If traveling abroad last year felt like a miracle, this time it was a mental endurance test. But, where there is a will there is a way... The original plan was cycling through the Pyrenees, but given all the uncertainties with changes from amber to red countries we decided to play it safe an hike instead. The obvious choice was the GR11. We did the bit from Candanchú to Espot a few years ago so that this year we did the Catalan bit with Andorra in the middle. It certainly provided a good change of scenery!
Flying to Spain went surprisingly smoothly, nobody even asked us for proof of our vaccine situation and after an early start at 3am, by 10am we were melting in Barcelona. We visited the town so many times that we didn't even bother this time. We just waited 7pm and spent a very pleasant evening dining with Kat and Salvo, what a great start!
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Day 1 – Puigcerdá to Refugi de Malniu – 16km / 1100m up
22 September 2021
It was another early start to get the 7am train to Puigcerdá. The city was still sleeping when we sneaked in the train and the first thing we saw when we emerged from the underworld was a beautiful sunrise. The train stopped in many small villages, and while in Barcelona there were graffiti everywhere, the only thing that slightly reminded us of a graffiti in one of those desolate villages was the writing of “DROGA” on a wall. Was that a request, a state of mind, a plead? Who knows but it made us laugh a lot...
At 10am we finally got off the train in Puigcerdá, which looked like a deserted and depressing village. We did our first detour to go and grab a sandwich (cheese sandwich number 1) at the nearby Carrefour, on a very busy and narrow road. No space for pedestrians but who needs to walk when you can use a car? Great mentality...we thought Scotland was way behind but we had to rethink this a lot is Spain, pardon, Catalonia.
We then found ourselves walking for a few kilometres on a tarmac road in the 11am heath that we were definitely not used to. The mountains were a far away view, and in synchrony we looked at each other and thought, where the xxxx are we?? We didn't remember the GR11 to be like this!
From there things started to look up, literally. We reached the village of Saneja where we stopped first to immerse our heads in the fountain, followed by lunch on a bench mercifully placed in the shade.
The amount of swallos flying around was unbelievable |
After that it went up on a steep path with no trees, battered by a strong wind. The rucksack was heavy on my shoulders but I figured it was day 1 and I just needed to get used to it. The more we climbed the more mountains we could see on the horizons. Steepness and mountains, that's more like the GR11! There was nobody around until we arrived in some high up pastures where cows and horses were diligently filling up their bellies. The surprise was that also a road got up there, and with that herds of people, and the road would get to the refuge we were going to...complete anticlimax!
We stopped here and there wasting some time as the check in at the refuge was at 4.30pm. Luckily we got on the wrong path so that had to walk a bit more, but eventually we made it there by 4pm.
Refugi Malniu was a no frills one, and with Covid they also removed blankets and slippers. We only had sleeping liners but gladly it had been hot at night too. On the downside, we were 6 in a dorm of 30 people, and still they managed to allocate the upper beds to us, great. We imagined Paul falling down at night, being asked how he injured himself, and proudly answering “in the mountains” to find out he fell from the bunk bed...
At least dinner was nice and they made an effort to give us proper vegetarian food. There was also a couple of chatty ladies from Barcelona who were starting that day too and going the same way, always good to meed fellow GR11ists!
Day 2 – Refugio de Malniu to Refugi Cap del Rec – 20Km /1300m up
23 September 2021
This was the proper start of the trip. Waking high up in the mountains, with the fresh morning air and just the sound of the many birds around. The path brought us high up and offered great views, we finally felt all the stress of the previous months had gone and we were ready to immerse ourselves in those beautiful mountains. When we woke up we went out to check the weather and the full moon was still visible, wishing up a good day.
At 7.15am sharp we were having a simple but pleasant breakfast (bread with oil and tomatoes, so popular in Catalonia, I have imported the habit and it now became my routine breakfast here too), we then got ourselves sorted and by 8am we were on the move.
There is no better way to start a day than with a good climb. We passed by the camping ghetto, the little lake and the cows and up we went on pastures until it levelled out and we entered the wooded section. Getting lost was easy as the signs were scarce and there was nobody around, but thanks to the GPS we got back on route.
