19 to 11 August 2017
Walking
days: 10
Tot
km: 187
Average
km/day: 18.7
Tot
elevation: 9700m
Tot
passes: 11
The
GR11 has been in my bucket list for a long time. I originally wanted
to run it, but my Achilles kicked away the running shoes and brought
me boots instead, possibly a good thing since the terrain was way
more difficult than what I expected.
Due to work/time constrictions we could only afford 2 weeks of trekking, and everybody seems to agree that, if you have to choose, the Central Pyrenees is your best option in terms of landscapes and challenges.
Getting
to Candanchú took 24h. We flew to Zaragoza via London and spend a
night in this pleasant city. We arrived on 19 August and the road
from the airport was totally empty. We stayed in the centre and enjoy
strolling around the main square, basilica and Stone Bridge t sunset,
and stuffing ourselves with tapas in view of the walk ahead.
The
day after we took the 3h bus to Candanchú and were delighted at the
first sight of the mountains. We got off in Candanchú, a nice and
quite ski resort, at 2pm and we could already feel the fresh air in
out lungs.
 |
| Empty bus to Candanchú |
 |
| First glimpse of the mountains |
The
30+ degrees in Zaragoza scared us but we felt relieved once
there...hardly did we know it wouldn't last long! After chcking in at
the Hotel Candanchú we went for the bocadillo number 1 and then for
a stroll up to the border with France. The views were sublime and we
couldn't wait to start the walk. There is a small supermercado
selling the basics in Candanchú, the only one until Formigal.
Tot
Km
|
21 |
Ascent
|
900m
|
Descent
|
1000m
|
Trail
conditions
|
Most
of the day is on good paths, but the bit from the Río Gallego has
no path, you can go on the (very busy) road or try your luck as we
did on the spiny hill on the left side of the road.
|
Water/Food
|
Plenty
of streams but no food
|
Sleeping
|
Hotel
Abba Formigal (4 stars...we couldn't find other options in this
posh village, and Sallent was full)
|
Not
particularly concerned aboout the heat we had a leisury start with
breakfast at 8am, and set off at 9am. We couldn't find any white and
red signs, so that we followed the Camino de Santiago way instead.
After an 1h we started wondering if that was the way...good stuff we
had a GPS and were redirected to the right track, where a cute little
bothy was.
 |
| when we thought we were following the Camino... |
From
there it was a long but easy path up to the Ibon d'Anayet (2227m).
 |
| Paul about to collapse in the afternoon heat |
 |
| Collapsed |
The
heat was fierce by this stage and Paul was starting to suffer from
it. We stopped for a bit to make him recover and then started the
descent to the Anayet Ski Complex. We hoped for an open bar but
everything was shut so that we got some shelter from the sun and,
even if not hungry at all, had our lunch (bocadillo with avocado).
 |
| beautiful lunch spot |
We
followed the paved road to the junction and the were abandoned to
ourselves. The main road to Formigal was too busy so that we
scrambled on the hill on the other side and improvised a path there
among bushes and spines. Getting to Formigal in the afternoon heat
cheered us up, better still finding out that the hotel we booked was
a 4 stars one!
 |
| 4 star hotel but they could have spent something more on the elevator... |
Day 2 – Formigal to Refugio Bachimaña
Tot
Km
|
25 |
Ascent
|
1600m |
Descent
|
1400m |
Trail
conditions
|
Good luck on the last 30m of the Cuello de Tebarrai! |
Water/Food
|
Plenty of streams and you cn grab a bocadillo at the Refugio de Respumoso half way through |
Sleeping
|
Refugio Bachimaña (a very good one!) |
Lesson
learnt we woke up earlier and had an arly start following the road
down to Sallent de Gallego, which then became a lovely track up to
the Refugio de Respumoso (2220m). We managed to get there without sun
and were high on energies thanks to the abundant 4 star breakfast.
