The
bordermarkers of the Pyrenees : all my trips
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friday 28 july
2017 -
Exploring routes bm228-233, luxurious wild
camping
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Summary: part of 13 day-trips in
the Pyrenees, covering various
targets from the Basque country up to Llivia.
Today: trying a new route between bm229 and 230 and checking the variant via 232.
Weather: splendid
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Trip 1 |
Bm228-229
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track-20170728-trip1.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
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According to Google Earth:
8,2km, max-height 1358m, min-height 934m, elevation: +684m -685m
Start 11:49 Finish 15:17
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| The day started drizzling, I visit Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and then decide to drive to the camping in Larrau.
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| On
the hills it's quite foggy but when I descend to the D18, the skies
have cleared and I drive to the end of the D18 to give it a try. And
there the sun shines!
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| I
see that there is a red-white waymarked trail leading up the
borderridge. That could be a better alternative than the descent from
Col d'Oraaté on the tarmac road. And it is.
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| The first few 100 meters are steep climbing but well manageable
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| I enter the forest on a well path cq forest road and the elevation becomes less.
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| It's a nice walk in a really silent forest.
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| It joins with the tarmac road just before the tarmac road ends at Col d'Oraaté.
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| Looking back to where the forest road meets the tarmac road.
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| Red-white waymark
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| Lost toilet
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| At Col d'Oraaté it's foggy and it no use to proceed from here to bm227.
But there's another option I want to try: is it possible to descend
from bm229 down the steep forest side to the red/white-trail: that
would make the variant 228-229 not a hence & forth trip from bm227
but in fact a short-cut.
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| I return to the red/white trail, entering the forest.
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| A bit further this bifurcation.
I take the right one and establish with my gps the right spot to climb the steep forest side and that's no problem.
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| I arrive at bm229
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| Bm229
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| Bm229 |
| Bm229 |
| Bm229 |
| Bm229 |
| From bm229 I follow
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| various cattle tracks
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| to bm228. |
| Bm228
Further on - towards bm227 and Col Curutxe it's still foggy. Too foggy for good pictures of bm227.
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| Bm228, looking back
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| Bm228
I return to bm229: climbing on cattle trails towards the ridge and continuing beneath it but not too close.
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At one point you can spot the top of bm229 just before a sort of pass where you can climb to the ridge.
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| Bm229
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| From the ridge I descend in NE-direction
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| back along the forest hillside to the red/white trail.
Note: there is a forest track/road in between to pass, ± 30m before you arrive
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| at the forest track which is the red/white trail. |
| This picture: the trail is about to leave the forest.
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| The waymarking has been well but you have to be careful when the trail leaves the forest.
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| About 50m further you have to turn right and take a path through the fern.
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| A red/white cross warns a bit further but it's not obvious to see where the path enters the fern.
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Panorama-view with an indication of bm230
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| Almost back at the caar.
I'm content. Coffee-break at the car.
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Trip 2
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Bm230-232
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track-20170728-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)
According to Google Earth: 11,7km, max-height 1147m,
min-height 904m, elevation: +649m -650m
Start 15:56 Finish 19:55).
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| Main goal: testing the variant via bm232, not fully done yet.
Beyond the bridge you arrive
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| after 250m at this spot.
I redo bm230 which is down the roadside.
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| The beech tree where to descend is still a well landmark.
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| The upper part of the descent/climb is a bit slippery with loose stones.
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| Bm230 downhill
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| Bm230 |
| Double markers: pillar and cross
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| Bm230 |
| Bm230 |
| Climbing back to the road.
Further on, there is sort of parking and I discover that
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| from that parking, there is a new touristic trail
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| leading nicely through the forest to bm331
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| with this bifurcation from which the branches melt together again later on. If you take the left one
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| you will pass this replica of how in the old forestry days, logs were transferred with a cable system.
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| Approaching the spot of bm231
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| behind this log.
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| Bm231
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| Bm231 |
| Bm231 |
| Bm231 |
| Bm231 |
| I keep following the trail-waymarks.
There is now a footbridge built and the trail
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| brings you easy uphill to the forest road.
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| Turn left and follow the forest road in its windings
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| until - after 2,5 km - there is this end of it.
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| In fact it continues uphill in a rough form but this is the spot where you have to leave the forest road
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| towards bm232 which is then about 100 meters away to the E along the stream (now dry) at your left hand.
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| There are traces of a trail and some yellow waymarks at the the trees but not like on
20090531 |
| Vague traces of a trail.
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| Be attentive not to miss bm232.
This picture: I have followed the main streambed a bit too far.
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| The
bm stands at the confluence of a side stream (also dry now, which
becomes the borderline to bm233) and the streambed I have been
following.
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| Another view of that sidestream(bed)
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| Close-up with bm232
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| Bm232
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| Bm232 |
| Bm232 |
| Bm232 |
| Bm232 |
| From
bm232 I go about 20m upstream (borderstream) and then climb in
NE-direction along a hill-ridge. There are remains of a fence and also
traces of a trail.
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| Proceeding to the road is in fact easy. |
| Once at the road it's several km back on the winding road with this source/stream in between.
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| Almost back at the parking spot.
I want to check the already "old" descent to bm231
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| which merges downhill with the new touristic trail. |
| The new trail is a lot nicer and means hardly or no more distance.
I could even divert the main route to pass along bm231 and then climb to the dirt road.
This picture: the log with behind it bm231.
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| I
return on the new trail. This is the bifurcation on the other side. To
the right is to the replica of the forestry installation.
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| Back at the dirtroad I spot this monument
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| remembering the
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| charcoal-furnaces in the 19th century.
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At 8pm back at the car. I
already decided to try a 'wild camp' at this spot. Once installed, two
forest rangers appear in a car but they drive away with no comment.
This is wild camping 2.0: with chair, table, mug of wine, laptop, car.
The only thing I miss is wifi and an electric socket.
And while the darkness covers the place, the silence sets in. The
cow-bells starve and only the sound of the stream and sometimes a wood
owl can be heard. Magical.
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