The Pyrenees pt4: 26/08 - 1/09

Day 32 – Friday 1st September
Pla de Boet - Llorts (Andorra)
Time walking – 6 1/2 hours + breaks
Distance – 20 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 1000/1320 approx

We had a good, dry nights sleep, but Bridgette though the cows were our to get us, they never actually came near the tent. The silence of night does funny things to your head sometimes. We headed up to the Port de Boet (French border) through a continuous sunrise which was spectacular. crossing the ridge we were very surprised to find a huge marquee, 7 queecha 3 second tents, 2 caravans and a almost finished cabane. The French really know how to do it, a huge contrast to the Spanish side. All of this was on the windy side of the pas as well, amazing.
We discussed the finer points of art appreciation during the 600m climb to the second border crossing of the day, Port de Rat on the France/Andorra border. The climb never seemed easier, we were obviously quite fit by now and we almost ran up the mountain! We had our second lunch on the pass looking over the biggest ski area I have seen. The decent into the ski village was very steep, but we were rewarded with ice cream, pringles and coke.
We had a very big discussion about the rest of our hike and decided that today would be the last day. Bridgette had hardly taken a photo in the last two days, time was running out for us to have a suitable exit point to Barcelona and more importantly we had been walking for 13 days straight, we both needed a break.
We continued down a gentle road past numerous ski centres, until reaching the final junction. We exited and headed for Llorts where a nice little camp site awaited us. We had a great dinner, fresh bread and a beer in the local village bar. The perfect end to an amazing walk.

Day 31 – Thursday 30th August
Estany Romede de Dalt - Pla de Boet
Time walking – 8 hours + breaks
Distance – 24 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 900/1050 approx

A great nights sleep and we awoke to mist and drizzle, which didn’t make the descent down the valley very easy. It took for every, with the guide book not really emphasising how far it actually was, maybe it was just that we couldn’t see a thing that made it seem a lot longer? We finally crossed the river and made our way down to a major track junction where we had lunch.
The climb up to the next pass was pretty good, following a very old road most of the way. We passed a sheep that was separate from the flock as it had a broken back leg. It had obviously been sitting there for a couple of days and was in bad shape. The worst part was that neither of us had the stomach to kill the poor animal, the rest of the climb we spent debating what this said about us as humans. It was very sad to see an animal suffering like that, and even worse that we could end its suffering.
We bumped into the Irish guy that we met yesterday again and had a good 30 minute chat. We continued along the track and came to the Pla de Boet, a large grassy plateau used by school groups. We kept walking for about 45 minutes towards the next pass, and found a good campsite amongst the trees near a dodgy water source. The last section nearly killed Bridgette, maybe me too! I think we really need a break.

Day 30 – Wednesday 29th August
Refugi Enric Pujol - Estany Romedo de Dalt
Time walking – 8 1/4 hours + breaks
Distance – 25 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 1000/1000 approx

A terrible nights sleep. Just as we were about to fall asleep, 2 crazy French couples arrived, at 9:30pm. They proceeded to talk, cook and generally make as much noise as possible. We didn’t mind this so much, but once finished eating two of them proceeded to extract the largest medical kit I have ever seen from their pack and spend 45 minutes wrapping his feet from toe to calf. Apparently his shoes were poor and his pack heavy, not surprising when you consider the first aid kit and the 10 litres of bottled water he was carrying!
Then at 2am, 2 guys who had been bivying in their sleeping bags out side join the cabin as it started to rain. When we got out of bed it was a very crowded little Refugi indeed.
We headed off very early and headed straight down the valley. We were treated to a series of rolling thunderstorms during the morning, 4 in total, it was quite amazing but slowed us down as we didn’t really want to be out in the open during them. We passed through the tiny village of Noarre, which doesn’t even have a road leading to it! A good climb up to the next Refugi took most of the day, and we continued on for about an hour to our camp for the night beside the magnificent Estany Romedo de Dalt.

Day 29 – Tuesday 28th August
Noguera Pallaresa River - Refugi Enric Pujol
Time walking – 7 hours + breaks
Distance – 21 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 1050/1100 approx

Bridgette had a bad nights sleep after her Thermarest sprung a tiny leak. We got an early start and headed up a long valley. The track soon turned to the left and climbed a loose scree slope to the Coll de la Cornella followed by an easier climb to the second pass. The scenery made it much more enjoyable though, with many small lakes breaking up the constant mountains and climbing.
The climb to the third coll was much easier again, and from here we could see the rest of the path to our Refugi for the night. After a very long descent through an amazing landscape of polished rock faces, the path flattened. The track soon turned to grass, covered by thousands of tiny frogs, amazing. We arrived at Refugi Enric Pujol to find that we had it to ourselves. With the sun still in the sky we decided to take a swim in the lake and even managed to find the hole in the thermarest. It is a great little cabin, that is obviously well used and loved all year round and particularly in the winter.

Day 28 – Monday 27th August
Estany Rosari de Baciver - Noguera Pallaresa River Wild Camp
Time walking – 7 1/2 hours + breaks
Distance – 23 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 1400/400 approx

We both slept poorly as the horses decided to have a midnight snack next to our tent. After breakfast and a great sunrise we headed off over a boulder field and started a ridiculously steep climb up a scree slope towards Tuc de Marimanya. A vague track lead us along the ridge towards Coll d’Airoto, which presented us with amazing views of what lie ahead - the biggest boulder field that we had ever seen.
The directions in the book were hopeless, and we ended up way too low to easily get to the next pass. We obviously took the hard way, but there were no track to be seen anywhere. After scrambling our way up to the next pass we finally found a water source and began to head down the valley.
The track to Alos de Isil was very vague, and we ended up pushing our way down through a very steep grass slope into the back of the village. This took about 3 hours, and was very tiring. With no accommodation options in the town we headed up the road into tomorrow walk and found a nice wild camp in a small paddock between the road and river. A nice dinner on the shore of the river, followed by a quick wash and then into bed.

Day 27 – Sunday 26th August
Arties - Estany Rosari de Baciver
Time walking – 5 1/4 hours + breaks
Distance – 16 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 1500/1490 approx

I woke up completely over it. My body ached, my pack was still heavy, we had been walking for 7 days straight, mentally I was tired, there was a huge 10 hour day of walking, and I generally wanted to just stop. Somehow, as if by magic, Bridgette managed to make everything seem great, and by 11am and a slight change of plans we were back on the track, happy as Larry. I don’t know how she did it, I wish I knew though, maybe some sort of female jedi mind trick? not only did we continue walking, but we didn’t have a day off, so it would end up being about 14 days straight, madness!
It also happened to be 33C at 11am as we headed off on our supposed rest day. Correct me if I’m wring but most people wouldn’t consider climbing 1500m a rest day, but you get that. We headed up to Salardu again to restock the food and started walking at about 3:30 once the weather cooled down. The walking was pretty boring and uphill until we reached a ski village and began to walk off the road into a valley.
We found a great campsite between two lakes, surrounded by mountains. The moon slowly rose over the ridge and it reminded me that every step is worth it when you get to see natural beauty like this.

The Pyrenees pt3: 18/08 - 25/08

Day 26 – Saturday 25th August
Estany deth Cap deth Port - Arties
Time walking – 7 1/4 hours + breaks
Distance – 22 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 770/390 approx

We had heaps of rain overnight, but the wind managed to dry everything. I love a dry, light tent in the pack! A short morning climb led us to the boundary of the Parc Nacional de Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici, which is quite a mouthful. Bridgette had visited a different section of this park during her previous visit to Spain in 2004, and was very keen to show it to me. It is a relatively small park, and can be crossed in a bit over 1 day. the section we covered would be crossed in about 1.5 hours. We left the park and headed to Refugi de Colomers, next to a large Estany and had lunch.
It was al down, down, down after that, following a long road that headed towards the town of Salardu. Many tourists were passed, including a taxi run between the town and the track head to the Refugi. It took almost 3 hours to arrive at Salardu. We had to continue onto Arties to find a campground.
Arties is a wonderfull little town in the Vall d’Aran, a valley that was disconnected from the rest of Spain until the 1950’s when the tunnel was first constructed. It has the prestige of having the only Brown bear in the Pyrenees, bit it is very bored spending it days wandering around a big cage while people take photos of it, poor thing. The campsite was quite nice and we were able to wash our closed and eat dinner at a local tapas bar in town. A great end to a long section of walking.