The
hard part was still to come, and the sun was heating us up. This time
we were prepared and washed our heads regualrly, a soaked sponge
under a soaked hat helped Paul a lot! The last bit of the climb up to
Cuello de Tebarrai (2765m) was scary, lot of scree and the few final
meters were pure hanging everything you can get your hands and feet
on, but we made it finally. Somehow it was an anticlimax as we were
expecting stunning view but there was only a lake.
 |
| wet sponge + wet hat |
 |
| still shaken after the fucked up climb |
From
there to the Cuello de l'Infierno (2721m) it was just a short walk,
but loads of boulder fields made it slower. Finally on the other side
it was a long, steep and rocky walk down to the Refugio de Bachimaña
(2200m).
 |
| how to make a bocadillo on the go |
 |
| Sunset at the Refugio |
 |
| luxury view from the toilet |
The
views from the Refugio were really amazing and made up for the effort
to get there. The place was full with people and we enjoyed the
atmosphere and especially the food! That night there was a loud
thunderstorm, cozy and warm in my sleeping bag the thunders sounded
like a lullaby Talking to the other guys in the Refigio we figured
that we could avoid going down to Baños de Panticosa the day after
and avoid a few hundreds meters of ascent afterwards, following a
“shortcut” behind the Refugio, marked as GR11 too. One of the
guys running the place told me it was not marked at all, but we
decided to give it a go as we had GPS, what could possibly go wrong??
Tot
Km
|
24 |
Ascent
|
900m (using a quite fucked up shortcut) |
Descent
|
1000m |
Trail
conditions
|
Rocks, and more rocks, the last 5km are on a landrover track |
Water/Food
|
Plenty of steams, no food option |
Sleeping
|
We
woke up early and headed off following the “shortcut”. Circling
the Refugio twice before finding the track was not obviously a good
start, but we were very optimistic and kept going. You need to go up
a bit on boulder fields and not sure how we missed one cairn and
ended of hanging down a slope with nothing behind. I couldn't see
what was up and hope was our only guide. Somehow we managed to get
out of there and got back on the path, after which I was fired as
guide and hired the GPS instead. Not that the path gets much
better...after turning to the other side of the mountain you have to
follow the pipeline, and at times it got exposed like “hang on the
wall and don't look down”.
 |
| feeling inspired in the morning |
 |
| Leaving our refugio behind |
 |
| somewhere there we ended up hanging down |
 |
| best shortcut ever... |
Finally
back on track it was more boulder fields up to the Cuello de Brazado
(2566m). Reaching the top was a relieve, and the views always make up
for the hard walks. It was much chillier today and on the pass we had
to wear an extra layer, we ate our magdalenas and slowly begun the
long descent of about 14km to Bujaruelos (1338m).
 |
| free gifts along the trail: juicy blueberries!! |
The
last km are on landrover track, and there the miracle happened,
rain!!! We were far away from the Refugio and by the time we got
there it stopped, but we enjoyed the chilled, refreshing air, and
were delighted to see that the Refugio is more of a hotel than a
Refugio. We got a double ensuit room and went to the bar for beer and
crisps. Dinners are served at 8pm and by 5 we were already starving.
The dinner was very good and worth waiting for, and we shred the
table with a couple of men from Andorra that that day walked the 40km
we were supposed to do the day after...considering the heat and the
terrain we opted for a cozy bus instead, that would make up skip the
next 2 days of mountain walking and carry us from Torla to Parzán. I
never regret doing so, there is no way we would have managed 40km!
After
dinner we got the biggest thunderstorm I've ever seen. The frequency
of lightenings was so fast that it looked a psychedelic discotheque
lasting 45 minutes. I felt so sorry for the people camping in front
of the Refugio, but enjoyed the view from our tiny room window much
more than any TV!
Tot
Km
|
12 |
Ascent
|
/ |
Descent
|
300m |
Trail
conditions
|
Good paths/landrover tracks |
Water/Food
|
Plenty inTorla |
Sleeping
|
We ended up sleeping at the Hotel Bielsa |
This
was the first of th 2 cheating days. We started by following the GR11
path up to Puen deros Nabarros, and then another path by the river to
Torla, which is actually a very nice, and touristy, little village.
We skipped the Parque Nacional de Ordesa, which is supposed to be a
gem, however the amount of people boarding the buses to get there put
us off from visiting it, and made us feel slightly less guilty for
not doing so.
 |
| Torla in sight |
In
Torla we got the 11am but to Aínsa, a big village down the valley,
were we spent a hot and leisury afternoon at the local park. I also
got the chance to shave my hair and that felt so good, better than
any wet sponge and hat! We then got the 6.30pm but to Bielsa and
ended the day in a beautiful hotel room with balcony overlooking the
mountains. I'll never regret doing that.
 |
| View from the Hotel Bielsa |
Tot
Km
|
4 |
Ascent
|
200m |
Descent
|
/ |
Trail
conditions
|
/ |
Water/Food
|
/ |
Sleeping
|
Hostal La Fuen |
Cheating
day number 2. We woke up late, had a late breakfast and walked up to
Parzán along a track in the wood offering some berries. In Parzán
to our surprise we had a double room with balcony in the Hostal La
Fuen, while I thought I booked a dorm...Parzán doesn't have much,
but there is a big supermarket to stock up food in view of the
following days in the middle of nowhere.
