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The
bordermarkers of the Pyrenees : all my trips
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| - sunday 31 august
2014 - Proud of bm196  previous
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Summary: part of a 2-weeks trip along the entire Pyrenees, focussing on
high altitude reconnaissance of parts of my GRPdesBF-trail. Today: after visiting bm196, driving to Col de la Pierre St-Martin for a survey of the routes between bm261 and 264 Weather: sunny in the afternoon |
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I arrived yesterday at the camping municipal in St-Étiènne-de-Baïgorry after a long drive from Holland. After packing my tent, I drive to |
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the venta-complex near Arneguy. |
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Target: the recently undigged bm196. See this page for the details of this long buried bordermarker. |
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Bm196 |
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Bm196 |
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Bm196 |
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Bm196 with your pride bordermarker-researcher. |
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Bm196, a last close-up. Then driving - climbing on foggy mountain-roads - to the Col de la Pierre St-Martin. |
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Trip 2 track-20140831-trip2.kml (click to open this trip in Google Earth or copy link to Google Maps; click right on this link to download gpx-version) A survey from Col de la Pierre St-Martin of the routes between bm261 and 264. I have been here before but focussing more on bordermarkers than on wayfinding/navigating. Conclusion today: bm261 can be reached in a more interesting & elegant way and the trail I had in mind for the the GRPdesBF from bm262 onwards to Col d'Arlas needs some change. |
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For
explanation of
the gps-coordinates and other cartographic backgrounds: see the cartography-page Start: 12h, finish: 16h, net walking time: 4h According to the
gps-tripteller: |
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According
to visugpx - distance : 6,9 km - cum. elevation gain : 282m - cum. elevation loss : 283m - total elevation: 565m - altitude maxi : 1911m - altitude mini : 1691m - altitude average : 1806m |
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It's still foggy when I start from the parking strip NE of bm262. This picture: the NE-end of the parking strip. That's where I enter the hills to the right. |
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But there's no distinct trail from there. Nevertheless I arrive at this small lake. This proves to be an important landmark in navigating from bm262 to Col d'Arlas and doing the variant to bm263. Straight on = towards Col d'Arlas = the main route of the GRPdesBF. |
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But for the variant to bm263, you need to turn right (=SW) at the lake and go SW. First you have to climb to this little col. |
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When getting over this col, you will see a hole/pit before you and 70m
further a second hole/pit but smaller. |
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Let's show this variant via bm263 on Google Earth. |
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Zoom-in to that second hole/pit. |
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Having arrived at that second hole, go left |
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and climb S/SE between two ridges with pine-trees. When you arrive at the 'top' of that climb - which is sort of rim with a steep descent on the other side - |
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bend to the left and search for bm263 which is a bit hidden
under a tree. Cairns will help you to locate it. |
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Bm263 |
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Bm263, close-up |
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Then find your way back to the main
route by traversing NE through the terrain until you reach a
distinctive worn-out trail going SEE. You are back now at the main route of the GRPdesBF. In the distance, the Pic d'Arlas becomes visible and will become |
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more visible as you proceed. Note the solitary tree to the right, that is an important landmark to find bm264. In fact: bm264 is 30m SSW of that tree. So: when you arrive at this point, leave the trail and go to the tree. Then go 30m SSW and you are at the rock of bm264. |
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Having arrived at bm264 In the background you can see that solitary tree. |
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Bm264, looking towards Pic d'Arlas. |
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Bm264, now with Pic d'Arlas ánd Pic d'Anie (to the right). |
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Bm264, close-up |
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I'm back at the solitary tree, looking towards bm264. As said, that's a distance of ± 30m SSW |
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and a zoom-in of previous picture. I have put a cairn on the rock of bm264, the cross & number are on the other side. |
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I continue to Col d'Arlas and further to check the source at the hillside of Pic d'Arlas. |
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The source is there and some hoses will help you to tap water.