Day 25 – Friday 24th August
N230 Wild Camp - Estany deth Cap deth Port
Time walking – 6 1/2 hours + breaks
Distance – 20 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 900/500 approx

A good night sleep and the rain had finally stopped. We followed the river upstream until coming to the Hospital de Vielha, a huge construction are at the mouth of a major tunnel. It was quite weird to walk past heavy machinery! We had lunch at the Estany de Ruis after a long steep climb over the pass. The climb was worth it, as the landscape was quite stunning.
We descended through the valley, passing a variety of old damn infrastructure, until we met a pair of day walkers who couldn’t find the carpark. We told them that there was definitely no carpark the way we had come from, and suggested that the should try to join onto the track that continued down the valley. Hope they made it.
A short climb up to the Refugi de la Restanca, followed by another up to Estany deth Cap deth Port, our campsite for the night. We had plenty of time to relax, about 3 hours actually, because we didn’t want to set the tent until 8pm as we were only 45 minutes from the Refugi. A fantastic sunset over the lake with mountains beyond.

Day 24 – Thursday 23rd August
Lagos de Vallibierna - N230 Wild Camp
Time walking – 4 3/4 hours + breaks
Distance – 14 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 800/1400 approx

Awoke to fresh snow which was very pretty. We had a short chilly in the shade to Collado de Vallibierna, at which point the sun hot our faces and we immediately felt warmer. The walking from here was quite spectacular, passing the lakes, peaks and boulder fields of the Anglios region. We finally found a piece of track that we would consider to be “tassie-style”, steep, muddy, wet with no human intervention, as we descended into the valley.
We crossed a major road as the sky began to open. Continuing to walk through the rain for about 30 minutes we found a secluded campsite beside a river. A short day.

Day 23 – Wednesday 22nd August
Camping Aneto - Lagos de Vallibierna
Time walking – 6 1/4 hours + breaks
Distance – 19 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 970/640 approx

Camping Aneto defiantly had the best showers, that good that we both couldn’t help ourselves and had another this morning! We followed the GR11 up a long dirt road for about 3 hours, until we reached the Refugio de Coronas which also happens to double as a bus stop. I guess that since Aneto is pretty close this is used as an inroad for serious mountaineers. The track got a lot prettier from here, as we wound our way up our campsite for the night next to Lagos de Vallibierna (2484m).
The weather started to come in and we dashed to put the tent up. Bridgette cooked diner and I put the last peg in just as the ice started falling from the sky. Could be a cold night!

Day 22 – Tuesday 21st August
Vindos campsite - Camping Aneto
Time walking – 8 1/2 hours + breaks
Distance – 26 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 800/670 approx

The big decision was weather we were going to continue to follow the HRP over the 3 extreme graded days which included 4 very hard passes and 3 glaciers, or make a diversion and follow the GR11 though easier terrain but slightly less impressive areas. Thankfully we didn’t need to make the decision, the weather did it for us. We awoke to some very miserable conditions, and I was ready to stop after 1 hours of hiking though heavy drizzle, passing numerous fully gore-tex clad hikers coming in the opposite direction.
So we took the GR11 route, which we would follow for the next 3 days, which lead us to 2572m pass, Puerto de Gistain. At this point we were very happy to have taken this route as there was some pretty serious ice and sleet happening, along with settled snow in the sheltered areas. Pete almost lost it at this point of the walk. A very quick descent took us to the Refugio de Estos for lunch and a warm coffee. We continued down the valley to Camping Aneto, the Hilton of camp sites.
This was easily the best site of the entire trip, complete with vast quantities of showers, a swimming pool, restaurant, bar and a huge supermarket allowing us to purchase some real food (eggs, milk, bread and fruit). It was great to have such great facilities after a hard day of walking through pretty ordinary conditions.

Day 21 – Monday 20th August
Rio de Barrosa - Vindos campsite
Time walking – 8 hours + breaks
Distance – 24 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 1500/860 approx

Neither of us slept well, too many dreams about non-existent bears! The first hour was spent walking down through the valley which was quite nice. It gave Bridgette heaps of time to cool down after she realised that we hadn’t set the camera back to the correct ISO setting since being in the UK. 10 rolls of film, possibly stuffed, all because of 1 rolls of cheap film in the Yorkshire Dales. Lets hope they turn out ok when we get them processed.
The day was spent completely on the GR11, which equates to a very comparatively boring day of hiking. I think we are becoming very spoilt in regards to the areas that we have seen, even the remotely amazing landscapes are barely good enough now. We are landscape snobs!
The afternoon hiking was long, and all downhill until we reached our campsite for the night. At the end of a valley past a few other abandoned camp/holiday sites we found the very basic Camping Vidos, complete with generator power and marginally warm showers. At least we got one! A good nights sleep was in order as tomorrow we have to make a fairly big decision.

Day 20 – Sunday 19th August
Cabane de l’Aguila - Rio de Barrosa
Time walking – 6 3/4 hours + breaks
Distance – 19 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 1500/1600 approx

A clear night ensured that the morning mist was very think, and over breakfast we punched in the main GPS points for the first part of today’s walk. We were quite amazed to pass many French walker wearing very minimal clothes despite it being the coldest morning that we had encountered so far. A long climb over loose scree lead us to the Hourquette de Chermentas where we had lunch with a group of French walkers and a couple of vultures.
The mist continued to come and go as we got closer to the Spanish border. Amazingly, within 15 minutes of crossing the border (Port de Barroude) and starting our descent on a quite well marked track the mist cleared completely.
We were treated to a fantastic, well hidden wild camp next to a great little river in the base of the valley. The landscape here reminded us of pictures we have seen from Canada and the Rocky mountains. Let’s hope that there are no bears here!

Day 19 – Saturday 18th August
Gavarnie – Cabane de l’Aguila
Time walking – 8 hours + breaks
Distance – 24 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 1150/1000 approx

An early rise was in order as I had to race down to the shop to purchase fresh bread and call his parents before breakfast, which was scrambled eggs and croissants. Having 10 days food in your pack makes it stupidly heavy, but we needed to make sure that we had enough food for the emergency days as well. By the time we got to the first refuge (2 hours, 700m) the day had heated up and I had to offload some of his weight to Bridgette. I think my eyes were too big for my body, and I didn’t want to give BJ any extra weight incase her knee started playing up again.
From the Refuge were were offered a stunning view of the upper section of the Cirque de Gavarnie, with a full view of the Breche de Roland. Typically the sky was now crystal clear, unlike the previous night. We had purchased some proper French mountain cheese, and it was exceptional with lunch that we ate on the pass at Hourquette D’Alans (2430m).
The descent to Heas was very easy, passing though a reserve area that had a extremely blue damn. There were plenty of tourists and day walkers as we started getting closer to a main road. The final 6 Kms down and along to Heas were all un-avoidably on tarmac road, and it seemed to take forever to reach our ice cream stop! We pressed on to complete the an extra 1:15 of walking with 400m of climbing before setting up camp in a concrete bunker cabin, which was warm and served its purpose well. We were also treated to multiple visits by the local marmot population, which must have been well in excess of 20.