There were only cows wandering around and occasionally blocking the path. We never saw a farmer, or a farm, and wondered who would milk, or even find them, maybe they should come up with the “find my cow” app... We had to find alternative ways, usually quite rough, to bypass the cow, but ultimately we emerged out of the wood and started to see where we were going (up for a change...).
We reached a river and the unmanned Refugi Engorgs. It felt like heaven, gosh I missed the mountains! The sky was blue and the sun out but with the wind and the altitude it was a pleasure to walk up there. Up it went again, passing by rocky landscapes and 2 small lakes. From there it was the final push to reach the Portella d'Engorgs at 2580m. We had a contemplative stop, panoramic smoke and ate the magdalenas we got at breakfast which never tasted so good.
We went trough the pass and headed down on grassy pastures, following cairns instead of the random signs. The grassy pasture soon turned into a steep and rocky descent (oh GR11!). This means that we dropped elevation very quickly and soon reached the river down the valley where we found the best lunch spot ever. The location was idyllic and we devoured the delicious sandwiches provided by the Refugi in the morning (omelette + cheese + tomato).
Reluctantly we crossed the
river Riu d'Engait and got at the junction. The GR11 would take you
to the Coll de Vall Civera at 2550m and then to Refugi d'Illa. Our
very useful GR11 book guide, written in 2008, said that that Refugi
was unmanned and those with no tent should either walk all the way to
Encamp (29km, of which the final 15km all descent), or follow the
variant and stay at Refugi Cap del Rec. We knew by experience how
rocky and slow the GR11 can get and decided to play it safe by doing
the variant. We later found out that Refugi Cap del Rec was the one
where Kilian grew up so that it was a bit like going to a temple, and
we got a room for ourselves instead of the dorm and bunk bed!
It was a long descent on a landrover track with nobody around. We had plenty of time to kill as the check in was at 5pm and took it very easy. We were planning to follow the track all the way down to Vilella, where we were hoping there would be a bar to get some cold drinks, and then up to the Refugi, but before reaching the hamlet we saw a sign pointing to the refugi and decided to follow it instead. It was a tiny and vertical path up a forest which made us gain elevation very fast. I quite enjoyed it, and we also found plenty of raspberries and strawberries, best dessert ever! We met nobody but it looked like a place where wildlife should thrive (we spotted many pine martin scats, but as usual the sneaky little f...r was nowhere to be seen, will I ever see one??)
We reached a plateau and then went down for a bit and the last few kilometres were on a wide landrover track used for cross country skiing in winter. At 3.15pm we reached the Refugi which was most like a hotel and got our well deserved lemonades, and maybe even an ice cream and cake. They let us check in ahead of time and started the usual routine, and then out of the blue it started pouring down...perfect timing!
The 2 Catalan ladies that we met the previous night (who were camping therefore having a big rucksack), were following the original route and we were thinking of them as they probably got it on route...we hoped they were fine.
Dinner as usual was late for British time, at 8pm. By 4pm we were already starving but it was worth the wait as we got our chickpea soup and an omelette (eggs eaten so far = 22). The sky looked a bit unstable but the forecasts for next day were good so that we went to sleep with a light heart.
Day 3 – Refugi Cap del Rec to Encamp (Andorra) – 25km / 1000m up
24 September 2021
(The pictures here are in reversed order, can't figure out why and can't be bothered to upload them again).
Day 3 was a bit of a disappointment. It stared when I opened the curtains at 7.15am...low clouds all around :( Breakfast was a t 8am and was a bit poor, but then we were not at risk of starving and at least they didn't give us eggs! We ate in 10 min and went to get sorted, we said goobye to our cubicle, grabbed the sandwiches and off we went skeptical with what the day and the weather would bring. I only brought one fleece to save on space and couldn't afford wearing it as it was meant for the evenings. It was not too cold but then we were above 2000m and felt chilly in t-shirt for the first time since we arrived. One is never happy!
The first 7 km were on a wide unpaved road on the flat side, we didn't get our feet wet on the grass but it felt a bit boring (we couldn't see much either apart from black clouds on the mountains we were heading to). Luckily we got entertained by a cute and jumpy red squirrel who was showing off his acrobatic skills jumping from one tree to another.
Finally the road got to an end and we started climbing on a path in green pastures, which was great as I was finally starting to warm up again. We reached the very small and basic Rifugi dels Estanys de la Pera at 2335m which was absolutely empty. We felt obliged to get a cake and coffee.
