A Wander Through the High Pyrenees, not the GR11

I’ve just returned from another walking trip to the Pyrenees Mountains, this time making my own route from Luchon in France to Port de Benasque, Refugio de la Renclusa, Forau d’ Aiguallut, Collado de Toro,  Es Bordes (Val d’ Aran), Erill la Val (Val de Boi), Refuge Llong, Portarro d’ Espot, Refuge Ernest Mallafre, Espot, La Guingueta and back to Luchon over the Coll du Portillon. I started on September 10^th at Luchon and finished on September 23^rd returning to Luchon to get the train to Toulouse, flying back to Gatwick and then getting the train home.

The route ahead from the Hospice de France to the Refuge Benasque

The journey out was not so nice with rain and a rail strike in France on the day I was hoping to reach Luchon. However the SNCF staff were very good and produced an alternative route for me as my train had been cancelled, so although it did take longer than originally planned, I did make Luchon in one day. The next day was also wet with mountain mist but I decided to start anyway as the prediction for the rest of the week was good.  In the event I had two weeks of good weather without a further spot of rain, how lucky can you get!

I’ve divided my account of the trip into sections, mainly to do with why I decided to return and do some of the terrain not covered by the GR11 (the long distance footpath I’ve previously walked). The first thing I wanted to do was reach the Port de Benasque, an ancient crossing route over the main frontier ridge, and view the Aneto/Maladeta Massive from the gap in the ridge. I’d seen the Massive from the south side but hadn’t seen the remains of the glaciers on the north side of the mountains. 

Although September can be variable weather, the clear sky's this year gave endless opportunities to explore the high valleys and passes. This photo was taken in the Monestero valley looking to the saddle with the same name and with Los Encantados out of view on the left.

The second thing was to see the Forau d’Aiguallut where the river disappears into the limestone going underground to Uelhs de Joeu where it re-emerges. I wanted to follow the route taken by Norbert Casteret and his mother when they traced the source of the Garonne by passing from the sink hole (Forau d’Aiguallut) over the Collado de Toro to the re-emergence in the Plan dera Artiga. Finally I wanted to tranverse the Aiguestortes Park on the south side from the Boi Valley (the GR11 goes on the north side) over the Portarro d’Espot and rejoin the GR11 to La Guingueta. A bonus also revealed itself when I reached Bossost (Val d’Aran) and I found the mule track mentioned in the older literature and particularly by J.B. Morton (“Miles Walker”) which crosses the relatively low frontier pass between Bossost and Luchon by the Coll du Portillon.

My starting and finishing place near the Thermal Spa in Bagneres de Luchon. Luchon has good links by rail to Toulouse and at least three campsites with many hotels and restaurants in the town.

South Downs Way, Part 1 - Amberely to Winchester

River Arun near Amberely in West Sussex, the start of our walk; the South Downs are in the background.

Now a few days after finishing part of the South Downs Way (SDW) walking between Amberely in West Sussex to Winchester in Hampshire. I say "we" as I had the company of Doug, a friend from Edinburgh who Helen and I met in Namibia in 2005. We have every intention of doing the second half of the walk between Amberely and Eastbourne next September, although I suspect we'll have a challenge of matching the great weather we had last week, not a drop of rain.

The SDW starts in Winchester and finishes in Eastbourne, a distance of about 100 miles. Amberely happens to be a pleasant village at about midway with good rail connections to the south coast and London. The first day we met at "Foxleigh Barn", a great bed and breakfast (B&B) between the station and the village. There is a pub and shop in or near the village. In the morning we set-off in the mist to climb our first hill, Bury Hill and by the time we had reached the top, the sun was through giving views over the Downs and south towards the mouth of the rive Arun at Littlehampton. Our plan was pretty simple, the first two days to walk 12-13 miles each stopping at Cocking and Buriton. Then we had arranged to stay a couple of days with Doug's friends doing about 8 miles each day to reach Exton (distances include walking off and back onto the Downs), then a final fling of 13 miles to Chilcomb and a short hop on Monday morning to Winchester and our trains out.

The path was well marked. Here you can see the footpath into Amberely.

After reaching Tegleaze (236 m), one of our many snack stops, we descended to Cocking and our B&B at "Moonlight Cottages". This was a pleasant stop in the heart of a small village but with a noisy road. The only pub in the village produced good food that was appreciated . The B&B gave us a picnic lunch although it would have been possible to purchase supplies from the village shop opposite the pub.

One of many rest stops on the route and our first encounter with a horse rider (not shown!)

Generally, once we left the night-stops in the valley villages , there were no supplies until the next village at the end of the day, that is without deviating several miles. Hence it was important to carry food and water each day (the chalky landscape has little running water!)

Typical chalkland track heading west across the South Downs.

A greener and shady track approaching woodland with a blue sky.

The next morning was bright and once resupplied with a picnic lunch from the B&B and village store, we climbed back through the woods to find the SDW. The walk to Buriton was over rolling hills, detouring around Beacon Hill (242 m) and across Harting Down with views of South Harting with its copper church spire, and a long walk along an escarpment through woods to take the "Milky Way" down to Buriton and a drink at "The Maple" inn.

Returning to Buriton the next day, we climbed Butser Hill (271 m, the highest of the entire route) with a couple of coffee chances on route through Queen Elizabeth Park. We could soon see East Meon village but the SDW follows the hills looping around the village. We finally met our host at the end of a holloway (a sunken path in Dorset) to end the day crossing farmland into East Meon with all its pubs closed. Continuing the next day, now a larger group, we headed for Exley and just south of this Meonstoke. All these "Meons" are taken from the name of the chalk stream here which we followed into Exley. The route was picturesque over Winchester Hill (you have to deviate off the SDW to cross the ancient Hill Fort) and descending into the Meon valley spotting Buzzards, Red Kites and a single Hobby at our lunch break. We had booked excellent pub accommodation "The Bucks head", slightly off our route but with a nearby large village shop close-by. 

Butser Hill

Our last main walking day was slightly tarnished by too much tarmac underfoot but we did make good progress soon reaching "Cheesefoot Head" a coombe where troops were addressed before Operation Overlord and the subsequent liberation of Europe. Soon after this we had great views of Winchester before descending on a sunken road to a pleasant guest house, "Complyns" in Chilcomb. The next morning we did a one hour dash to King Alfred's Statue and the cathedral, either of which could be the end of the SDW. 

In all, the walking was easy going with gentle inclines over stony tracks,  grassland, through woods with very occasionally tarmac thrown in. The Way goes through picturesque settings overlooking villages in wooded valleys and farmland, typical of what we think of as the English Countryside.

The south coast and Solent  in the distance taken from Beacon Hill.