The bordermarkers of the Pyrenees : all my trips
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- sunday 6 september 2020 -
Doing 230-234bis with Carlos & Conchita

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Summary: part of a series of 6 daytrips and 1 multiday trip in september 2020 in the Pyrénées Atlantiques. This is trip 3.

Today: joining Carlos & Conchita in visiting a few bordermarkers, not particularly difficult but having me as a guide makes it a it bit easier. And I enjoy their company.
Basecamp = the camping in Larrau.

The account of Carlos & Conchita of this trip is on this webpage.


Weather: drizzly in the morning, cloudy later.

track-20200906.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

Gps-waypoints of all bordermarkers (most recent version):
kml:  esfr-bordermarkers-all-waypoints.kml
gpx:  esfr-bordermarkers-all-waypoints.gpx (with elevation added by gpsvisualizer.com)
According to Garmin Basecamp (uncorrected track):

Distance: 12,4km
Max-height: 1267m
Min-height: 882m
Elevation: +414m -753m
Total elevation: 1167m

Start 9:56  Finish 14:59
Total time: 5:03
Carlos & Conchita pick me up in Larrau and we drive to the parking near bm233.


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Bm233

I'm glad with the cloudy weather: the pictures are better without patches of sunlight and shadows.


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Bm233, looking back to the parking.


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Bm233


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Meanwhile Carlos & Conchita arrive after having equipped themselves with booths, backpacks and walking sticks.


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Then we descend on a dirtroad in the direction of bm234.

Later on we take the mountainbike trail downhill and


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leaving it further on to follow this ridge


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downhill.


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At the end of the ridge we spot bm234.


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Bm234


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Bm234.


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Bm234


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Bm234, Carlos & Conchita posing as well


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as me.


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Then this descent along the dry cascade at the foot of bm234.


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Looking back to bm234.


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Zoom-in to bm234.


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Then along this river upstream for ± 100m to bm234bis.


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Shifting from one side to the other when needed.


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The rocks in the stream are slippery.

At one point I just start stepping through the water in my trailrun shoes which is easier and safer. My experience is that the feeling of wet feet is soon over afterwards.


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Bm234bis can be found where a sidestream from the E merges with the main stream and well on the NE-corner of the junction, a bit uphill.


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Bm234bis


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Bm234bis


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Bm234bis


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Bm234bis


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Bm234bis


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Bm234bis, looking down to the streams.


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Going back


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until bm234 which is on the hilltop on this picture.


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Conchita ready for


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the climb back to bm234.


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It's like a stairway.


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Bm234 again.


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Bm234


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Bm234


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Bm234


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Bm234, last picture.


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This is the spot where you have to leave the mountainbike trail to  go downhill to bm234.


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And this is the spot to leave the forest dirtroad and follow the mountainbike trail downhill.


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And this is the bifurcation of two dirtroads earlier on.


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From the parking near bm233 we drive to the west along the winding forestroad to a next stop.

Next target is bm232. We descend into the forest, using our gps. We can follow this fence for a large part, sometimes there is a vague trail.


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The beech forest is beautiful and very quiet.


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We arrive at a dry stream with bm232 already visible.


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Bm232


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Bm232


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Bm232


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Bm232


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Bm232


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Bm232


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Bm232


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Bm232


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Bm232


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Carlos taking pictures of Conchita besides the bm as they always do creating nice visual memories.


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Returning to the car. Following the fence helps in navigating.


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Back at the car.


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Next stop is near bm231. A short descent along a path to this point.

Bm231 stands behind the log.


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Bm231


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Bm231


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Further on along the road our last target.

The descent can best be done at the right side of the large tree. Then you have branches here and there to cling to.


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It's a steep descent, in the beginning quite slippery.


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Bm230 becomes visible.


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Bm230


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Bm230


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Bm230

In fact two bm's: one (older) cross and a newer pillar.



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Bm230

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Bm230


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Bm230


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Meanwhile Carlos & Conchita are arriving.


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Carlos chalking the number of bm230.


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Bm230


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A bit downhill is the stream and we have a look there.

This picture: looking S along the stream, the part which is the border.


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Climbing back along bm230.


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Bm230


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Back at the road, we have a lunchbreak and decide to stop. It's getting too late for bm227-229.
We drive back and Carlos & Conchita drop me in Larrau.

And that is where I spot this monument commemorating


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the construction of the tarmac bordercross road over Port de Larrau in 1970.


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