The break worked perfectly, and by the time we got out the sky was clearing and we felt on sugar high. Energies and mood uplifted up we went for the final climb to Port de Perafita at 2570m, which was also our entry point to Andorra! It's always good to enter a country via some mountain pass!
We stopped for a few celebration pictures and then started a long, steep and exhausting descent. The first bit was not even that bad as it was on grassy slopes, making us lose almost 400m of elevation until we reached the unmanned Refugi de Perafita at 2200m. From there it was hell. The path basically went vertically down the valley and it was mostly made of huge boulders badly placed, like a vertical boulder field. I'm glad: a) it was not raining b) there were plenty of bushes of raspberries which provided plenty of stop opportunities. In 1h 10 min we lost 1100 meters, and the lower we went the hotter it became.
When we reached the bottom at Estremesagues it was 1.45pm, finally time for our bocadillo, and what a surprise! While Paul stack to cheese, I got the grilled aubergine and pepper one and it was a welcome and delicious change to omelettes. While eating we saw a family heading up where we came down with ropes and harnesses...who can blame them!
My legs didn't want to respond, but when I promised them ice cream they started to collaborate. We pushed it to avoid the forecasted afternoon thunderstorm but by then we realised it wouldn't rain...actually a bit of rain in that heat would have been very welcome.
Up we went again on a stony path, but definitely of better quality that the one before. We had to bypass a couple of horses who were blocking the way and then entered a forest (and shade!) going up to Coll Jovell gaining another 400m. We finally started to meet people, which reminded me that I hate people... From there it was all down until we reached d'Estany d'Engolasters, a lake with some art exhibition on. The final bit was another steep descent in the woods and there we met again the 2 Catalan women. I originally understood that they would have walked all the way to Encamp in a day as they were not bringing food, but it turns out that Refugi d'Illa is indeed manned now and they stayed there! ...next time we should really get an update guide!
They were going a bit slow and told us to keep going our speed and we would meet in Encamp for a beer, pity that we haven't seen them again in the village as I would have loved it!
We were expecting a nice mountain village but Encamp looked a bit of a disappointment. The first question I asked at the tourist information office was where is the ice cream shop...there was none!!! (my legs were really not happy) And when we told the girl that we came hiking and had no car she looked at us implying we would not be able to go anywhere...that was not a good start, but after checking in the Hotel, with balcony on the 3rd floor which looked at the mountains, and after a nice shower, everything looked brighter and we started planning the 3 days off in Encamp.
At the bottom of the looooong descent |
Entering Andorra! |
Day 4 / 5 /6 – Walks around Encamp
25 / 26 / 27 September 2021
Andorra La Vella
We took day 1 off to let legs and shoulders recover. We found out that there were many buses connecting the villages in Andorra and decided to spend the day visiting Andorra la Vella. That was a bit of a shock as the main street was all shops and banks and packed with people, but, there was an ice cream shop! We spent the day strolling around like if we were in an airport terminal, went to the old town, spent a couple of hours playing the lizard in the park, finally got our ice cream, at which stage it started raining so that we retreated and just chilled out in the room.
Totally an essential in any hiking trips |
In case you wonder which kind of people go to Andorra... |
Mirador Pessons- 19km / 1000m up
Back to the mountains! One day in a city reminded us why we did this trip... We went on the Funicab, which only costed €11 return ticket, and is one of the longest in Europe, it would have been stupid not to get it! In 20 min we were up at 2508m and it was a glorious day, no clouds around, just blazing sunshine! As soon as we got off the cable car we saw a merlin standing on top of a pole, probably thinking “This is a damn good territory I have, I have done pretty well in life”. Marmots abounded too, like they were everywhere and they were not even that bothered by us!
We started off on a deserted path (all the others got the bus to the Pessons restaurant). When we got to the circular walk of the lakes it got packed with people as there was a car park there. The views were pretty indeed, but with all those people it made it lose its appeal... We overtook many, but many more were always ahead.
Where we got on the northern point of the route we saw a sign pointing to Mirador Pessons, 45” . After doing some math we realised we could make it there, and in 45” exactly we got there drenched in sweat at 2776m. I'm so glad we did this! The last bit was a bit sketchy but the views were great showing a 360 degrees landscape of high mountains. And we finally had space to breath as nobody else followed us.
