The
bordermarkers of the Pyrenees : all my trips
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thursday 10 april
2014 -
Over the Comanegra
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esfr-trip-track-20140410.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 6-days trip to the Eastern Pyrenees, exploring
routes between bm521 and bm545. Basecamp: the camping municipal in
St-Laurent-de-Cerdans.
Day 2: a roundtrip from Lamanère to re-walk and gps-track the route
from bm521 to bm523
Weather: sunny, nice temperature
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For
explanation of
the gps-coordinates and other cartographic backgrounds: see the cartography-page
Start:10h, break: 13.45-14.15, finish: 17.30, net walking time: 7h
According to the gps-tripteller:
Distance: 20,1 km
Total ascent: 906m
Total denivellation: 1812m
Maximum height: 1556m
Total time: 7.29h
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According
to visugpx
- distance : 19.7 km
- cum. elevation gain : 927m
- cum. elevation loss : 927m
- total elevation: 1854m
- altitude maxi : 1538m
- altitude mini : 789m
- altitude average : 1178m
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Starting-point: the pretty village of Lamanère.
I walk up the winding road which leaves the village at the S.
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The waysigns to Col de Malrems (bm521) are easy to find.
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Then it's an easy walk (±1h) to the Col on a well track.
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Col de Malrems already visible
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In the beginning I pass some streams, higher up: none or dry.
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This could be a bivouac-spot, it's ± 2km (denivellation -250m) from the Col.
Note: at the Col de Malrems there's enough flat space to camp there (Jan-Willem and I did that on 21 april 2007 but there's no water there.
By the way, from this spot you have to descend probably further to find a stream.
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Having arrived at Col de Malrems with bm521
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Bm521
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Bm521
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Bm521, looking NW
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Looking SE from bm521
From Col de Malrems, the trail along the borderridge eastwards starts at the French side, SE from bm521
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Soon you'll reach this cairn. In the distance Col de Malrems and bm521 where we came from.
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Now
and then, the trail is waymarked with red/blue waymarks and
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also cairns.
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In general, wayfinding is no problem.
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A large part of the trail is
underneath the ridge on the French side.
This picture: looking at the Canigou (I think), still snowcapped.
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Another grassy passage with cairns to help you.
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Then
the hilltop of Comanegra comes in sight
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as a peak with grassy hillsides
at the S and forested at the N-side.
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When coming closer to the Comanegra, the
waymarked trail however crosses the ridge and enters into Spain.
It seems as if it will traverse underneath the
Comanegra.
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In fact it descends to the road down below
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with this waterbassin.
Well, don't do this. Keep to the ridge and climb directly along the ridge towards the Comanegra.
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New trails will appear and lead you along and underneath the subpeaks of the Comanegra
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until the final climb to the real summit of Comanegra.
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A green/orange-waymarked trail appears and takes you to the ridge
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and brings you further on
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to the real Comanegra with its geodesic pillar.
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and this plaque as a proof.
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The geodesic pillar
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is a nice spot for a break.
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At its base
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this funny little puppet cabin,
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Meaning?
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Then
continuing on the green/orange trail
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which passes underneath
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this information post which
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tells us that this is the most southern point of France!
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I think I remember this spot. On 22 april 2007 Jan-Willem and I didn't keep to the ridge but descended to the road and water-bassin.
But then we had to undertake a very tough & steep climb to get on
the ridge back again. At this horizontal tree we recuperated.
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Then the trail descends considerably to a lower level of the ridge.
I know that at a certain point on the ridge I have to bend left and decend to the N.
Afterwards, I can establish on these pictures (combining the next pictures and Google Earth) where to descend.
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Let's zoom-in to the crucial part: |
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I'm now at the lower ridge.
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While continuing along the ridge, for me it's still the big question: where to bend N and descend
in the direction of bm522?
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Well, even without the pictures above it's not difficult: suddenly yellow waymarks appear.
That's when a trail coming from the W merges with our green/orange trail
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melting together for a while
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Then, some
75m further on, cairns direct you to the left side of the ridge
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Without these cairns, it would't be obvious where to bend left and descend into the forest.
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where
the yellow trail descends.
Soon also red/blue waymarks appear and
become dominant.
The
trail descends NNW along the forested hillside, then descends further
in large lacelets,
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becoming broader and
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ending at a dirtroad with this caravan.
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Go
right and after 150m, there's a grassy open space to your right.
You have to enter it (as the yellow and red/blue waymarks do).
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Note the yellow waymark on the tree
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Then go left on a path through the forest which brings you
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in 40m to bm522
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Bm522
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Bm522 after some cleaning/cutting up
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A bit further, the path arrives at a rectangular open grassy space.
There are some signs at this point (we're looking back in the direction of bm522)
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Let's zoom in: the red/blue trail is apparently a trail between Lamanère and Comanegra.
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I decide to return to Lamanère.
To continue to bm523 and then go back to Lamanère will take too long, I think.
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But
the descent to Lamanère takes me more time (2h) than I expected.
A more direct route seems blocked by private roads and wayfinding is
not easy on these winding mountainroads. The gps-maps on my smartphone
are again very helpful.
Back in St-Laurent-de-Cerdans, I treat myself with a
pizza.
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