1/10/2024 0 Comments Freedom trail![]() ![]() In some regions there may be less variety than you are used to, and in others fresh meat or produce can be harder to come by. Dinners are generally eaten in camp or at the hotel, depending on accommodation. On some trips we stop at small local restaurants. Sometimes we enjoy a buffet-style lunch-stop, other times we might have packed lunches. The food provided is plentiful, often local in style and freshly-cooked, and will give you plenty of energy. We get into our waiting transport and drive to the small mountain town of Vielha, where we celebrate our many achievements this week. We are likely to feel a mix of relief and elation, as all that remains of our very challenging trek now is a relatively gentle descent over grassy slopes to the end of the trailhead above the village of Esterri de Aneu. It’s hard to imagine how the escapees from France would have felt at this moment, having survived the mountain crossing. Our path crosses a deep gully, usually filled with snow, which provides an arduous slog to the top (2522m), where we gaze into Spain. Once at Lac Long (2125m) the border at the Col de la Clauère is almost within sight. Lac Long lies only about half an hour away, but is 200m above us, and the path to it is extremely steep in places there’s a fixed cable to assist us. We set off from our hospitable refuge, and trek downhill to the lovely Lac Rond (1929m), stretching out any aching muscles in anticipation of the next challenge. Unfortunately weather conditions often make this approach unfeasible with more demanding and exposed terrain, group ability is also a factor. ![]() Wreckage is left untouched out of respect, and a plaque commemorates the crew. NB: There is an alternative route, taking us over the Col de Craberous (2382m) this leads past the crash site of a British Halifax bomber which, 80km off its intended route on a training flight in July 1945, sadly crashed, killing all seven on board. After our last steep climb, we descend over boulder-strewn slopes to our refuge. It’s spectacular, but not a hospitable landscape, especially in bad weather it’s hard to imagine how those escaping France would have felt, making this journey in the dark and in fear of betrayal and capture. As we near the snow-line, the scenery becomes more impressive jagged peaks and towering cliffs, with patches of snow lying in isolated dips between the rocks. We’re likely to see wild horses and flocks of sheep guarded by patous, the famous Pyrenean Mountain dogs, in this area. We climb and descend – much of it steep – through fields of boulders and around rocky crags. Night camp (1964m).Ī challenging day lies ahead of us today, as our trek takes us into serious mountain terrain. In clear weather the sunset from camp is beautiful. From here it is a short walk to Cabane d’Eychelle, a simple hut, where we camp. As we near our camp for the night, we emerge into open mountain pasture, a boulder-strewn grassy bowl surrounded by rocky peaks, where we find the picturesque Etang d’Eychelle if the weather’s good it’s perfect for an invigorating swim. Our path leads us gradually uphill through shady forest, gaining height steadily as we contour around the mountain-side. From now on we’ll be carrying our own gear (though we travel lighter after tonight’s camp) despite that, the hardest terrain is behind us. We also meet our vehicles and collect our kit for tonight, which we must carry to the hut as there’s no access by vehicle. ![]() We pause here and admire the mountain scenery, taking a moment to pay our respects at the col’s memorial to passeurs. Our path takes us steeply up to the Col de le Core (1395m) – this is a fairly demanding ascent but the views around us are spectacular as we gain height. After a hearty breakfast with wonderful views, we head off through forest on another long day of trekking.
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