We didn't linger long as we felt the pressure of time. We retraced our steps to the junction, kept going on the circular route and shortly after we stopped for lunch by one of the 15 lakes. We put our feet in the cold water and that felt great! Lunch was bread and avocado. The avocado was really tasty, but the bread in Andorra super dry, and being bought the day before was even drier...Still, hunger is the best sauce!
The way back was known, we knew we would make it back by a large margin so that we stopped for an apple break and sat on the sky lift, that was really priceless!
Walk in the woods - 19km / 700m up
Today we were planning another day in the high mountains and took a bus to L'Aldosa. We were dropped on the main road that goes to France with fast and heavy traffic. We would have had to walk on that twisty road for only a few hundred meters, but the traffic really put us off...a nice path anybody?? We noticed that there was a path in the forest on our side of the road and it was a no brainer...wherever it goes we follow it! It turns out it would bring up back to Encamp, by the lake we walked when we arrived, on a nice path in the wood. Given the day before we got slightly burnt this sounded like the best way to spend the day. It was not demanding but just very relaxing.
We also got the chance to see the art exhibition by the lake (best one being “fast food” with a stolen Burger King sign, I wonder how much money they got for this piece of art).
Lunch was another dry bread with avocado on a bench in the forest, with some nice jazz music coming from a nearby bar as background, and a fresh breeze to cool us down a bit. The last bit down to town had a GR11 feel...steep, rock and scree, time to go back on route!
We realised we were ready to move on. I was not sure why we decided to spend 3 days in Encamp but after revising the plan I now remember...the next few days were not going to be easy!
Yes, we are fucked |
View from the Hotel room |
Day 7 – Encamp to Arinsal – 19km / 1900m up
28 September 2021
Back on the trail, and what a day it was. We spent most of it in the woods (...luckily as it was still sunny and boiling hot) going either up or down on very steep slopes, oh the GR11!
We had breakfast at 8am sharp and at 8.38am we were on the go, very keen on leaving Encamp behind. We knew it would be a long day and were glad to spend the first 600m climb to Coll d'Ordino in the shade of the morning. Gosh it was steep! By the time we got to the Coll number 1 we only covered 1km and were already tired. We met another guy (on the weird side) walking the GR11 and he was wearing long trousers while I'd have stripped naked. He was only going to Arnas and when we told him our destination he opened his eyes...maybe we are the weirdos after all!?
That was a massive ants nest |
On the top we crossed a road with many road cyclists, which reminded me of our cycle through the Alps...we really need to get back on the bikes and put together another good trip!
The descent was as steep as the ascent. We didn't go to Ordino but instead we wet up again to more woods. It was a pleasant walk altogether but not that scenic, we will get the views tomorrow!
At 1.40pm we reached the posh village of La Cortinada where we had our dry bocadillo with avocado. I still can't believe that the avocado made it there in 1 piece, and it was so tasty!! Arans was just a kilometre up the road, I'm glad we didn't stop there as there was really nothing. After that up we went again on yet another steep climb in the woods. It was supposed to be a 2h climb but in 1h we covered the 600m of ascent and rewarded ourselves with a huge apple.
Down we went again and my feet were really starting to feel it, but steep descent means that in 30” we were in town. There were a few people in this resort, and not sure why as nobody looked like hikers. I also thought that our hotel was the only one in town but it turns out it was packed with them, and it had 2 small supermarkets. Our room was the worse ever as it looked on the main street, like literally we were 2m away from it. For dinner we went to have beer and pizza, and if you (I mean me) can't finish a pizza after waking all day, it means that the pizza was awful!!
Day 8 – Arinsal to Areu – 24km / 1400m up
29 September 2021
Death...had I known in the morning what the day would be like I would have got on the bus! The GR11 stroke again, I was officially broken. It was a long climb, and an even longer descent.
