| PYRENEES HIGH LEVEL ROUTE - ACTUAL PROGRESS | |||||
| 2004 | |||||
| Date | Start | Finish | Hours | Lodging | Comment |
| Sun 25 July | Manchester | Hendaye-Plage | Alturan campsite | Arrived at Hendaye-Plage at 3:30, lovely sunny day. |
|
| Mon 26 July | Hendaye-Plage | Biriatou | 1.75 | Tranquil hamlet |
Short hot walk to tranquil hamlet. |
| Tues 27 July | Luxury hotel | Col de Lizuniaga | 7.25 | Camping on lawn by bar | Green and pleasant except for tourist hubs. |
| Wed 28 July | Dewy lawn | Dancharia | 7.75 | Campsite | Cloud inversion then hot and sunny on good tracks. Nice quiet
campsite. |
| Thurs 29 July | Damp campsite | Bidarray | 8 | Gite D'etape | Wet morning, steamy afternoon, rocky descent. |
| Frid 30 July | Gite | Col D'ispeguy | 7.25 | Wild camp | Superb ridge walk, cloudless afternoon, camp at 685 metres. Good views. |
| Sat 31 July | Camp with veiw | Col De Mizpira | 8 | Very wild camp | Scorching but welcome beech woods and long stop (not in timing) in Les Aldudes. |
| Sun 1 Aug | Very wild camp | Col D'orgambide | 9.75 | Wild camp | Long hot day. Storm at camp at 1035 metres. |
| Mon 2 Aug | Cowbell camp | NR Bagargui Col | 11.50 | Campsite | Superb mountain day with inversion and peaks. |
| Tues 3 Aug | Midge zone | Col D'Uthu, 1660m | 10.30 | Wild camp | Ascent of Pic D'Orhy (high point to date-2017m) and misty ridge. |
| Wed 4 Aug | Windswept col | La Pierre-St-Martin | 8 | Refuge | Bad weather foils bid to reach Lescun. |
| Thurs 5 Aug | Refuge | Well earned rest day in nice refuge. | |||
| Frid 6 Aug | Refuge Jeandel | Lac D'Ansabere | 10 | Wild camp | Wonderful Mountain day and idyllic campsite.All sorts of terrain. |
| Sat 7 Aug | Silent camp | Refuge D'Arlet | 7 | Wild camp | Beautiful contouring paths avoiding storms.Leisurely afternoon in sun. |
| Sun 8 Aug | Lakeside camp | Candanchu | 7.50 | Hotel!! | Another great day with eagles soaring above.First bath for 2 weeks! |
| Mon 9 Aug | Hotel with hot bath | Refuge du Pombie | 7.20 | Wild camp | Fresh Breeze for good walking, with lakes and marmots. |
| Tues 10 Aug | Camp by hut | near Larribet Hut | 10.50 | Wild camp | Difficult terrain, navigation error, snowfields, challenging. |
| Wed 11 Aug | Cold camp | Wallon Hut | 10 | Wild camp | Brilliant clear day, glissade down from high point 2706 metres. |
| Thurs 12 Aug | Flat camp | Cauterets | 4.3 | Campsite | Lovely morning walk down beautiful valley. |
| Frid 13 Aug | Crowded campsite | Lac des Oulettes D'estom Soubiran | 7.50 | Wild camp | Superb 1500 metre ascent of Valley du Lutour. |
| Sat 14 Aug | Lake with long name | Gavarnie | 10 | Campsite | Great views of Vignemale, some scrambling. |
| Sun 15 Aug | Gavarnie | Gavarnie | 10.25 | Campsite | Classic ascent of Le Taillon (3144m) via cirque and Breche de Roland. |
| Mon 16 Aug | Campsite | Campsite with view all day. Classic rest day. Julie arrives with lots of luggage. | |||
| Tues 17 Aug | Gavarnie | Heas | 8.25 | Campsite | Very slow walk in atrocious weather. |
| Wed 18 Aug | Free camp | Barroude | 6.30 | Wild camp | Cool, cloudy day high in mountains. |
| Thurs 19 Aug | Windy camp | Bielsa | 6.25 | Hostel | Nice morning going downhill, then a rainy road. |
| Frid 20 Aug | Nice hostel | Camping Forcallo, nr Viados | 9.50 | Campsite | Lovely weather for a walk in Spain south of GR11 |
| Sat 21 Aug | Barking dog camp | Lac des Isclots | 9.50 | Wild camp | Back to a typical day in beautiful but cool weather |
| Sun 22 Aug | Green lake | OO (a vilage) | 11.25 | Hotel | Excellent alpine day with glacier, boulders and 2000m descent |
