Sunday 31 August 2014

Backpacking in and out of the Aiguestortes




We caught the ferry from Plymouth to Santander on the day the remnants of hurricane Bertha passed through.  So we were quite relieved to get in the car and drive  via Vielha to Espot in the Aiguestortes National Park.  The day we arrived a thunder storm was due so we booked into a hotel for the night to sit it out.  Catalan soup is to be recommended as it arrives in an urn,  the only downside is the bits of cheek and funny looking bones in the bottom.


The next day we got the 4 wheel drive taxi to the Estany de Sant Maurici in  the National park and headed up the Monestero valley for the Coll  de Peguera.


No crumbly schisty rocks here, it's all granite.


We stopped at the head of the Estany de Monestero for refreshment.  Ailsa and James were looking forwards to trying their Wilko alcohol stove in their superb home made pan support / wind shield.


We then headed on up towards the coll to the left of the pointy peak.




James as usual was at the front, and started up the boulder field into the top corrie.




Dawne and Ailsa on the climb to the Coll de Peguera 2715m.

We descended the other side to Estanys de Saburo d' Amunt and pitched the tents at about 2600m.


Ailsa and James cooking tea.


The rules are no camping in the National Park so our strategy was to walk through the park and climb a col at the end of the day to camp just outside.  I guess a stealth camp late at night in such a vast landscape would go unnoticed.