The bordermarkers of the Pyrenees : all my trips
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- monday 18 april 2022 -
Redoing bm001 and bm197

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Summary: part of a series of 10 daytrips in april 2022 in the Basque country, mainly redoing bm085 to 197. This is day 10.

Today: revisiting bm001 and bm197

Weather: cloudy

Basecamp: camping Irouleguy in Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry.


Trip 1 - bm001


The target was to climb directly from bm001 to 002.

As you can see on this map, I didn't succeed in that plan.

That was more a question of lack of energy (after the tiring days before) than the climb being too difficult.
track-20220418.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: 2,5km
Max-height: 140m
Min-height: 7m
Elevation: +346m -346m
Total elevation: 692m

Start 11:59  Finish 13:46
Total time: 1:47

Parking close to the beginning


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of the trail.

I show in red the course of my main GRPdesBF-route. That is to say the first stage from the coast to Col d'Ibardin (bm013).

And well a partly new route.




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And let's show that on a map.

The original main route followed from Hendaye a scenic route and climbed to bm003.

Disadvantage: it skips the very first esfr-bordermarker which must be done on a variant if you wish to.

The new main route shifts in Hendaye to the west-side of the river Bidasoa and follows a cycle track along the river for 7,5 km.

Perhaps less scenic but the big advantage is that it gives a clear view of bm001 just before the bridge (but at the other side of the river).

My main GRPdesBF-route aims at connecting most of the esfr-bordermarkers in a smooth and elegant way from no. 1 up to no. 602. So no. 1 shouldn't be missed. That's why I changed the route.

Note: for a close look at bm001, you need to descend to it from the (new) main trail at the east-side of the river.


Entrance, the trail is red-white waymarked and


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soon climbs to a higher level


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and traverses


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to this spot.

The main route continues on the red-white waymarked trail.

For visiting bm001, you need to descend on a short variant and return.

Bm002 can be reached directly by climbing the steep hillside. But also - if you follow the main route - from bm003 with a short descent to it.


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The route downhill towards bm001.


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Uphill, we see a blue waymark.


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Apparently waymarking the track of the direct climb to bm002.




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I start climbing the hillside but soon loose the blue waymarks.

The hillside is steep but the climb manageable. But could be harder in summer's vegetation.


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However: I get off the 'straight' line to bm002 and give up at this point.

I should have looked better at my gps/smartphone to follow the track I saw on Openstreetmaps.

But I know enough, the hillside is still manageable and I climbed it already at 2-4-2009.


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I return and now descend to bm001.


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Bm001 in the distance


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and now reached.


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Bm001


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Bm001, the number.

It's not easy to photograph this side because the pillar


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is so close to the abyss, be careful.


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I return to the bridge.


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There is a cycle trail along the west-side of the Bidasoa-river and here


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we see a bunch of bicycle-tools.


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Showing how you leave the cycle trail and cross the bridge to the east-side of the river.


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This is that cycle trail, built on an old railway.


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I continue N along the cycle trail to make some pictures of bm001 from this side of the river.


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Bm001, zoom-in


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Bm001


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Bm001, zoom-in


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Bm001


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Bm001, zoom-in


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Bm001, zoom-in


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A closer look is possible by descending to the riverbank.


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Bm001


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Bm001, zoom-in


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Bm001, zoom-in


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Bm001, zoom-in


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Then finally a look at this small
electricity facility


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which is no longer in use.


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Back to the car. Here the cycle trail passes underneath the bridge


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and then you have to make this curve to cross the bridge


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and after the bridge continue on the red-white waymarked trail.


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Then I drive to Hendaye, just to see how the cycle trail leaves the outskirts of the town.


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Trip 2 - bm197


Then a long drive to the hamlet of Gainekoleta.

I just want to redo bm197, last done in 2010.

This year I want to finish my survey of all esfr-bordermarkers with having done all markers at least twice and no longer ago than 10 years.
This concrete construction is the starting point


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for crossing the river.


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But once crossed the stream, I cannot find immediately bm197.

It is more to the north


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at the other side of a side-stream.


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So I have to cross a second stream to get to bm197.


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Bm197


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Bm197


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Bm197 with


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on the same picture the borderline indicated.


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This is the side-stream (looking upstream) which descends from bm198 to the Luzaide ibaia-river. From bm198 via bm197 up to 196, both streams are the border.

I do a short investigation if there is a trail along the stream upstream but there is none.

Later I will try it from the other side.


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Crossing back the river.

As you can see, I don't care about wet shoes. They dry quickly.


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Another view of bm197 and the borderline.


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Zoom-in to bm197.


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Driving a bit further to the scenic hamlet of Gainekoleta.


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The waymarked trail


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around the hamlet, still exists.


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On this annotated cut out, you can see what I want to try.

From nr.2 I want to descend along the stream to bm197. I did that already on 10-5-2010.


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The trail is white-green waymarked


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and brings you to this bridge.

Just beyond the bridge, I go left.


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There is a nice trail,


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first along the stream


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and then gradually climbing


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but getting too high and too far from the stream.


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Conclusion: at an earlier point, you have to leave the trail and descend on a vaguer trail towards bm197.

Conclusion: crossing the river directly to bm197 is much easier (if you dare to).

This trail can be an alternative.


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Enough for today, I return to the camping.
This is my last trip of this holiday. The next day it starts raining in the whole of the Pyrenees and I decide to return home.

First to Lourdes for a night in my favourite 'hôtel d'Annecy', the town still suffering from 2 years of Covid-19-misery with a lot of shops and hotels closed.

Then on wednesday driving to Camping Neuville and arriving home on thursday.
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