Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
Pyrenees GR11 2003 - Day 25: September 2nd
Tuesday 2nd September
There were showers on and off all night, with cloud above and below in the morning. It
was raining most of the morning as a good path led me up to Coll de Lleret, 1830m and
then steeply down to the small village of Lleret at 1381m. The final descent down to
Aineto was down steep grass and slippery slabs. I slipped and fell on these slabs, landing
on my hip. This was my first and only fall, despite the difficult conditions. I am sure it
would have been a lot more without the walking poles.
Aineto and the much larger Tavascan are getting a new lease of life, with many of the
old buildings being refurbished for retirement or holiday homes. The authorities were in
the process of improving the road up to Tavascan and explosions could be heard as the
rocks were being blasted away to widen the road. I stopped at the deserted bar-
restaurante of one of the hotels for a sandwich and a beer. Trade was being disrupted by
the road widening, as the road was only open at certain times of day. Fortunately the
owner spoke some French. On a previous trip I had to drop out of the High Pyrenees to
Tavascan to find a Doctor as I had cut my foot and needed stitches. I was taken further
down the valley to a young doctor (female) and was surprised that she didn’t speak any
French or English. I had now reached the Catalan-speaking part of Spain and all the
people spoke Catalan and Spanish was their second language (Only spoken reluctantly).
There was now a steep climb up an ancient path through the woods, before traversing up
and down through the crags to another reviving village, Boldis Subira.
From here I followed a pista (This one was just a farm track) easily, through forest,
up to the Roc de Bataller and then onto the broad west ridge of Tudela. I camped at 1900m
on the ridge in the steady rain that I had been walking in all afternoon.
There were showers on and off all night, with cloud above and below in the morning. It
was raining most of the morning as a good path led me up to Coll de Lleret, 1830m and
then steeply down to the small village of Lleret at 1381m. The final descent down to
Aineto was down steep grass and slippery slabs. I slipped and fell on these slabs, landing
on my hip. This was my first and only fall, despite the difficult conditions. I am sure it
would have been a lot more without the walking poles.
Aineto and the much larger Tavascan are getting a new lease of life, with many of the
old buildings being refurbished for retirement or holiday homes. The authorities were in
the process of improving the road up to Tavascan and explosions could be heard as the
rocks were being blasted away to widen the road. I stopped at the deserted bar-
restaurante of one of the hotels for a sandwich and a beer. Trade was being disrupted by
the road widening, as the road was only open at certain times of day. Fortunately the
owner spoke some French. On a previous trip I had to drop out of the High Pyrenees to
Tavascan to find a Doctor as I had cut my foot and needed stitches. I was taken further
down the valley to a young doctor (female) and was surprised that she didn’t speak any
French or English. I had now reached the Catalan-speaking part of Spain and all the
people spoke Catalan and Spanish was their second language (Only spoken reluctantly).
There was now a steep climb up an ancient path through the woods, before traversing up
and down through the crags to another reviving village, Boldis Subira.
From here I followed a pista (This one was just a farm track) easily, through forest,
up to the Roc de Bataller and then onto the broad west ridge of Tudela. I camped at 1900m
on the ridge in the steady rain that I had been walking in all afternoon.
Vall de Cardos
Old bridge at Tavascan
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