Tot
Km
|
22 |
Ascent
|
1500m |
Descent
|
900m |
Trail
conditions
|
Mainly
on landrover track
|
Water/Food
|
Plenty of steams, no food option |
Sleeping
|
Refugio de Viadós |
Rested
and full of energies we set off early. The path tody was mainly on
landrover track. The uphill was quite uninspiring but on the last bit
to get to the Collata Chistau (2346m) the views got better and
better. The descent was not challenging and very panoramic.
After
a minor climb we reached the Refufio Viadós (1760m) and enjoyed a
leisury afternoon. We thought this Refugio would have been as good as
the Bujaruelo one as the road gets there, but it's a private one and
doesn't offer any space to hang around. Outside it was getting chilly
and we were only allowed in the dining room at 8pm for dinner. They
also charge for the shower and the food was not as abundant as in the
other places. We still had a great night and met nice people.
Tot
Km
|
24 |
Ascent
|
1000m |
Descent
|
1700m |
Trail
conditions
|
Good |
Water/Food
|
Plenty of steams, no food option |
Sleeping
|
Hotel Llibrada (highly recommended) |
Keyword
of the day
|
Hunger |
Today
I was on fire, eager to eat the road. Finally acclimatised, we set
off early with a good pace on a beautiful path up to the Puerto de
Chistau (2572m). The views on the other side were amazing and we
really enjoyed going down to Puen de San Chaime. The hostel there was
full so that we walked an extra few km on a nice track along the
river down to Benasque, which we reached at about 3pm. It was getting
hot by then and we couldn't wait for a shower. The Hotel Librada was
the perfect place. Everybody there was super cheerful and made our
stay great. It's the only place I've ever been that offers breakfast
from 4am!! The village itself it's a pearl and was well worth a
visit. We also found out that there was a bus going all the way up to
the Refugio Puen de Corones (we really didn't see any refugio
there..), which would have spared us walking up the same way, and a
few hundred meters of ascent. We had a few thoughts about cheating
again, but then the weather forecasts were predicting thunderstorms
so that we decided to have an early start and get the 7.15am bus
(whose stop was handily located in front of the hotel).
Day 8 – Benasque to Refugio de Cap de Llauset
Tot
Km
|
8 (we started in the Refugio Puen del Corones) |
Ascent
|
700m |
Descent
|
400m |
Trail
conditions
|
Some boulderfields |
Water/Food
|
Streams but no food |
Sleeping
|
Refugio Cap de Llauset (my favourite) |
Punctual
as a Swiss watch we were at the bus stop and asked the bus driver
“does this bus go to the mountains??” “yes” he said, “but
which ones??” It was the right one and off we went. The bus journey
itself was quite an adventure. After a bit the road got unpaved and
deteriorated the further up we went, at some stage on high slopes,
glad the bus didn't break down as the ticket machine did...
 |
| 7am, very motivated |
At
8.15am we were on the track, boulder fields for a change, but we only
had 8km to cover so that we took it easy.
 |
| because we really like boulder fields |
On
reaching the Collado de Ballibierna (2440m) we were basially done, so
that we decided to spent the hot afternoon by the lake behind the
Refugio and really enjoyed sunbathing on the grass.
By
3pm we were almost cooked and made our way to the Refugio Cap de
Llauset, by far my favourite. It's brand new, big, the dorms only
have 5 beds, the views great and the people running it are really
nice guys too. We had dinner and many laughs with another couple from
Valencia while outside it was pouring down. We had a very restful
night and managed to charge up energies for the big day to come.
Day 9 - Refugio de Cap de Llauset Refugi dera Restanca
Tot
Km
|
24 |
Ascent
|
1300m |
Descent
|
1700m |
Trail
conditions
|
|
Water/Food
|
Plenty of streams. Note that the Refugi de Conangles is only open from 2pm. |
Sleeping
|
Refugi dera Restanca |
Keyword
of the day
|
When
we said we were heading to the Refugi dera Restanca people were
looking at us as if we were crazy. We knew the paths can be demanding
and got ready for the worst, but it was actually a very pleasant day
and made it to destination at 4.30pm. The best bit was crossing the
Collada d'es Ibons (2524m) 15min after laving the refugio. It was
early and the morning light on the mountains made the view dramatic.
