The
bordermarkers of the Pyrenees : all my trips
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monday 18 april
2022 -
Redoing bm001 and bm197
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Summary:
part of a series of 10 daytrips in april 2022 in the Basque country,
mainly redoing bm085 to 197. This is day 10.
Today: revisiting bm001 and bm197
Weather: cloudy
Basecamp: camping Irouleguy in Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry.
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Trip 1 - bm001
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The target was to climb directly from bm001 to 002.
As you can see on this map, I didn't succeed in that plan.
That was more a question of lack of energy (after the tiring days before) than the climb being too difficult.
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According to Garmin
Basecamp (uncorrected track with elevation added by Gpsvisualizer.com):
Distance: 2,5km
Max-height: 140m
Min-height: 7m
Elevation: +346m -346m
Total elevation: 692m
Start 11:59 Finish 13:46
Total time: 1:47
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 | Parking close to the beginning
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | of the trail.
I show in red the course of my main GRPdesBF-route. That is to say the first stage from the coast to Col d'Ibardin (bm013).
And well a partly new route.
(click photo to enlarge)
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And let's show that on a map.
The original main route followed from Hendaye a scenic route and climbed to bm003.
Disadvantage: it skips the very first esfr-bordermarker which must be done on a variant if you wish to.
The new main route shifts in Hendaye to the west-side of the river Bidasoa and follows a cycle track along the river for 7,5 km.
Perhaps less scenic but the big advantage is that it gives a clear view
of bm001 just before the bridge (but at the other side of the river).
My main GRPdesBF-route aims at connecting most of the
esfr-bordermarkers in a smooth and elegant way from no. 1 up to no.
602. So no. 1 shouldn't be missed. That's why I changed the route.
Note: for a close look at bm001, you need to descend to it from the (new) main trail at the east-side of the river.
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 | Entrance, the trail is red-white waymarked and
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | soon climbs to a higher level
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | and traverses
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | to this spot.
The main route continues on the red-white waymarked trail.
For visiting bm001, you need to descend on a short variant and return.
Bm002 can be reached directly by climbing the steep hillside. But also
- if you follow the main route - from bm003 with a short descent to it.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | The route downhill towards bm001.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Uphill, we see a blue waymark.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Apparently waymarking the track of the direct climb to bm002.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | I start climbing the hillside but soon loose the blue waymarks.
The hillside is steep but the climb manageable. But could be harder in summer's vegetation.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | However: I get off the 'straight' line to bm002 and give up at this point.
I should have looked better at my gps/smartphone to follow the track I saw on Openstreetmaps.
But I know enough, the hillside is still manageable and I climbed it already at 2-4-2009.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | I return and now descend to bm001.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Bm001 in the distance
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | and now reached.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Bm001
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Bm001, the number.
It's not easy to photograph this side because the pillar
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | is so close to the abyss, be careful.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | I return to the bridge.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | There is a cycle trail along the west-side of the Bidasoa-river and here
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | we see a bunch of bicycle-tools.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Showing how you leave the cycle trail and cross the bridge to the east-side of the river.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | This is that cycle trail, built on an old railway.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | I continue N along the cycle trail to make some pictures of bm001 from this side of the river.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Bm001, zoom-in
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Bm001
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Bm001, zoom-in
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Bm001
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Bm001, zoom-in
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Bm001, zoom-in
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | A closer look is possible by descending to the riverbank.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Bm001
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Bm001, zoom-in
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Bm001, zoom-in
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Bm001, zoom-in
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Then finally a look at this small
electricity facility
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | which is no longer in use.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Back to the car. Here the cycle trail passes underneath the bridge
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | and then you have to make this curve to cross the bridge
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | and after the bridge continue on the red-white waymarked trail.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Then I drive to Hendaye, just to see how the cycle trail leaves the outskirts of the town.
(click photo to enlarge)
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Trip 2 - bm197
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Then a long drive to the hamlet of Gainekoleta.
I just want to redo bm197, last done in 2010.
This year I want to finish my survey of all esfr-bordermarkers with
having done all markers at least twice and no longer ago than 10 years.
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 | This concrete construction is the starting point
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | for crossing the river.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | But once crossed the stream, I cannot find immediately bm197.
It is more to the north
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | at the other side of a side-stream.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | So I have to cross a second stream to get to bm197.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Bm197
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Bm197
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Bm197 with
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | on the same picture the borderline indicated.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | This
is the side-stream (looking upstream) which descends from bm198 to the
Luzaide ibaia-river. From bm198 via bm197 up to 196, both streams are
the border.
I do a short investigation if there is a trail along the stream upstream but there is none.
Later I will try it from the other side.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Crossing back the river.
As you can see, I don't care about wet shoes. They dry quickly.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Another view of bm197 and the borderline.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Zoom-in to bm197.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Driving a bit further to the scenic hamlet of Gainekoleta.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | The waymarked trail
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | around the hamlet, still exists.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | On this annotated cut out, you can see what I want to try.
From nr.2 I want to descend along the stream to bm197. I did that already on 10-5-2010.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | The trail is white-green waymarked
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | and brings you to this bridge.
Just beyond the bridge, I go left.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | There is a nice trail,
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | first along the stream
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | and then gradually climbing
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | but getting too high and too far from the stream.
(click photo to enlarge)
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 | Conclusion: at an earlier point, you have to leave the trail and descend on a vaguer trail towards bm197.
Conclusion: crossing the river directly to bm197 is much easier (if you dare to).
This trail can be an alternative.
(click photo to enlarge)
Enough for today, I return to the camping.
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This is my last trip of this holiday. The next day it starts raining in
the whole of the Pyrenees and I decide to return home.
First to Lourdes for a night in my favourite 'hôtel d'Annecy', the town
still suffering from 2 years of Covid-19-misery with a lot of shops and
hotels closed.
Then on wednesday driving to Camping Neuville and arriving home on thursday.
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