We had breakfast at 8 sharp and left at 8.30am filled with optimism. The first bit out of town was on tarmac road (and a tunnel), then we got on a path where a few runners were overtaking us, and realised we have never been overtaken before, this sucks. But anyway, it was still nice and fresh in the morning and in 1h 30” we reached Refugi de Comapedrosa at 2260m. The sky was blue, the views were great and we were feeling good too. We also spotted a few vultures high up in the sky, which obviously know their business and don't hang around the GR11 path for no reason...We also met a British guy, the first in this trip, who was walking all the route from the other direction and it was at his day number 28, we told him he had the GR11 look, still not sure if this is a compliment or something to be worried about...
After the Refugi it levelled out a bit above a huge corrie, then it started climbing again, up up up. We couldn't see where the pass was and we were always guessing, until finally we got to a small lake surrounded by boulders and we could see it. There was a lot of boulder in the ascent that made the go slow, but then it was worth it as it did feel heaven, and we knew it would be our farewell to the mountains as the following days were on lower elevations. We finally reached the top at 2757 m and spent some time in contemplation, and also to get mentally ready for the other side... The vultures were still flying around.
On top of the Pass! | |
The first bit on the other side was a bit scary...steep and a lot of loose scree, then boulder, then more scree and boulder and so on. I'm so glad we got good weather that day as you really don't want to be up there in a storm! Slowly we got lower and out of the danger zone. It was 1pm and felt like we had to eat something so that we stopped at the unmanned Refugi de Baiau, which was packed with people (where did they get there from??) and had our last bocadillo with avocado. The break was so dry that it basically disintegrated itself at cutting it, but it went down well anyway.
Honest this doesn't give the idea of how bad it was! |
At 1.15pm we resumed the descent, which finally turned into a nicely graded path in grassy fields, with the cries of marmots, and cows and horses on their summer holidays. The fact that it was nicely graded, means that it was a long one, and it took us ages to get to the bottom.
The path ended at the Refugi de Valferrata at 1920m, from there we got on an unpaved road, 9km long, to Areu. But Areu was not even our original destination...when I was planning the trip I couldn't find any hotels there so that I booked one 5km down the road thinking “oh well, it's just 5km in 1h we will be there”. The thought of those 5km made me cry, but luckily we stopped at the bar/hotel in Areu and I humbly asked if they had a room by any chance and they did!! That made my day as I really had nothing left. My shoulders were crying and my legs were about to go on strike. The hotel was modern and really comfortable, the village was small, quiet and with some really old building which added a lot of charm to the place.
On the downside there was no shop and dinner was at 9pm, as per Catalan standards, but I was very happy to be vegetating for a few hours in the room.
The road where we were supposed to go down for 5km more (and back the day after) |
Day 9 – Areu to Tavascan – 16km / 1300m up
29 September 2021
The guide said that today would be easy, however the day after was another big one. We would have needed to go from Tavascan to La Guingueta, a long day and with the added challenge of time pressure to get the bus to La Pobla de Segur. The day started great as when I woke up Paul told me: there is a bus from Tavascan, we just need to call to book it. That was a no brainer, I honestly don't think we would have got there in time!
Relieved and slightly broken from the day before, we went down for a “cold breakfast”. The hotel would shut that day and the one after and so they left us all the breakfast on a table, and that was a lot! Probably the best one we had in the trip. Refilled and in great spirit we headed off for what the guide book described “an easy day”, thinking, oh, finally we don't need to rush today! Thing is, it was not really an easy day!!
We started with a 2h up climb to the Coll de Tudela at 2243m, gaining almost 1000m. It was mostly in the wood and not too bad in the morning chill, and where we arrived at the Coll it opened up in a wide pasture with brilliant views all around. Up there we got the signal and I called to book the bus, it sounded a bit dodgy but it seemed to work so that we were sorted for the day after!
After eating the last apple we stared the descent to a small hamlet called Boldís Sobirá, there was nothing there but it was cute. We stopped on the bench ready to enjoy the only flat bit in the GR11...which turned out to be the worst of it all! It was basically contouring a cliff, the path was badly eroded, tiny and occasionally they put ropes for safety, that was the GR11 kicking us out! We met absolutely not a soul all day (I wonder why) but the amount of butterflies in that stretch was absolutely insane, all colours and shapes and big quantities, obviously they found their place there as humans have never dared colonise it! Out of the danger zone we reached the point where the path would go down to the village, and celebrated by having our bocadillo of omelette and tomato, courtesy of Hotel Valferrera, but also feeling slightly sad that that was our last day in the mountains.