The Pyrenees pt2: 08/08 - 17/08

Day 18 – Thursday 17th August
Gavarnie – Rest day
Time walking – 0
Distance – 0
Ascent/Descent – 0

Gavarnie is know best for it world heritage listed Cirque de Gavarnie, a massive natural amphitheatre with walls exceeding 1500m high. A constant stream of tourists, most on donkeys, flowed past the campsite towards the natural wonder.
We spent most of the day planning, sorting and resting for the next 10 days of hiking. As there are 3 days graded extreme in the next section we had to be sure that we had back-out options if the weather was bad or the glaciers too dangerous without equipment. We sent a heap of postcard to family and friends, a pile of maps back to Emily in London and found out that Bridgette’s bike had been delivery the day before it was officially deemed lost.
The weather started to close in and we made a quick dash up to the Cirque, but by the time we got there the mist had rolled in and all we saw was the first 200m of cliff and a heap of mist. With the sun beaming down all day, we kicked ourselves for being so blasé about going to see it. Next time we will go and see the sights as soon as we can.

Day 17 – Wednesday 16th August
Refuge Bayssellance - Gavarnie
Time walking – 2 hours + breaks + car assistance
Distance – 16 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 200/1490 approx

With 1 day of hiking left before our rest day we set off early, in full gore-tex. As we descended we passed the Grottes de Bellevue, which are a series of 3 hand carved shelters in the side of a cliff. They were created by Henry Russell, a pioneer of mountain living in the early 19th century. They were very impressive, being more like large rooms then basic shelters.
We passed 2 tour groups who were obviously setting out to climb the summit of Vignemale, over the massive eastern glacier, in the rain. We are guessing that when you pay someone to take you up there, you go regardless of the view that you won’t get! Better them than us.
We reached the Barrage d’Ossoue and had a small break. With Bridgette’s knee in a slightly bad way we decided to follow the road down to Gavarnie rather than rejoin the GR10 for 3.5 hours. This turned out to be a great idea, as we only walked for about 10 minutes when a couple of Spanish guys offered us a lift down to the town. We swallowed our track pride a little and decided that it would be very rude for us not to accept the life, regardless of not walking all the way down.
Gavarnie is a tourist mecca, and we were a little shell shocked by the number of people and camper vans that populated the streets. Maybe this rest day wasn’t such a good idea. We arrived at the camp site which was very good, did our washing, finally had a shower and headed out for dinner at 6pm which wasn’t a very French time to be eating at all. The pizza was amazing though, two of the best that we have had, and the beer was pretty good too.

Day 16 – Tuesday 15th August
Refuge Wallon – Refuge Bayssellance
Time walking – 7 ½ hours + breaks
Distance – 22.5 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 1400/620 approx

We made good time on a big day of climbing. 3 hours to the Col d’Arratille on the border with a very beautiful lake, a 700m climb to start the day! It was quite windy at this height though. It was then into Spain for a short while as we dropped down and followed a level path through the biggest scree field yet. A short steep climb back up to the border saw us reach the Col des Mulets.
A long descent towards Refuge des Oulettes de Gaube had us pass the magnificent north face of Vignemale (3298m), complete with it fantastic glacier. Pete was quite excited, as this was the first he had seen. The refuge was within an easy day walk from civilization so there were heaps of walkers about, but it didn’t detract from the blue-white glacier ever-so slowly sliding down the valley under the north face in the perfect blue sky. You couldn’t ask for more.
We did however get more, without even asking for it. A 600m climb to the Hourquette d’Ossoue to finish the day. It was quite slow as Bridgette’s knee was getting a little worse, but the track did take us much closer to the face and glacier which was nice. At the pass the weather started to come in, but there were still plenty of hikiers setting out to the top of Petit Vignemale. We looked at it and decided that the weather and the knee were against us.
We spent a very windy night in the designated camping area of Refuge Bayssellance, the highest staffed refuge in the Pyrenees. The tent areas were more like turrets, situated at the edge of a cliff, with large dry-stone walls built around them for protection from the wind. We fastened the guy-ropes tightly, and hoped for a still night. It didn’t happen!

Day 15 – Monday 14th August
Refuge de Larribet – Refuge Wallon
Time walking – 8 ¼ hours + breaks
Distance – 25 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 1200/1350 approx

Another big day of walking with another huge descent followed immediately by a huge ascent. It was a pretty easy descent into the valley, but the limb back up to the Port de la Peyre-Sant-Martin was a bit of a grin, taking over 3 hours. We had lunch here while sitting on the border. Without crossing into Spain we hooked back around to climb a further 400m Col de Cambales following a poorly marked track on steep scree.
We met a lovely French couple at the pass, and we chatted to them for about 20 minutes. They were headed for the summit of Pic de Cambles and they offered for us to join them. At a touch under 3000m it looked tempting, but we decided against it as it would add another 2 hours to the day at least.
The descent was initially on scree but the path soon became very faint, so we took the easy option of scooting over a snowfield that was still present. Lots of fun and not too dangerous as there were plenty of footprints to follow. It soon started to flatten out and the descent from the pass to Refure Wallon took well over 3 hours, which seemed like an eternity as Bridgette’s knee was starting to play up. At least we passed some beautiful lakes.
Refuge Wallon is like the Hilton, absolutely huge with heaps of hikers. We were defiantly not the only campers, there were more than we had seen anywhere previously.

Day 14 – Sunday 13th August
Refuge de Pombie – Refuge de Larribet
Time walking – 10 hours + breaks
Distance – 25 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 1500/1370 approx

The mountain mist that finally settled overnight was still quite thick in the morning and unfortunately was not very good photography weather at all. Today we would start with a 700m descent immediately followed by a 1300m climb, it’s a good thing our hiking legs were in full swing at this stage! The descent to the main road and the climb to the Col d’Arrious proved to be very comfortable walking, both being well graded and tracked.
The guide book warned us about a cable traverse that we need to complete today, but as it turned out to be not too bad. It was basically a ledge carved into the face of a cliff, about 90cm wide and 300m up the face, it did have a very solid cable bolted to the cliff side to hold onto for stability. It was very exposed and if we had had bad weather we would have chosen the alternative, an additional descend and climb of 600m each way.
We arrived at Refuge d’Arremoulit and had a short break before we started the second part of the days climbing over two passes, Col du Palas and Port du Lavedan. The path to the first was a little hard to find at first and then it turned into a straight walk in a boulder valley to the pass. We spent 45 minutes in Spain while negotiating a very steep scree slope. The next pass that would take us back to France was a very narrow slot in the frontier ridge that had a tricky little climb on either side. Actually it wasn’t that tricky, it was our heavy packs that made it harder.
It was a 600m descent our next camp site at Refure de Larribet, but it took almost 2 hours. It was quite steep and loose to begin with, then it became very windy. Being in a National Park we wanted to follow the guidelines and only pitch our tent in the designated areas, so we continued onwards passing a couple of amazing glacial lakes and some very good looking camp sites. Apparently the camping rules don’t apply to climbers, as after we had pitched our tent near the Refuge three groups of climbers passed us and headed up the valley from where we had come. We are guessing that they needed the extra few hours actually doing the climbs tomorrow, rather than spend it lugging their gear.