The
descent to the valley was tricky, first with boulder fields and then,
entering the wood,it felt like the jungle. Due to the rain from the
previous night the roots and stones were very slippery and demanded a
lot of patience, but we finally made it to the valley in good time
and were dreaming of a bocadillo in the Refugi de Conangles.
Pity
that the refugio would only open at 2pm, and it was
11am...Disappointed we set off for the second bit of the day, which
turned out to be pleasant. The weather was changing, it was not as
hot any more and that helped us a lot. We started the climb up to the
Port de Rius (2355m) and the views of the lakes and mountains were
just stunning, it was probably my favourite bit of all the route. We
then went down, and after 2 more minor climbs we reached the Refugi
dera Restanca (2010m), nicely located by a dam. The wind was building
up and by the time we get there was quite strong. We happily got in
the refugi to sort ourselves out and devour the dinner. We met an
Alaskan couple who where walking all the route from sea to sea, but
not the GR11, the one that went up to the peaks! We enjoyed talking
to such crazy people, and enjoyed sharing our misadventures, hope
they will make it home safe!
Day 10 - Refugi dera Restanca to Refugi d'Amitges
Tot
Km
|
16 |
Ascent
|
1200m |
Descent
|
1300m |
Trail
conditions
|
|
Water/Food
|
Refugi de Colomers |
Sleeping
|
Refugi d'Amitges |
Keyword
of the day
|
Wind |
Today
was the last day of the walk. The weather from the start was not
encouraging: strong wind and rain, it felt like Scotland! The warm
rainproof clothes we brought finally had an use and we started
feeling both relieved and eager to finish it, bit also sad at the
thought that it was going to end soon. We started climbing to the
Coret de Oelhacrestada and Port de Caldes (2570m) and then down to
the Refugi de Colomers which was open for a change. We got our
bocadillo, I managed to stroke a beautiful doggy, and off we went
again. That refugio looks very cool, however there were way too many
people around who got there by car, it kind of lacked the refugio
look. We were glad we didn't book there, and proceeded to our final
destination. After the dam we went down a bit and then started the
final ascent to the Port de Ribereta (2345m). Again the landscapes
left us with an open mouth. We left the GR11 and took the path to the
refugio, from the top we could see it by the lake, and we
automatically stopped, as if we didn't want to get there and finish
the walk. We hate something while looking around, trying to absorb as
much as we could of the landscape. We eventually had to give in and
reached the Refugi d'Amitges. There was nobody outside, the shock was
getting into it where loads of people were buzzing around, where did
they get from?? All the walk was weird as we would hardly meet
anybody, but the refuges were alawys full! This one was close to be a
hotel too (apart from the fact that the dorm had more than 30 beds).
The dining place is huge and comfy, and there is a terrace and huge
windows. The food was quite good too, but there was something
missing, like the true mountain spirit. Anyway, we had a great night
sleep there and would recommend it just for its views and terrace.
 |
| I really want a dog, actually, I want that dog! |
Day 11 - Refugi d'Amitges to Espot
Tot
Km
|
11 |
Ascent
|
/ |
Descent
|
600m |
Trail
conditions
|
Good |
Water/Food
|
Espot |
Sleeping
|
Hotel Sorat, great place |
Keyword
of the day
|
Rain |
We
took it easy as we only had 11km of landrover track and downhill to
get to Espot. The surprise was to wake up in pouring rain and clouds,
I was so happy we didn't have to go up to any pass and really felt
sorry for those who had to. Unwillingly we said goodbye to the
refugio and headed down. Despite the weather we had a brilliant walk,
mainly in the wood, trying to spot pine martins and birds with no
success.We reached Espot soaking wet,and decided to treat ourselves
by staying in the splendid Hotel Soret, welcomed by 2 German Shepards
definitely more smart than myself (I stared at the entrance thinking
it was an automatic door, while they pushed it and entered with no
problem...) We rewarded ourselves with a great pizza and beer at the
Gall de Ferr and promised ourselves that we will get back some other
time to continue the walk.
- If you are going in summer and are not planning to camp, book Refuges and hotels way ahead of time (I booked them 3 months before the trip and some of them were already full)
- Bring boots
- Km in boulder fields can be very long, plan carefully!
- The white and red marks are temperamental, to play safe I'd bring a GPS
- When you regret cursing the rocky and endless uphill you will be punished with endless downhlills (one lasted 20km)
 |
| Can we do it again?? |
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