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.

The Tebay Lad and the Geordie Lass etc. Last Bit.

 Up early and D decides with one more col, and the Parc landrover taxis at the Estany de Sant Maurici, we might as well head that way.

 Lac Obago.

 Sitting in the sun on the Port de Ratera des Colomers. (2572m)

 Down the GR11 past the Estany del Port de Ratera.

Estany de les Obagues de Ratera.

The Encantats across the valley.

We arrived back in Espot and the car which was covered in a layer of dust from the car park.
Dawne kept off her foot for the rest of the holiday and was in pain. We caught the train from Toulouse at  0930hrs and were in Carlisle for 22:30 hrs.  A trip to casualty and one Xray later revealed a clean break in her foot.  Bandaged up for 8 weeks.  Geordie lasses are tough.

The Tebay Lad and Geordie Lass backpack in the Parc National D' Aiguestortes I Estany De Saint Maurici, Part1

We travelled by Eurostar to Paris and then TGV to Toulouse.  In theory 13 hours from Carlisle.  A lack of research on my part saw us missing the Toulouse train by 5  mins and having to get a later train.

After a night camping in Espot we took the hair-raising Landrover taxi to the Refugi JM Blanc by the Estany Tort. We have been to the Pyrenees at least 5 times but always to the granite peaks such as Carlit and Andorra.  This area is no exception being white granite.  There are dozens of lakes , often with white granite sandy beaches and best of all no midges.

The track (GR11-20) led on past the Estany Negre.

The track continued to the col in the middle distance.

After a short first day we pitched up at 2500m over looking Estany del Cap del Port.  The cloud had built up, but luckily it stayed fine.

Next morning we followed the track around the lake and over the Collada de Saburo (2689m).

The Geordie Lass breaks free of the boulder field below the Collada de Saburo. There is a path down there somewhere.

After passing two more lakes, there are too many to mention, we rounded the Estany de Colomina and headed for the refuge.

We bought lunch in the refuge and settled down for a rest in the heat of the day.