Day 13 – Saturday 12th August
Ibon del Escalar – Refuge de Pombie, France
Time walking – 5½ hours + breaks
Distance – 16.5 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 1300/820 approx

Another early rise to get first bit of climbing to the Col des Moines on the border, then it was back into France. We were quite excited as today we would see the jewel of the Atlantic-Pyrenees, Pic du Midi d’Ossau, and spend the night below it’s south-western face. The National Park changed dramatically in this area, both in landscape and amount of walkers. It was a weekend though, so what were we to expect! It was fairly level walking which quickly turned into a steep descent to the Cabane de Cap de Pount, situated in a vast valley.
Once we got to the bottom I realised that I had left my hat and sunglasses at our morning-tea stop. Extremely mad at myself considering the weather we were having, I turned around and walked back up to see if it was still there. As you imagine it was gone, could have been worse though, could have been the GPS! It was an extra 1 hour of hiking that I definitely didn’t need.
A long slog up a big hill was completed before lunch, which was consumed with pace at a cabin. The path continued to climb upwards towards a lake and the Col de Peyreget (2300m). The number of walkers continued to amaze us, especially as they all seemed quite light in the equipment area, and the weather was starting to come in early. The decent to Refuge Pombie was through mist, which soon turned into rain, thankfully after we pitched our tent. We retreated to the warmth of the refuge and watched the outlines of people struggle to erect their tents in the rain.
We though we had lost the view of the face forever until the rain stopped, and the mist suddenly cleared. We were able to cook and eat outside and watch the sun set behind the mountain. Many groups were still arriving at dusk, we counted 17 other tents in addition to the 48 people that the refuge sleeps.

Day 12 – Saturday 11th August
Refuge d’Arlet – Ibon del Escalar, Spain
Time walking – 8 hours + breaks
Distance – 24 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 550/1000 approx

Woke this morning to find a light cover of frost on the ground, when added with the perfect sunrise it was a absolutely stunning 30 minutes. The track descended for much of the morning, taking us into a huge valley passing multiple fromages along the way. A very steep gravel road descent lead us to out lunch stop for the day. We followed the track fairly well on contour until we left the HRP and headed for the main road. Knowing that we would probably have to walk an extra two hours today, we though we could make up some time by taking the road.
We arrived at the Col du Somport, on the border, and had ice-cream and beer. Needing to re-supply we headed down to Candanchu, a large ski village on the Spanish side. There is a refuge in this town, which is expensive and has no space for tents. After re-stocking we headed back up to the border and another Spanish ski village called Astun.
The Lake that we were headed for was, as usual, at the top of a big hill, so we gritted our teeth and made for the lake. Thankfully the sun was beginning to set behind the mountains so the temperature was dropping. Just on sunset we were treated to quite a spectacle of nature. A kettle (new word of the day) of vultures circled us for about 5 minutes and then swooped down to nest on the steep rocky slop beside the track. It was quite frightening to begin with, as they were only about 15 meters from us. It is not until they are this close that you realise just how big they are.
We pitched the tent beside the lake and continued to watch the sun set over the mountains. Perfect!

Day 11 – Friday 10th August
Lescun – Refuge d’Arlet
Time walking – 6 ¾ hours + breaks
Distance – 20 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 1300/200 approx

We were a little daunted by the 1300m of climbing that was on the cards for today, but it wasn’t too bad as most was completed before 10am while the sun was still hiding behind the mountains. The first part of the climb was on road, which was boring, but we soon found ourselves in the only French national park in the Pyrenees, the Parc National des Pyrenees Occidentales. This section was on bare rocky slopes but it was all beautiful.
We followed the border on the French side and swung eastward from the Col de Pau at which we encountered our first group of walkers that were accompanied by donkeys. Mountain donkeys would be the correct term, as they were carrying quite large loads and continued to climb of rocks and shale with little problem. We really need to get ourselves at least one of those next time!

Day 10 – Thursday 9th August
la Pierre-St-Martin - Lescun
Time walking – 8¼ hours + breaks
Distance – 25 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 700/1200 approx

A little sad that we had missed a supposedly beautiful part of the walk, we were very surprised to see that the ski centre and slope were built around the same type of limestone formations that we missed. It was a little like the Tessellated pavement, only this was an entire valley of it. Quite impressive, although the walking was a little boring as it was all through the ski slopes.
We had lunch just before the pass and bumped into two guys from Holland that we had met at the refuge. A small scramble over the pass d’Azius and we were blown away by the view, the entire valley opened up and was surrounded by majestic mountains. It’s quite amazing how just on pass cane completely change the landscape. 2 hours were spent meandering though the valley before we started to descend towards our destination for the day, Lescun.
We had a beer with David and Joseph while we waited for the shop to re-open at 5pm. The campsite was packed with French tourists, but here was heaps of space for tents thankfully. And the view from the campground was magnificent!

Day 9 – Wednesday 8th August
Pista Ganekoa – la Pierre-St-Martin
Time walking – 6¼ hours + breaks
Distance – 19 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 1200/1100 approx

The mist finally started to clear in the morning and after saying goodbye to our new friends we were off. We never actually found out what their names were! With the programmed GPS in hand we pushed up a very steep and slippery grass embankment towards a small farmers house. Thankfully the mist cleared as we continued higher, which was a great relief as it’s always nicer to be able to see where you are going!
The GPS came in very useful for the morning section, and once arriving at the ridge the path was much easier to follow. The guide book that were using said that a near-by refuge is worth stopping at, but once we got there we soon realised that it had been closed for a number of years. We were glad that we didn’t rely on it for accommodation. It came complete with a crazy horse whose foal had a broken leg!
The weather decided to get a little nastier in the afternoon, with more drizzly mist. Looking forward to a proper bed, shower and a food restock we left the HRP and headed towards la Pierre-St-Martin a ski centre on the French side of the border. We were greeted by a very enthusiastic Frenchman who made room for us in the refuge which turned out to be privately owned, which didn’t matter because the food was fantastic.

The Pyrenees pt1: 29/07 - 07/08

Day 8 – Tuesday 7th August
Pista Ganekoa – Rest Day
Time walking – 0
Distance – 0
Ascent/Descent – 0

We awoke to a very slight drizzly in fog that reduced visibility to about 7 meters. We weren’t going anywhere today. It was all good though, as we were due for a rest day tomorrow anyway.
The mist remained think for much of the day, which we spent programming the GPS with our route as next hour of walking would have practically no markings. At about 3 o’clock we were very surprised to have two Belgians join us. They had come from the opposite direction, had very minimal gear (no trousers or proper thermals and fleeces) and had been walking for almost 6 hours through the heavy mist only to cover about 5 Kms. Once the dried themselves out and ate we started chatting, in English as they spoke it better than their French which was surprising. It was either that or we would need to learn Flemish quickly! As it turns out, they had been to Tasmania, went to Ray Appelby’s, hired a tandem bicycle and cycle toured around Tassie for two weeks, which they loved.
Unfortunately we didn’t have any wine to drink with dinner, but we enjoyed 2 hours of playing cards and had many laughs. It was nice to have some external company for the first time. The second night in the cabin would prove to be as good as the first.

Day 7 – Monday 6th August
Iraty to Cabane de Pista Ganekoa
Time walking – 7¾ hours + breaks
Distance – 24 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 1100/1100 approx

Today was supposed to be our first 2000m summit, but the weather was against us, quite wet and very thick fog. Not really the kind of weather that you want to be doing an exposed summit in. We skipped the summit of Pic d’Orchy, and took a longer valley option instead.
After 15Kms of downhill tarmac we arrived at Larrau where we met a Dutch cycle tourist who we were very envious of. He was doing a circuit around France called the ‘100 passes’ which is basically 4000Km with 66Km climbing in two weeks. It made our little roll around the UK look like a Sunday stroll. Mind you he had done over 150,000Kms on his bike over the last 20 years, very impressive.
Continuing along the valley gave us the opportunity to visit a fantastic series of gorges, les gorges de Holtzarté. These were quite touristy, but the track leading up to them was quite steep and slippery, and the barriers around the edge of the cliffs were basically non-existant, you could never do that in Australia! The gorges were stunning, with a very large and dodgy looking suspension bridge that sitting 140m above the river below.
We were aiming for a cabin that was about 2 hours away uphill, and we made pretty good time, until it started raining. Pouring is a better description, it was extremely wet. The track soon turned into a very steep mud-slide that made the climb very difficult. The rain and mist continued to get heavier and thicker as our paced slowed to almost a crawl-and-slide. We were very relieved after almost 3 hours that the cabin appeared out of nowhere, was empty and, more importantly, was nice and dry!

