The
bordermarkers of the Pyrenees : all my trips
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friday 14 april
2023 -
Trekking bm559-600 -> day 1: 559-566 & 577-582
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Summary:
part of a series of 5 daytrips and one 3-days backpacking trip in april
2023.
This is day 4 and the first day of the 3-days hike from bm559 to 600.
Most of these markers I have done at least 10 years ago and that is the
reason to do them again.
Today: a long and tiring walk from bm559 to 582 while skipping markers near and in Le Perthus to save time.
Weather: mainly overcast.
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According to Garmin
Basecamp (uncorrected track with elevation added by Gpsvisualizer.com):
Distance: 29,5 km
Max-height: 1137m
Min-height: 273m
Elevation: +1547m -1023m
Total elevation: 2570m
Start 8:54 Finish 18:59
Total time: 10:06
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| Early start in La Vajol, leaving my car here.
The previous day I had a day of rest at camping Albera in Capmany.
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| From Vajol taking the excellent road to
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| Coll de Manrella on the esfr-border where the tarmac road ..... ends.
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| There is a monument to remember Spanish refugees from the Spanish civil war.
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There has been in the past a 'dispute' if this monument was on French or Spanish territory.
But the latest borderline on both French and Spanish maps, positions the monument at Spanish soil.
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| The road is blocked into France but locals use a forest-track to bypass these boulders.
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| The first bordermarker of the day: bm559.
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| And then I follow mainly an orange waymarked route while keeping a close eye on the GRPdesBF-route on my smartphone.
Without such a help, wayfinding is not easy from bm to bm because there are many trails here.
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| I pass a
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| a viewpoint
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| and descend
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| to bm560.
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| Later on, bm561 is a bit hidden from the trail.
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| Bm561
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| Bm561
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| I continue on trails through the ondulating landscape
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| to arrive at bm562.
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| Bm562
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| The text says (Google translate):
In memory of all the men and women who in times of fascism made these steps paths of freedom.
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| Bm562
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| Now I can pick up the GR10-trail.
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| Bm563, also a bit hidden from the road.
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| Bm563
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| Bm563
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| Continuing on the dirtroad until
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| bm564.
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| Bm564
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| Bm564
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| The next one: bm565.
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| Bm565
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| Bm565
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| Bm565
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| A cork tree.
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| Then there is a climb to a hilltop
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| with a detour to the left to
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| bm566.
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| Bm566
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| From the hilltop descending towards Fort de Bellegarde.
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| Passing the roman ruins of Panissars where bm567 is located.
I already decided to skip the bordermarkers around Fort de Bellegarde
and in Le Perthuis. I have done them in recent years and time is
passing swiftly.
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| Passing this tower, bm568 is down the hill.
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| Then along this old cemetary, bm569 is next to it but as said, I am getting a little pressed.
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| Apparently there is now a gîte d'Étappe in Le Perthus.
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| In Le Perthus, I skip bm574-576.
It's already 14:00 and still a long way to go. I buy 2l of water in a shop.
This is bm577 in Le Perthus,
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| integrated in the wall of a little flower garden including a water tap.
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| Bm577
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| Just beyond bm577 is the tunnel underneath the A7-highway to Barcelona.
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| Entrance of the tunnel.
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This is the entrance as photographed on 12-7-2010.
One can spot a sort of walking strip in the tunnel.
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| But now no trace of that walking strip. It might be covered under the debris.
What used to be an easy-to- cross tunnel, is now much less passable.
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| But most of all, at the other end there is too much bush and brush to deal with to get to bm577-I and 578.
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| So I return and take a detour to pass underneath a highway-viaduct (GR10-route)
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| and take the dirtroad, just beyond the viaduct.
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| Bm578 is soon visible on a hilltop.
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| Bm578
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| bm578
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| Bm578
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| After bm578, bm577-I can be spotted from distance.
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| A little detour to reach bm577-I.
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| Bm577-I
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| Bm577-I
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| Bm577-I
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| Still cq again on the GR10-trail.
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| But I have to leave the GR10-trail to pass a fence and climb to bm579.
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| Bm579
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| bm579
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| Then it's continuing through the forest and
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| crossing a dirtroad
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| and climbing through the bush to bm579bis.
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| Bm579bis
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| Bm579bis
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| Time for a selfie.
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| On a sort of ridge I can proceed
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| to bm580.
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| Bm580
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| Bm580
I am back at the GR10-trail
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| and pass this watercontainer, no doubt meant for forest-fires, a great risk in this dry mediterranean terrain.
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| Bm581 is at a bordercrossing.
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| Bm581
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| Bm581
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| Bm581
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| Somewhere I leave the GR10-trail, probably here,
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| and later there is this diversion.
Blue skies appear.
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| Then
I get - after some searching because my intended track had grown over -
on another GR-trail, it's the GRT89 which crosses soon
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| the Coll Forcat into Spain
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| and where bm582 is a bit hidden.
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| Bm582
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| Bm582
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| This is the actual border-crossing.
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| Then climbing through a beech forest
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| with nice spots for a bivouac (but no watersources nearby)
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| past this building where I camped on 23-03-2011 next to it.
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| I have arrived at open terrain with a view on the hilltop of Puig Neulós
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| with its large antenna.
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| I am back at the GR10-trail
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| but will leave it soon to cross the borderfence into Spain and
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| go directly on trails
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| to the borderridge SE of Puig Neulós.
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| I am back at the border, not far away from bm583.
But that one I leave for tomorrow, it's already late and I have to find a spot for my bivouac.
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| Very important: is the Font de la Tanyareda still running?
Otherwise I would need to descend tomorrow morning into France to find water.
But the source is abundantly running. This will be the only running watersource along this 3-days route.
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| A bit down is a nice picknick area
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| and a perfect spot to pitch my tent. I am tired.
In the middle of the night, I discover that some animal has drawn my foodsupply from under the tent and eaten half of it.
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