Remember: this is the only source on the vast karst plateau laying ahead. |
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I return to the small lake. |
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and follow the 'yellow' trail at the other side to see where it brings me. |
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Well, it brings me here: at the road opposite a farmbuilding. Conclusion: this is a more obvious (more distinct + waymarked) route to proceed to Col d'Arlas. |
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Let's explan that route in the right direction starting at bm262. From bm262, go to the NE-end of the parking strip, then after 50m, a yellow-waymarked trail starts going E. |
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This signboard points to the yellow route which you have to follow towards col d'Arlas. |
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There are enough yellow waymarks to help you. |
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Soon (after 300m) the trail arrives at this
small oval lake. On the opposite side the trail (= main route) climbs uphill on a distinctive worn-out path. But for the first variant (to bm263) go right (=SW) and climb to a ridge/col |
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with this view. I have been here before today, see above for how to get to bm263. I know enough and now proceed to the 'end' of the valley |
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and climb the trail uphill which brings me back to the road |
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with this building 75m S of bm262. The veranda might give you shelter in bad weather |
 Approximately from the building, this panorama. |
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A zoom-in to the monument of the perished speleologist Marcel Loubens |
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But first some pictures of the famous bm262 |
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Bm262 |
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Between bm262 and the road down below, there are three triangular - unnumbered - submarkers. This is the third one and nearest to bm262 |
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At the roadside, there's the second one. |
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Zoom-in of previous picture. You can already see the first submarker at the other side of the road. |
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The second submarker, seen from the other side. |
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The first submarker, |
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and seen from the othere sides. The position of this first marker is interesting. It's on a line between the second marker and bm261 and in that way confirms a course of the borderline which is questionable. Let's show it on a map, taken from this page: |
 The first marker = Marker A. The position of bm261 should be considered wrong: the treaty of 1858 describes a different spot. Read all about this mystery on this page. |
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How to get to bm261 in an
elegant way (which is a variant)? Note: the red line is the main route
of the GRPdesBF, the blue one the variant to bm261. Descend from the bend in the road (see picture) on a trail |
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which will bring you to the monument Loubens. |
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Zoom-in of previous picture. |
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The monument Loubens |
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Entrance to the cave |
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with a staircase. |
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The two plaques. |
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Then – behind the monument Loubens – proceed W along the rocky hillside on a
trail, descending slowly to bm261. So: from the monument continue W, then SW. That's about here. NB: much later I spotted on this picture a cross. Let's |
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show it. And this is the second sub-cross between bm261 and 262. See further-on. |
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Continuing SW with the rockwall on your right hand |
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until you arrive at bm261 |
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Bm262, note the 'hanging' trees in the background. |
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Close-up. Note: there are two crosses. |
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Close-up |
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I'm returning and look back: these trees indicate that you are close to bm262 which is 10-20m behind the trees. |
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Now I want to find
the three crosses between bm261 and 262 from which I have pictures and
waypoints provided by the Darrieu's. See this page. I admire them, without their help it would have been very difficult. This is the rock with the first cross. |
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That cross is hard to recognize. |
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Darrieu's picture shows it better. |
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The second cross |
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Closer. Note the cairn. |
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With chalk. |
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Further on, you can - close to the Loubens-monument - directly climb to the road. |
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Then
the next question: is there an alternative and more direct route to bm262 (and 261) when coming from bm260? Well, that should be this: leaving the road and in a ± straight line towards bm262. I tried it but it takes more time. My conclusion: stick to the road until you can climb directly to bm262. Also for the variant to bm261: keep to the road until you can descend to monument Loubens and continue to bm261. |
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And there's one last alternative access to bm261 to consider: that's the purple line which is a distance of ± 250m Is possible but it's tough rocky terrain to traverse and you might need a gps to find bm261. |
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I return to bm262 and the car. But there's one last sub-cross to find, the third one between the road and bm262. Well, that cross is here |
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on this rock |
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at this spot. |
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Then - to finish the day - I drive to bm259 (note the cross and number on the separate rock left) |
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The separate rock and number. |
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Bm259 |
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Bm258 Bm258 also has an older and separate cross & number but I forgot them. |
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Bm258 |
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Then driving via the famous Col d'Aubisque |
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to Arrens-Massous to camping Le Gerrit. |
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