Day 6 – Sunday 5th August
Point d’Accueil to Iraty
Time walking – 6¾ hours + breaks
Distance – 21 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 900/400 approx

The morning started with another unmarked slog up a huge grass mountain, this time we had to battle the 7am heat, which was fine until the sun started rising into our eyes, bringing with it a stream of air that was about 10C warmer than everything else. We arrived at the top to see a French couple in a campervan reverse into a rather large embankment, smashing their bicycles off the back of the van, quite amusing indeed!
We joined the GR10 and descended for about 2 hours until we reached the Chalet Pedro, where we had lunch. The rest of the day was road walking, following a valley through a very popular camper-tourist area with many artificial lakes (not damns). A phenomenon that we had noticed previously really came into its own here. At about 2pm almost every French family who is in a car, stops, gets out, sets up a large picnic table, white table cloth included, and proceeds to serve a two course lunch complete with wine. At a quick head count there were probably about 40 different groups of at least 4 people enjoying some very serene lake and roadside dining. Very strange.
We stayed at a basic but nice campsite, at which we experienced our first 20 minute Pyrenees mist. The temperature dropped about 10C in less than 5 minutes, the mist came in, and about 20 minutes later it cleared. The temperature didn’t rise again though.

Day 5 – Saturday 4th August
Roncevaux to Point d’Accueil, France
Time walking – 6¾ hours + breaks
Distance – 21 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 900/850 approx

For most of the morning we were part of the constant stream of walkers, as our path followed the Santiago de Compostela trail. We were, however, going in the opposite direction! This didn’t detract from the walking which was very pleasant. There was a reasonable amount of road walking, in which we saw heaps of road cyclists on very expensive bikes (a bit of jealously kicking in there!).
The day heated up immensely, as usual, and we found ourselves having a late lunch break at the bottom of a valley next to a stream in the shade. Now correct us if we are wrong, but usually when it is above 35C most people would continue to sit in the shade until it started to cool down. We weren’t having any of that, as there was only 90 minutes of walking left before setting up camp.
The problem was that most of that 90 minutes was climbing up a very steep grass slope, completely exposed to the sun, on a trail about 15 cm wide. Needless to say it was a very long slog to the top, where we were met with border stone 211 which we have nicknamed “the stone of pain!”
A good campsite beside a confluence of streams at the bottom of the valley after the border stone of pain. For every up, there is usually a down.

Day 4 - Friday 3rd August
Col de Berdartiz to Roncevaux, Spain
Time walking – 6¾ hours + breaks
Distance – 21 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 1000/400 approx

An early morning descent saw us arrive in Les Aldudes at about 8:15, where we were able to pick up a few more supplies, including fuel and baked goods, at the small petrol station. I even managed to get 2 ‘pan o chocolate’ which both the shop keeper and I were rather impressed by, until Bridgette told her in perfect French that that was all I could say. She then just smiled at me, damn you Bridgette!
The Basque country turned on a beautiful day again with the hills rolling effortlessly and the temperature soaring again. Mental note: don’t start an epic walk in middle of heat wave. We decided not to climb the extra 100m to reach the summit today, instead taking the road, which was a good option as the proper track soon rejoined the road.
The afternoon saw us walking through a beautiful forest, with many hunting towers, used to lure birds to the end of the valley by reflecting light in there eyes. We don’t really know how they do it, or even how they found out that it was an effective way of herding birds into huge nets, but apparently it works a treat.
Our campsite for the night was just outside Roncevaux, which also happens to starting point for the Spanish section of the Santiago de Compostela track. We found a very nice secluded spot under a tree well away from anyone else. Secluded enough to convince us to have a wash in the nearby stream. After dinner we ventured into the village, to be confronted by an onslaught of casual hikers, all beginning the famous walk. Everyone had tiny pack, which were completely overloaded with stuff they didn’t need. The town had 3 restaurants and 2 bars, as well as the last sign of internet that we would see until Andorra, 4 weeks away.
Deciding that there were too many people, we enjoyed our beers and retreated back to the tent.

Day 3 – Thursday 2nd August
Col Bagacheta to Col de Berdartiz, France
Time walking – 6 hours + breaks
Distance – 18 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 800/500 approx

A solid night of sleep without interruption from wandering farm animals saw us rise early and hit the trail. We arrived in Arizkun after about 1½ hours walking through very moody mist, which was very nice given the heat that we had already experienced. After some very broken Spanish on our part and a little French on the shopkeepers behalf we were able to purchase the required items, in addition to a couple of coffee’s to get the heart going properly again. There were a lot of laughs between us and the shopkeeper, who obviously has not too many Australian hikers travelling though.
It is quite important to point out that although the border between France and Spain is now un-policed thanks to the EU, the difference that 5 Km makes is amazing. The line defined by border stones and mountain ranges has many roads crossing it, but in terms of language, you are definitely on either the French or Spanish side.
The afternoons walking was not helped by the poor directions in our guide book and very poorly marked tracks, but we got there in the end and, more importantly, got to make use of our spiffy new GPS. Very fine views were had atop of Burga (872m) and the day was really heating up, with us attempting to walking in the shade of the trees during the small descent.
After some more poor directions from the guide book, we got a little lost in a forest, but managed to keep our bearing true and come out at sort of the right place! Again there was no campsite in the next town, so we decided to wild camp at the Col de Berartiz, about 40m from border stone 117.

Day 2 - Wesnesday 1st August
La Rhune to Col Bagacheta
Time walking – 7¾ hours + breaks
Distance – 23 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 800/650 approx

We awoke early as the horses and sheep were still wandering about, although much further from the tent. We think that this is something we will have to get used to. A quick breakfast, then onwards to climb the remaining 200m to the top of La Rhune before the sun became too hot. The summit of La Rhune is home to, amongst other things, a huge telecommunications tower, a hotel and a small-gauge train track to take tourists to the top. Makes you wonder why you decided to walk sometimes.
Our path led us through some beautiful Basque hills, proving to be a solid afternoons walk. The next town had nowhere for us to stay so we stopped about an hours short and wild camped under a tree, surrounded by 1.5m high bracken, ensuring that the château de macpac could not bee seen from the track.

Day 1 - Tuesday 31st July
Hendaye-Plage to La Rhune
Time walking – 6 hours + breaks
Distance – 18 Km approx
Ascent/Descent – 1300/1070 approx

An early start was in order for our first day, and we ate breakfast on the shore or the Atlantic Ocean. We were supposed to put our feet in, but neither of us could be bothered taking our boots off, especially after Bridgette’s feet had been massacred by her tevas yesterday. We were quite amused by another hiker who was also starting the HRP today – perfect blue sky, waves crashing at his feet, ice axe and crampons strapped to his pack!
So we headed off, starting our journey in what was the middle of a heat wave (the forecast for the next week was 30+, and it definitely was). Like cycle touring, the easiest time for you to get lost is entering and leaving a city. Needless to say it took a little longer than expected to get out of Hendaye, following the occasionally marked GR10. Soon we found ourselves in the hills of the Basque region, wishing that we had done more exercise in our two weeks off in the UK. The sun was burning, our packs heavy and our bodies no were in nowhere near the same shape as when we finished cycling in Aberdeen!
We soon found that our route would take us across the border nearly every other day, and our first crossing was at a very weird tourist souvenir village. It was like a place where the Spanish could go and buy French products without feel ashamed, and vice-versa. We just found it ridiculously funny watching people push shopping trolleys of alcohol, cheese and ham between the shops and their cars on a 25 degree slope.
The target for the day was just past a mountain on the border called La Rhune (900m). Unfortunately the hot weather and unconditioned bodies took their toll and we decided to stop a little short of our target. We pitched the tent for the night on a grass covered, disused road in the woods, thinking we would be completely alone. After about 2 hours the sun began to set, and we started hearing bells, getting closer and closer. As it turns out cows, horses and sheep in France and Spain all wear bells, so that the Shepard can find his flock or heard in the mist or forest. These bells belonged to a large group of horses and a few sheep for good measure. Thankfully they kept their distance, and we got a decent nights sleep.

