The bordermarkers of the Pyrenees : all my trips
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- 22 august 2011 -
Giant bordermarkers

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 esfr-trip-track-20110822.kml
(click to open this trip in Google Earth or copy link to Google Maps; click right on this link to download gpx-version)

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

Day 8: A short trip from Col de Somport,‭ ‬doing bm304-298

Weather: sunny,‭ ‬very strong winds
For explanation of the gps-coordinates and other cartographic backgrounds:
see my cartography page

En route‭ (‬±‭)‬:‭ ‬14.45‭ ‬-‭ ‬18.00‭ (‬3.15h‭)

According to the gps-tripteller:‭
‬Distance:‭  ‬8,1km
Cum.‭ ‬elevation gain‭ ‬:‭ ‬568m
Total elevation:‭ ‬1136m
Maximum height: 1728m
Time:‭ ‬3.16h

According to visugpx

-‭ ‬distance‭ ‬:‭ ‬7,6km‭
‬-‭ ‬cum.‭ ‬elevation gain‭ ‬:‭ ‬182m‭
‬-‭ ‬cum.‭ ‬elevation loss‭ ‬:‭ ‬187m‭
‬-‭ ‬total elevation:‭  ‬369m‭

‬-‭ ‬altitude maxi‭ ‬:‭ ‬1718m‭
‬-‭ ‬altitude mini‭ ‬:‭ ‬1554m‭
‬-‭ ‬altitude average‭ ‬:‭ ‬1657m
This day was supposed to be a resting day but the backpackers menu at a Candanchu bar needed some digestion.

At the Spanish side of the Col du Somport,‭ ‬I climb to the St.‭ ‬Mary's chapel and pickup a trail there.‭ ‬

It climbs through a forest and leads you underneath a‭ ‬hilltop with bm304‭ ‬on top of it.









Bm304
Bm304


The trail leads you further to bm303.


Bm303
Bm303


Bm303 in the background.

A green/yellow waymarking has appeared and can be followed until bm300.‭ ‬
After bm303, don't go this way, it's a military shooting area on Spanish soil.
This is the trail to follow.
Both bm302‭ ‬and bm301‭ ‬are crosses and quite hidden in the undergrowth.‭ ‬They are‭ ‬15-20‭ ‬away from the path on small hilltops and not visible from the path.

Note the solitary cross to the left.‭
Bm302
Bm302
Since bm302 is difficult to find, this clue: a dead tree to the W along the path.

Bm302 is roughly located where the trees in the background stand, 20 meters to the right of the path

Bm301‭ ‬is also quite hidden in the undergrowth,  in this case 15m from the path.‭ ‬‭
Bm301
 Bm301
And a clue for bm301, looking from W to E: behind the tree on the small hilltop, that's where bm301 is.
Bm300‭ ‬lies flat in the grass.‭ ‬

At this point,‭ ‬the green/yellow trail bends to the left but the borderline goes straight ahead over the hillridge .‭ ‬
Bm300
Bm300, looking forward to the hillridge where a smaller trail will bring you 
to bm299.
Bm299
Bm299


The first picture of bm299 again to show the next bordermarkers.

From bm299 the border is a straight line to bm297.

The next bm - bm298sub - is already visible in the valley and can be gently reached with a semi-circle descending to it.



Bm298sub is unnumbered.






From bm298sub you can easily spot bm299 on the hillridge.


 Bm298sub

On my way to bm298.

This is a view back to
- bm298sub
- the hillridge with bm299

Bm298 is easily reached by winding SSW along a sort of path until you see this rock platform.



Zoom-in to bm298



Bm298

From bm298 looking back in the direction of bm298sub and bm299.

From bm298, there's no obvious path to the next bordermarkers.

‭ ‬But bm297‬sub2‭ ‬(‬also a giant block‭) is easily‭ found ‬ by  walking two semicircles to the SSW.

Distance to bm298: ± 225m‭ ‬

Bm297sub2

Bm297sub2, looking in the direction of bm297.

The GR11-trail is 25m further. The crossing of the border of the GR11‭ ‬is obvious through some ES-‭ ‬and FR-information panels.

I give up by lack of time and walk on the GR11 to Candanchu and back to Col du Somport.


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