This is the second part to walking the GR50 through Peneda Gerês National Park in Portugal. Read about the first section here – GR50 – Tourem to Xertelo After camping in the gorse around Sete Lagoas we started the walk back to rejoin the GR50, this time following the more popular route that meandered relatively flat along the top of …
We started walking the GR50 in Peneda Gerês National Park about four days ago and spotted a footpath sign reading PR9 just after Xertelo. We fancied an adventure and so decided to follow it through a gorge-like valley and camp somewhere along the river near ‘Trilho Sete Lagoas’. Camping somewhere was a priority immediately after starting the route as it …
In my Summer Update I talked about the plan to fly to Portugal and walk the GR50 through Peneda Gerês National Park. It required some careful planning to understand the Covid restrictions, tests to enter Portugal and test to enter the UK again, but also what the route looks like, which was by far the most interesting! The original plan …
The South West Coast Path is England’s longest way-marked long distance footpath, hugging the coastline for 630 miles and meandering through some of the best views England has to offer. Walkable from either direction, it starts at Minehead in Somerset and goes through Devon and Cornwall, concluding at Poole Harbour in Dorset. The route includes the moorland of Exmoor, the …
We started at Eylie in the Biros Valley for our second wild camping walk in the Pyrenees. The day before consisted of close monitoring of the weather forecast to ensure that it was worth while climbing up into the mountains. The next day was forecast drizzle but the day after it said “a glorious sunny day”. We decided it was …
As well as the two wild camping trips higher in the Pyrenees mountains, we also had five or so day walks to recover and shelter from bad weather. The weather this year was unusually bad compared to what we normally have over the summer. Walk 1 – Precipitous Backpacking Walk 2 – Into the Spanish Pyrenees Castillon-en-Couserans The weather was …
The first stage of my Pyrenees hiking trip was to get from England to France, and then into the mountains. I landed in Toulouse at 21.30 and spent the night at a hotel close to the airport. The next day we went to collect the hire car which my dad and I would share driving. The process went smoothly until …
Walking to the top of the world Vignemale and d’Ossoue Glacier The Vignemale Massif section of the walk was incredibly beautiful but also incredibly steep! We started in Cauterets, a tourist hotspot known for its spas and skiing. We joined the tourist crowd for an hour in the morning, whilst they looked at cheese shops and novelty stores, I was …
A slight detour due to misfortune After walking up the Aspe valley and over Col du Moine in my last post, we dropped down into the valley to shelter from thunderstorms. The tops of the mountains were quickly shrouded in cloud and so we thought it would be a good opportunity to buy some fresh food and relax. The following …
Up the Aspe Valley The holiday started with flying from Bristol to Toulouse on the 21st June. I arrived to find in typical French fashion that the train service up into the Pyrenees was on strike. The issue was quickly resolved by booking a lift on Blablacar. Blablacar is an app that let’s people advertise where they’re driving to and …