The bordermarkers of the Pyrenees : all my trips
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- saturday 3 september 2022 -
Revisiting bm540 and Sant Bartomeu de Pincaró

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Summary: part of a series of 9 daytrips in august & september 2022 across the Pyrenees. The main goal was to finish my plan to have visited all bordermarkers at least twice. It was also a kind of sentimental farewell journey, visiting old friends and cherished places.
This is daytrip 8.

Today: a nostalgic visit to the church of Sant Bartomeu de Pincaró and an investigation of an alternative route to bm536.

Weather: lightly overcast & also sunny

Basecamp: camping Verte Rive in St-Laurent-de-Cerdans


track-20220903.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 with elevation added by Gpsvisualizer.com):

Distance: 12,1 km
Max-height: 765m
Min-height: 381m
Elevation: +1017m -1005m
Total elevation: 2022m

Start 11:25  Finish 16:00
Total time: 4:35

I had a bad day yesterday.

The weather was perfect for swimming to bm602 but at the parking in Portbou I forgot to put on the handbrake.

My car escaped and collided with another car. A lot of hassle, filling in papers etcetera and no swimming.
A rainy and chilly morning.


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Parking at Can d'Amunt, it looks like a fortress nowadays.

I was told that the Belgian owner that Jan-Willem and me spoke years ago (with ambitious plans to reopen the restaurant) still lives here.


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I pick up the trail and soon there is this bifork.


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There are yellow waymarks but not very consistent.


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A waysign. I suppose that they mean the church of Sant Bartomeu de Pincaró


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Another waysign


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And this is another bifork.

To the left is a trail towards bm541 but that seemed in earlier trips to have faded away.

If your goal is bm541, you better first head to bm540 and then proceed to bm541.


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In between a view to


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the source of La Muga.


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Zoom-in with a house visible which much have a tremendous view.


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I arrive at bm540.


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Bm540


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Bm540


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Bm540


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I descend into Spain,


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cairns help.


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Arriving at the dry streambed of La Muga.


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The route follows for a while - ± 115m -the streambed and then enters the forest at the other side.

Without a


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waysign like this, it would be difficult to find this entrance.


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After a bit of climbing, I reach the mountain road with


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a waysign back to Coustouges.


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The entrance of the forest is also


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waymarked with yellow paint.


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I walk E down the mountain road and arrive at the access to the church.


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A short climb and there is the church of Sant Bartomeu de Pincaró


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At a wall I see this plaque saying:

In memory of all
the neighbors of
these mountains
who rest in this
cemetery


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It's a lovely and spiritual place.


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I have special memories of this church. I camped here on 16-3-2009 and 18-3-2009.
In the church


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there is no furniture, the blue paint strikes the eyes.


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On the altar


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there are notes of previous visitors


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including a note in secret code.


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A view from the outside


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I return and I am back at the beginning of the access road to the church.


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Now I continue on the mountain road W towards Hostal de la Muga.

In between this view.


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My goal is an exploration of a trail to an old watermill close to bm536.


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I found that trail in recent years on the OSM-map.

I might be a faster alternative route to bm536 and then on via bm537-539 to bm540.
The entrance into the forest is marked with a cairn.


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I descend but soon there is no recognizable trail and the cairns disappear aloso.

So I give up and return to the mountain road.


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And walk back to the spot


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where the trail to Coustouges descends into the forest.


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Descending through the forest


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to the dry streambed of La Muga


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and further on - after ± 115m - entering the forest again


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with help of this waysign.


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And climbing back towards bm540


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and walking back to Can d'Amunt.

This picture: close to Can d'Amunt, this is the roof of a water-reservoir.


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which you can see on this picture of 18-4-2007 in the background.

I camped here with Jan-Willem and we were lucky to get water from that reservoir.

The terrain has now got overgrown with bamble bushes.
Back at Can d'Amunt


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and my car.


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Then - in Coustouges - an unexpected meeting with Jean and Conchita Iglesias.

I was too shy to bell at their doorbell but then I spotted them watching the petanque-game in the village.

It took Jean a moment to recognize me and then he exclaimed: "l'Hollandais !".

Jean guided me on 18-3-2009 to bm342, together with his son Marc and a friend of his, a trip I cherish ever since.


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I was so kindly invitated to their house, treated with dessert and wine and also their son Marc was immediately called.


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And so we had our reunion after 13 years.


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To compare: this is the picture of the 'ski-aprčs' of our trip of 18-3-2009
I said it earlier, I am in a sentimental-journey mood.

I also wanted to visit the spot behind the cemetery where I camped twice.


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The first time was on 6-4-2008 with Jan-Willem Doomen.
And the second time on 17-3-2009. the day before I was guided by Jean Iglesias to bm542.
Now it's a horse meadow.


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Last picture of Coustouges before returning to the camping.


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