Outdoor Adventures with Ancient Brit
Pyrenees GR11 2003 - Day 27: September 4th
Thursday 4th September
It was cloudy in the morning and I overslept and didn’t get away until after 9am.
There was an easy climb up rough pasture to the Refuge de Baiau, which I bypassed since
it was stuck up on a high knoll, presumably to be clear of avalanches in the winter and
spring. The weather was deteriorating fast as I started the climb up to the Portella de
Baiau, the border with Andorra. Much of the climb was up “legbreaker” boulderfields,
but for the final 100m the slope became much steeper, with smaller boulders and scree.
It was rather like climbing an unstable slagheap. As I lost the shelter of the ridge I was
hit by a biting SE wind carrying showers with it. The scenery was dramatic, but it is not a
good idea to hang around at an altitude of 2757m in these weather conditions, so I headed
down into Andorra. Fortunately the descent into from the col was much easier than the
ascent. It took me another hour to drop down to the Pla de Coma Pedrosa at 2255m. I
stopped here for my first break of the day after 4¾ hours of walking. I would have liked
to stop earlier but I wanted to get over the col in case the weather became even worse.
The paths in Andorra are generally better maintained and waymarked than in Spain
so I dropped easily down the steep valley to the ski resort of Arinsal. Above Arinsal a
10m high wall had been built completely across the valley to stop avalanches. Just above
the wall there were some apartment blocks, which had been badly damaged by an
avalanche, despite having their own avalanche wall. Arinsal was a rapidly growing ski
resort and the number of British and Irish pubs in the centre suggested they were mainly
catering for British tourists. I picked up some fruit juice, beer and chocolate-coated
croissants before heading up the very steep 500m climb, through mature woodland to the
Coll de les Cases. It was raining when I left Arinsal and still raining heavily when I
reached the Col at 7pm. Fortunately there was some flat grass enabling me to camp.
It was cloudy in the morning and I overslept and didn’t get away until after 9am.
There was an easy climb up rough pasture to the Refuge de Baiau, which I bypassed since
it was stuck up on a high knoll, presumably to be clear of avalanches in the winter and
spring. The weather was deteriorating fast as I started the climb up to the Portella de
Baiau, the border with Andorra. Much of the climb was up “legbreaker” boulderfields,
but for the final 100m the slope became much steeper, with smaller boulders and scree.
It was rather like climbing an unstable slagheap. As I lost the shelter of the ridge I was
hit by a biting SE wind carrying showers with it. The scenery was dramatic, but it is not a
good idea to hang around at an altitude of 2757m in these weather conditions, so I headed
down into Andorra. Fortunately the descent into from the col was much easier than the
ascent. It took me another hour to drop down to the Pla de Coma Pedrosa at 2255m. I
stopped here for my first break of the day after 4¾ hours of walking. I would have liked
to stop earlier but I wanted to get over the col in case the weather became even worse.
The paths in Andorra are generally better maintained and waymarked than in Spain
so I dropped easily down the steep valley to the ski resort of Arinsal. Above Arinsal a
10m high wall had been built completely across the valley to stop avalanches. Just above
the wall there were some apartment blocks, which had been badly damaged by an
avalanche, despite having their own avalanche wall. Arinsal was a rapidly growing ski
resort and the number of British and Irish pubs in the centre suggested they were mainly
catering for British tourists. I picked up some fruit juice, beer and chocolate-coated
croissants before heading up the very steep 500m climb, through mature woodland to the
Coll de les Cases. It was raining when I left Arinsal and still raining heavily when I
reached the Col at 7pm. Fortunately there was some flat grass enabling me to camp.
Trail above Pla d'Arcalis
Pic de Sanfonts from
Portella de Baiau
Portella de Baiau
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