Monday 30th July
Bilbao to Hendaye-Plage, France

The first proper nights sleep in about a week, and a good sleep-in and buffet breakfast to top it off, perfect!
For those of you who know anything about Bilbao, you will know that it is home to the fantastic Guggenheim Museum or Contemporary Art, by Frank Gehry. Clad in titanium panels, the building shimmers like a fish on the rejuvenated waterfront area of the city. The art is pretty good too! Obviously we couldn’t visit Bilbao without going to the Guggenheim.
We soon found ourselves on the bus to France, where our journey would begin properly the following day. There was a bit of a mix up on the bust, with us getting off on the Spanish side of the border by mistake and then having to catch a train for the rest of the journey – about 2 Km across a river.
Our first night in the tent was spent in a very expensive campsite, that had very bad squat toilets. Apparently this is very French, and we should get used to it. Lost of French people in campervans, and the owner of the campsite kindly filled our MSR bottles up with petrol, although it seemed to burn like rocket fuel.

Sunday 29th July
Hackney, London to Bilbao, Spain

After a sleepless night on Adrian and Priscilla's floor in Camden, the day started in a blur as Bridgette set off towards to Hackney and I went to Sydenham to meet her parents. After a bit of freelance London navigation and driving we arrive to meet Bridgette to begin the frantic task of sorting all of our gear.
What to take hiking, what to take to Barcelona, what to leave for Emily to take to Barcelona, what to leave for David to take back to Australia, what to give Bridgette’s parents to take back to Australia, what to give Bridgette’s auntie to post to Barcelona, what to donate to charity. The result of this sorting was (in order); as little as possible, about 20 Kg, a 20 litre backpack, a piece of luggage – as light as possible, a big heavy book, and finally, as much as possible!
After saying our goodbyes we were off to Stanstead in the watts-express. Check in was fine, although they did want have a look at our MSR fuel bottles to make sure they weren’t bombs! Then it straight to the internet café to do the most important thing, book a hotel so we have somewhere to sleep in 3 hours time.
The Bilbao airport is fantastic! Designed by Santiago Calatrava, it makes Stanstead look like a couple of big sheds in a paddock. When we finally arrived at our hotel we were very happy to find that they spoke English, as we were way too tired to try and check-in in Spanish. Even better was the small balcony that tour room had, and that it was in the old quarter and had a great view!

London- Shopping, Burough and Jaws

A whirl wind day in London. That day before a big trip when you realise that you have a lot to organise. First off to Borough, our fav market at London Bridge. Unfortunately missed Emily but sampled a few of the local delicacies. So much cheese, Grommet would be in heaven.

Then off into town to Standfords the home of maps and guide books. The destination was decided upon, we are off to the Pyrenees. The track, the high traverse. We don't have enough time to complete the walk by about a week butt hats life. It looks amazing anyway. After spending an hour and half searching for all the maps we went off to meet the others.

Hyde park is amazing in summer, so many people, deck chairs, lots of things happening. Today there was a small world music festival, an off shoot from Womad which is happening out at Reading this weekend. There was also heaps of roller bladers showing off their skills, even with someone filming. There were also deck chairs for sale, painted by artists, muscicians, the money raised was going towards saving trees somewhere.

While the others headed off to explore the tourist sights. We had our eye in the ball, ticket for BJ to Australia. These were booked surprisingly fast. one hitch, paper tickets, which will have to be courier to the airport for pick up. then a few last buys, film, waterproof trousers, GPS??? (how did that sneak in peter), sunnies, sun hat.... etc

Lovely dinner back in Camden with Pri and Minot. Watched jaws, Pricilla screams were much more entertaining than the movie.

London- Farewell drinks agian???

Woke a little tired. Spent the morning on the phone to BA trying to sort luggage. We were finally told that the likely hood of our bikes being found was low,\ very low. But they couldn't declare them lost till day 45 so change of plans. We decided to head to the Pyrenees where we were going to cycle anyway. These run between Spain and France and from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. It a great place to walk and there are several long distance tails. Once we decided the flights were booked!

We met up for lunch with Emily and a long lost dutch friend, Esmerelda and her boyfriend. they were over for the weekend, to see London. We then ferried some stuff back to Ems while they went out to see the sights.

Then back in to town to strangely have fare well drinks again at the same pub we were at 5 weeks ago??? very Deja vu. But they weren't our far well drinks, Sam, an old work mate of Pete's was leaving the firm. Good time to catch up with everyone. Typical England we were all standing outside under umbrellas having a pint. Great summer weather.

London- global cities and dinner at Dave and Adel's

Off today to the Tate to see the Global Cities exhibition. It is touring from the Venice biennale. I will let peter explain what it was about!

The exhibition was a smaller part of the complete biennale, but focused on the theme of the overall exhibition. It took 9 example cities including London, LA, Lagos, Mumbai, Cairo and compared them in terms of how efficient each city was. Not efficient in terms of how much power, but more aimed towards what is its density, how do people use the city, what affects the city structure and all that type of stuff. We were quite surprised that London has a density of about 3000 per square kilometer and reached its peak population in 1939, while Mumbai has a density of 34500 per square meter.

We hid in the Tate coffee shop for a while as the rain teamed down outside and then made a run for it. Off to Dave and Adele's for dinner. Nice stir-fry and then a movie.

London- Art, coffee and friends

Funny to wake up in the same room from wich we left 5 weeks ago. Much of the day was spent organise tax and closure of Pete limited company, boring. In the afternoon we headed into tow, destination Stanfords, the map shop. Another surreal experience, no looking at cycling maps this time, off to the hiking section. So much to do in Europe, something that caught both our eyes was the Pyrenees. I have wanted to go back since my brief trip a few years ago. Maybe this is the moment.

We then headed off to Mammout in Covent garden. They do it so well. Darn good coffee and cake. Beautiful area, lovely designer shops and boutiques, all hideously expensive. Then off to the Portrait gallery to see the annual portrait competition. Wow, the entries were amazing. One of the paintings was so real, I found myself checking the label to see if it was really painted. Then off to meet a few friends at the Old Crown for a pint. Great to see familiar faces and catch up on the last 2 months. Seems like some strange time warp.

Yorkshiore Dales to London

Left the Dales early to start the journey back to London. Traffic was thick on the M1 but still made it to Bedford on time. Here we met up with Mildred, Caroline and James, relatives of Bridgette and went out to lunch. The pub was by the river, not flooded, but almost. Then down to London, drop off in Hackney at our friend Emily's house. Quiet night.

Week 8- still no luggage, the Yorkshire Dales

Copenhagen to Yorkshire Dales- unknown (1697)
Highlights- exploring the Dales, coal mine experience, visiting the Black sheep brewery, walking up one of the tree peaks, discovering Malham cave area, finding the hidden waterfalls at Ingleton
Lowlights- still no luggage, lots of rain but no floods, no rain coat
Accommodation- Bridgette's parent's holiday accommodation in Steaton

A funny week of being in limbo, no real idea where the luggage was or how long we were going to be off the road. But we had a great opportunity to spend some quality time with Bridgette's parents and explore the Dales better. We stayed in Steaton a small village south east of Skipton south of the Yorkshire Dales national Park. This provided a fantastic gateway into the Park where there's lots of walking and places of interest to explore. This is a huge caving, rock climbing and waterfall spot due to the masses of limestone. This provided lots of opportunity for adventure. It also has the three peaks (not mountains), one of which we walked up.

