55
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 | Then in the late afternoon a short trip to bm73 and 74, following a yellow trail.
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 | Bm073
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 | Bm073 |
 | Bm073 |
 | Bm073 |
 | Bm073 |
 | Further on, I leave the road
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 | and pass this footbridge
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 | to get to bm074
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 | Bm074
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 | In
the stream besides bm074, I search for the split half of the old bm74 -
Jacques Koleck found that in 2013 - but I can't find it.
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 | Bm074 |
 | I walk back. This is the spot where you have enter the forest straight on (between the two roads) to get in 25m to bm073.
The right fork is a private road.
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 | Back at the camping and enjoying my macaroni-dinner.
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