| Mon 23 Aug | Attentive hotel | Luchon | 2.75 | Campsite | Woodland walk, then campsite & stocking up chores, plus halftime celebrations in storms |
| Tues 24 Aug | Luchon | Luchon | Half term holiday in poor weather | ||
| Wed 25 Aug | laundry camp | Refuge De Venasque | 7 | Refuge | Easy 1800 metre ascent in nice surroundings and weather. |
| Thurs 26 Aug | Snore Zone | Upper Mulieres Lake | 10.25 | Wild camp | Fantastic day with 3000 metre peak and epic finish above Hosp de Viella. |
| Frid 27 Aug | Idyllic camp | nr Collado Retany De Mar | 8.5 | Wild camp | Superb weather continues, Julie leaves (tired), lovely camp by lakes. |
| Sat 28 Aug | Orchid camp | lake near Refugi De Colomers | 8.2 | Wild camp | Journey continues through magnificent high plateaus with lakes. |
| Sun 29 Aug | Relaxing camp | Salarou | 3.7 | Hotel | Nice morning descent through pine forest. |
| Mon 30 Aug | Hotel Deth Pais | below Col D'airoto | 7.5 | Wild camp | Successful haul of a weeks provisions up a nice hill. |
| Tues 31 Aug | Silent foggy camp | Lakelet at 2070m 4hrs before Rif Pujol | 9 | Wild camp | A tough day with huge boulders, steep grass, no paths, very hot. |
| Wed 1 Sept | Bilberry camp | Camping Masia-Noarre | 8.25 | Campsite | Long leisurely day in varied scenery, with frogs. |
| Thurs 2 Sept | Well lit camp | Upper Romedo Lake | 8 | Wild camp | Cloud foils bid to climb Pic de Certascan, so we continue east in cool weather. |
| Frid 3 Sept | Rainbow camp | Estany De Sottlo | 9 | Wild camp | Rough descent by waterfalls, then long climb in cloudy weather to idyllic campsite. |
| Sat 4 Sept | Scenic camp | Etang De La Soucarrane | 5.7 | Wild camp | Leisurely hike in fine scenery under a hot hazy sun. |
| Sun 5 Sept | Fishermans camp | El Serrat | 6 | Hotel Tristiana | Into Andorra at last for beer and a ski resort lunch (supplies low, no shops here) |
| Mon 6 Sept | Empty hotel | D'incles Valley | 9 | Campsite | Another good but hard days walk. |
| Tues 7 Sept | Stream camp | Soldeu | 0.4 | Hotel Soldeu | Short walk to town for well earned rest. |
| Wed 8 Sept | English hotel | Col Du Puymorens | 7.25 | Hotel | Good walk on good paths in sun, blighted by a nasty ski resort (El Pas De La Casa). |
| Thurs 9 Sept | Fawlty Towers | Les Bouillouses | 9 | Refuge | Splendid ascent of Pic Carlit (2921 metres). Hot, sunny, hazy. |
| Frid 10 Sept | Friendly Refuge | Eyne Valley | 8.7 | Wild camp | A morning of lakes and pines, then a high plateau (fields!) before a fine ascent through trees LOL M&S. |
| Sat 11 Sept | River Camp | Ull De Ter | 7 | Refuge | Fine ridge walk - like Lake District but metres not feet. |
| Sun 12 Sept | Spanish Refuge | Marialles | 7.4 | Refuge | High level contouring, dodging the mist. |
| Mon 13 Sept | Convivial Refuge | Batere Mines | 10.2 | Gite | Lovely scramble up Canigou (2784 metres) before a 4 hour contouring path. |
| Tues 14 Sept | Gite in cloud | Amelie-Les-Bains | 4.2 | Hotel | Foggy descent mainly on deserted dirt roads. |
| Wed 15 Sept | Hotel Jeanne d'Arc | Las Illas | 8.7 | Gite | Long walk through forests partly in cloud |
| Thurs 16 Sept | Homely Gite | Col de L'Ouillat | 7.3 | Camp by gite | More trees & blackberry lanes as we go east in fine weather |
| Frid 17 Sept | Camp fortunate | Banyuls-sur-mer | 9.0 | Campsite | Fabulous long walk in brilliant weather to a big cold salty bath-FINISHED! |
| Sat 18 Sept | |||||
| Sun 19 Sept | |||||
| Mon 20 Sept | |||||
| Tues 21 Sept | Perpignan- FR937 5pm | ||||