Unfortunately the week was marred by the pending or actual down pour of rain. With our rain coats somewhere in transit we were stuck with ponchos and umbrellas somewhat limiting our hill walking exploits. But we were more fortunate than most of England with no major flooding. The water actually filled the rivers and made many of the waterfalls quite spectacular. The bad weather days were spent exploring some of the indoor attractions including the National coal mining museum. Sound a bit daggy but the 150m ride down underground was a bit of fun, and the tour guide was an ex-miner provided a hilarious yet quite purposeful explanation of the the mine and mining in the UK.

option is for 5 week cycling to Spain where Peter will be A lot of time was available to contemplate the options for our ride. As time ticks by the opportunity to dive deep into Europe and down to turkey is fast disappearing. A more realisticstudying over the northern winter. This is a little disappointing since we have progressed little actual distance towards Australia since our departure in May. But I guess we will have to return next summer with a vengeance.

Yorkshire Dales- Bowland Forest

Last day in the Dales and we are all suffering cabin fever. Off to the Forest of Bowland where giant expanse of forest once stood. Don't let the lack of trees fool you, once you've wound your way through farm land for an hour eventually you do stumble upon trees. Small pockets of trees, but more than we have seen for weeks none the less. Out we jumped keen for a walk, to quickly discover the even terrain of the tracks. Built for motorized wheel chairs mmmmm so easy walking, hardly the south-west Tassie. We then moved on and explored some lovely roads leading deeper into the 'forest' where the hills where higher and moors formed on the tops. Here grouse and other birds were spotted.

The rest of the day was spent tiding up the house for an early start tomorrow. No luck with BA again today.

Yorkshire Dales-Farmers market, Black sheep beer and brimham rocks

Sunday means farmers markets in the Dales, somewhere. After a little research on the internet one was located at Pateley Bridge in northern Yorkshire. A small market but very active held on the show grounds in the center of town. The area was divided into the food and a flea market. Priorities first, the food, there was everything from smoked trout to freshly baked bread to backyard grown plants. One baked goods stall especially got our attention, everything looked larger than life, better, bigger and they had an almond croissant. Meanwhile, mum perused the flea market picking up a few hooks and needles with really knowing what they were used for.

Then it was off to find the Black Sheep brewery, a micro brewery that has recently won many awards for their ales. Micro brewery no more perhaps, as the we discovered a large visitors center, restaurant and tours on offer. Our guide was a lovely Yorkshire lady with a sing song accent and a great love for beer. Their claim to fame is using these Yorkshire squares or round squares now they have change shape. Apparently requires a special yeast and changes the taste of the beer. We got to try a few pints after and can affirm the taste pretty good.

Then it was off to Briham rocks a climbing and bouldering area Bridgette had been keen to see all week. It is protected by the national trust and is a major tourist desalination. These amazing formations sit high on the moore land, with boulders stacked on boulders, area carved out and large cliffs in places. You could quite easily climb all over them and wander through the surrounding ferns and trees for hours. A pang of jealousy hit as people unloaded their bouldering and climbing gear an we set out on a walk. But that's life you can't pack everything.

Yorkshire Dales- Down a Coal Mine

The rain was actually falling today so off to do the museums. First on the list was the National Coal Mining Museum. My dad was very keen but we were a little skeptical, but they advertised a tour underground at 150m for free which sounded like a bit of fun. So off we went. We arrived in the nick of time to catch the first tour and were equipped with hard hats and lights. John, our tour guide, an ex coal miner was superb with lots of tales and laughs. Amazing to think whole families use to work these mines over 200 years ago and it only closed in the 80's. They still had the horses which were used in the mine up until it was closed.

The rain persisted through lunch so another museum for lunch. The National Media Museum featuring photography and film, as well as an Imax. Well Harry Potter was showing and needless to say it was sold out being opening weekend for the book. The museum was interesting but really orientated to children and families, like most of the museums in the UK. A little said since a lot of the substance seems to be lost as they try to make child friendly.

A break through tonight as one of the bags arrived at my aunts house in Canterbury. Still no bikes, they haven't even found them yet.

Yorkshire Dales- Fountain Abbey and York

We had run out of ideas today so we decided to followed Helen and Chris out to an Abbey that they wanted to see. Not just any Abbey, but Fountain Abbey, National Trust, World Heritage, important stuff. We borked at the entrance fee much to my dads disgust and decided to explore the extensive estate instead. First on the agenda was the deer park where a huge heard was spotted almost immediately. Then we followed the path through some beautiful country estate gardens. The path led though an area known as nine bridges where nine dry stone bridge zig zagged across the river. In the valley are enormous old trees. Having been in the dales where there is little forest, this was quite amazing.

So mesmerized by the landscape we kept walking (with no map). We then discovered these little markers which Pete swears he saw back at the entrance (he actually did, but it was a through walk, not a circuit). These led us through cow paddocks, farms, and eventually into another estate. At this point we had half an hour to get back and no real idea where we were. We got a few vague directions from the residents, but it wasn't until we asked at the eloquent Yorkshire riding school that we got back on track. An hour and half later we arrived back at the car, not really knowing where we had been, but our feet definitely sore for it.

That afternoon we decided to head off to York to explore England's biggest Gothic cathedral, the Minster, and the small winding cobbled shopping district. But first a tasty coffee stop, wow what a surprise great coffee! Around and into the cathedral packed with French school children (just like Canterbury). Then off into town, we discovered quiet quickly the predominance of pubs and all things relating to beer. Several bottle shops just specialising in local and international beers, stocking the usual Boags and Coppers selections. The city center is lovely with cobbled narrow streets and small shops squeezed into the old buildings. There was the constant threat of rain with a giant black cloud looming all afternoon. We just making it back in time before it bucketed.

Off to the pub for a Friday meal out. We arrived famish after this days exploits and rather large detour on the way home. Lovely warm pub in just down the road. Pete didn't break tradition with fish and chips followed by sticky toffee pudding, yum!

Yorkshire Dales- Pen-y-ghant

Another beautiful day in the Yorkshire Dales, rain and thundery showers may be forecast but the skies were crystal clear. Today was the day to go up at least one of these infamous three peaks. We set off towards Horten-on-ribblesdale, a long name for a small place, to discover the town had more than a campsite and a pub. We stayed here several weeks earlier while passing through the Dales on bike but hadn't really venture passed the entrance. Since its on the Pennie way and three peaks circuit, it is a key area for walking and has a lovely cafe!

Inny meeny moo, Inglebourgh to the right and Pen-y-ghant to the left, Pen-y-ghant it was to be. Off we went along the Pennie way through the fields and sheep. We made quick progress past quite a few walkers going the other direction and were surprised to be at the summit in a hour. Since we were meeting Bridgette's parents at 1pm we had another 3 hours to kill. So off we went down the other side, soon finding out this was the steeper and perhaps more spectacular route. There was an amazing drystone wall that crawled its way through a boulder field and the tried to climb up the wall. However it didn't quiet make it and missed a section before continuing on the summit.

After meeting the mum and dad, everyone was filled with indecision about what to do that afternoon. We weren't inspired to walk up another hill, Chris wanted to sleep and Helen did know what she wanted. Eventually we headed towards Hawes, further up the valley deep into the Dales. We passed the Ribbleshead viaduct and the third peak Wernside. Hawes biggest attraction was a creamery, being tight fisted we refused the entry fee and went straight to the tastings. Great sheep milk cheese.