In 35” we reached Tavascan at 2.45pm and I felt like crying. We spotted there a sign with the route we had followed and the warning “very demanding”. Thank you. I wonder how many drugs the guy who wrote our guide book took that day. The village was tiny with just a few hotels. We checked in and got a room with a balcony from where we could check out the main street, like the only one. The main entertainment was provided by the hotel dog, a Pyrenees mountain dog, slightly overweight, who was wandering around with occasionally barks which were meant to inform everybody that he was the mayor and chief police of the village. He was really cute!
We made it! |
The GR11 look |
The perrito guapo, also the Mayor and chief police of town |
After multiple failed attempts aimed at removing the stench from all our clothes, we headed for a stroll around town, and discovered that there was no shop, but found plenty of wild blackcurrants. Dinner was late as usual but was worth the wait. There were a few hikers around, and we discovered that we were so closed to France, that even the French GR11 equivalent would pass through that village.
The rest – Getting back home via Pamplona / San Sebastian / 1 stage of the St James Walk /Bilbao and Santander
30 September 2021 to 05 October 2021
Pamplona, and getting to Pamplona
Given the change of plans, we had to improvise all day along. We spent most of it traveling and instead of ending the day in La Pobla we found ourselves in Pamplona.
Breakfast was at 7.30am and got a super fast one so to be ready at 8am outside the hotel where hopefully the bus would turn up. At 8am there was nobody, but eventually at 8.15am it turned up to our relief. It was a small van with the 2 of us, a woman, and 2 pensioners who were going down to the market in Sort. They had a good 40” gossip in their dialect and it was a very nice atmosphere there.
In Sort we went for a coffee and croissant, and a quick walk in this nice town, and then got on bus number 2 to La Pobla de Segur where we thought we would spend the night. We had a look, went to the info office to see what was to do there, and out of the post office we got on the train to Lleida... It didn't really feel we would have been up to much in that village! Lleida was even more depressing, so that we got the AVE train to Zaragoza which was going at 300km/h. Everything was super modern there and everybody dressed smartly so that we felt a bit out of place...and stinky really. We had already been in Zaragoza before, and were not too keen on spending a night there, so that we checked the map, found out that Pamplona was half way through to San Sebastian, and got a bus there. I'm so glad we did that as we had a very pleasant evening strolling around and enjoying the atmosphere. Everybody was out for a drink, food, or just a chat and it felt like what life should be like!
Will the bus really show up? |
In Sort, waiting for bus 2 |
Train to Lleida |
AVE to Zaragoza |
Finally in Pamplona! |
San Sebastian
We were planning to spend the morning in Pamplona but when we woke up it was pouring down with no mercy so we got on the bus to San Sebastian instead. It rained all over the trip, but once we got there it started to improve and by the afternoon it was very sunny and nice.
I like San Sebastian a lot as it reminds me of the Camino de Santiago times. We spent the day, and the day after just walking along the Concha, trying to go up San Telmo which was closed due to a regata (I thought that was in the sea?!), eating ice cream, getting our covid test ready, and just enjoying ourselves, finally it felt more like an holiday! Since I had 30” of spare time I even managed to get a hair cut, the first since the start of the covid nightmare.
The last evening we went for a delicious pizza and the downpour started again, time to move on again!
Camino de Santiago (San Sebastian to Zarautz) on foot, then Bilbao
It felt like we were getting a bit lazy so that to spice up things we walked the stage of the Camino de Santiago to Zarautz. It was good to be a pilgrim again, even if just for one day! In Zarautz we had a delicious ice cream and then rushed to the train station for the train to Bilbao, the one that stops at every village. Finally we made it there, checked in, and went out for a walk. Again everybody was out, it really felt good!
Bilbao
The day after we went to Getxo to visit Ara and Chris, 2 dear friends from the capoeira times who recently moved there. It was so good to see them again.
Santander
Finally, the last bit of the journey took us to Santander. We had a later afternoon flight so that we enjoyed a few hours walking along the sea, and we even found a vegan restaurant!!
All together it was another crazy, varied and packed full trip, with mountains, rendezvous with friends, buses and trains and good food (at times). It's a miracle we managed to get there in such weird times and this make us treasure it even more. Can't wait to get on the move again!
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