We then headed home through a town named Gayle! The small c road wound up through a deep valley to a pass. Here there were great view of velvet green hills, dotted with sheep and sliced up by long straight drystone walls. The road soon descended with a sign saying 25% decline into another valley. This was remarkably different with the village center around a wide flat river the flowed through multiple cascades. Bridgette promptly fell a sleep here and missed the rest of the scenic journey (thus end of blog).

Yorkshire Dales-

Quiet day, forecast was shocking although Steeton seemed to be spared. We did venture out for a not so inspiring walk into the next big town. 14km along a road and canal took us to Keighly. We managed to find a less than average bakery, only to walk out to find a great coffee shop up the street. That's the way it works in new towns, you either strike it lucky, or you completely bomb out.

After a quick burst of shopping at tesco we jumped onwhat was perhaps the world's longest bus ride home. Best news all day was that they have located a bike, yipppppppppppeee. We might be on the move again. Looks like a ferry to Bilbao and across the Pyrenees.

Yorkshire Dales-

Another quiet day, rain, rain ad more rain. We ventured out in the afternoon to find a memory card reader and cables for the Ipod and that was it! Well we are adventurous. Looking forward to getting the bikes back.

Week 7- lost luggage, Copenhagen, Yorkshire Dales

Copenhagen to Yorkshire Dales- unknown (1697)
Highlights- Finally going somewhere (back to the UK), Yorkshire Sculpture Park, 2 great short walks
Lowlights- lots of time traveling, still no luggage
Accommodation- 1 night on a bus, 1 at Bridgette's aunts house in Canterbury, 4 at the house swap in the Yorkshire Dales

An interesting week, marred by the return by the UK but lighten by spending time with relatives. The week started with little optimism as we discovered our contact details and even bag tags had been incorrectly enter at the airport. So even if they had found the bags we would have been reunited. This meant several trips to the airport. Then the difficult decision, where to go, we couldn't sty forever with Sylvia.

Finally it was decided to head back to the UK, cheaper, easy to sort out the luggage and catch up with Bridgette's parents. With obvious reservations about boarding another plane and a tight wallet we opted for the bus. 20 hrs in a bus didn't seem that bad after 40 hrs in an airport. It felt great to be on the move again, be it in a coach. However we soon became delayed, then missed the connection and arrived late into Dover. So we were one day late leaving and eventually drove on Friday 13th (and survived).

Back in the Yorkshire Dales staying in a house exchange in the little town of Steaton. Jut down the road from the Sculpture Park which was missed before. Beautiful park displaying work Henry Moore, Andy Goldsworthy, and Hepworth. The highlights being the Goldsworthy exhibition in the underground gallery and perhaps not the sheep shit painting we walked 6km to see.

We then spent the rest of the week exploring the hills and waterfalls in the southern dales. Limited slightly by our lack of gear, ie rain coast but we still managed several half day walks. The constant threat of rain and thunder seamed to be hitting everywhere else, apparently flooding parts of the Dales.

Yorkshire Dales- Ingleton Waterfalls

The plan today was to climb Ingleborough, but more rain was promised so we joined mum and dad. The walk looked impressive with a 17 waterfalls in one walk and a spectacular river edge to follow. I was a little surprised to find the area was private and we had to pay for the privilege of seeing it. (little did I know at the time, it was more than worth it).

We followed a river up the valley with waterfall after waterfall around every corner. The water was dark brown, like back home in south-west Tassie, and the rocks were covered in moss, enough to make you home sick. After having lunch at the top we headed up over the hill. At the top there was a conveniently place ice cream van, trust the British. The second valley had some beautiful areas where the water had carved out deep gorges. The walk finished in Ingleton where we had cup of tea and a cake with the local CWA ladies.

Before heading off home to take a convoluted path through the hills behind Settle to show mum and dad the path we had taken. It was as steep and narrow as I remember, but that rewarding feeling you get after cycling up a whopping great hill was missing. Can't wait to see my bike again.

Discovered one bag had been found by British Airways, in Milan?? On its way back to the UK! Only 3 to go now...

Yorkshire Dales- Malham Cove

No rain today so off to an early start. There is an area north of where we are staying called Malham which has some amazing limestone formations, caves and cliffs. Although we had the map, there were quite a few people and it was easy to navigate by following the steady stream heading along the path. First stop was Janet's Foss, a water fall which has carved out amphitheatre in the rock. Nice but small (the nature snob).

Then headed up to the Gadale scar, following a small river through a camp site and open pastures. Suddenly as you rounded a corner the the steep hill was carved open exposing a gigantic cliffs on both sides. You follow the river up between these cliffs, the temperature drops and sunlight disappears. Overhead hundreds of birds are darting in and out of the cliff face. Then further in to the gorge the water falls appear. For the brave the path continues up the waterfalls up above the gorge. For the mortals (or those with parents) we re-trace our steps down the gorge and over the paddocks.

These fields are filled with highland cows which are enjoying posing for the tourists. Bridgette has a quiet giggle as a photographer with an expensive camera almost meets his doom as he sinks to his knees in the mud.

The next feature of the walk was Malham cove a 80m amphitheatre with tessellated limestone pavement on top. We approach this from the top, crossing the pavement with panoramic views of the county side. The pavement is huge, with large pedestals of rock closely grouped together. In the gaps between the rocks are deep crevices which harbour beautiful ferns and mosses. There is a steep decent to bottom of the cliff where a small river emerges from the base of the cliff. Plenty of people are out to enjoy the area including some rock climbers, slight pang of jealousy. The RPS bird watching group are out monitoring some bay Peregrine Falcons. Unfortunately no sightings today but we did get to see a beautiful tawny owl.

Jumped back into the car in the nick of time, down came the rain. We took mum and dad on a driving tour of the hills behind Settle then headed home.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park

The thing about returning to an area that we have been to before is that we can now do the things that missed out on previously.

After a quick morning stop in Hebden Bridge we headed to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park to see, amongst other things, a new exhibition by Andy Goldsworthy. We were quite disappointed to have missed this last time, thinking that we would not have the opportunity again, funny world.

The YSP is huge, taking about 4 hours to do a complete circuit allowing time to appreciate the pieces. Scattered around the park are works by Henry Moore, James Turrel, Barbara Hepworth, Anthony Caro, Antony Gormley and of course Andy Goldsworth, which is what we really wanted to see.

The first part of the Goldsworth exhibition was inside, consisting of stacked oak, stone room, clay room, wood room, leaf stalk room and a very beautiful series of photographs showing the destruction of man-made walls by natural elements. In our minds, this is the Andy Goldsworthy that we are familiar with. The work was exquisitely constructed, with its simplistic beauty overwhelming. There were also a few very good external pieces, consisting of perfect dry-stone walls and suspended tress that were also very good.

The gallery at the other end of the park contained a series of Goldsworth painting, which we felt were not as strong as his other work. The work consisted of a cow dung mural, sheep feeding patterns, sheep-shit paintings and a series of blood drawings that were created by stuffing the carcass of a dead hare with snow, allowing the melted snow and blood to drip onto a canvas. We were not alone in our lack of appreciation for these pieces, with many patrons raising eyebrows and biting their lips. I guess in the end art is art, and you either like it or you don't.

As far as sculpture parks go the YSP is good, but its vast grounds and very light scattering of pieces made you feel a little disappointed. As the park has been running for 30 years, most pieces have come and go, but you can't help think that they could have easily kept a lot of the early work on site and still had plenty of room to spare. We felt that the Grizedale Sculpture park in the Lake District was a much better park, even in the pouring rain. The intimacy that it offered by seeing pieces within a dense and varying forest, was a much more honest experience compared to seeing art alone in fields.