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About the Author

From bicycle touring to backpacking, watercolour painting to clay modelling, the exploration journal captures my journey through many different interests and travel adventures.

I love to find those out of the way places that whisk you away from the concerns of everyday life. Whether this is by wading through an overgrown river or trying new paint techniques is up to you!

Walking the GR10: Oloron-Sainte-Marie to Laruns

Walking the GR10: Oloron-Sainte-Marie to Laruns
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 offer lifts (for money). I then caught a bus for the final stretch into Oloron Saint Marie. The next few days were spent relaxing before catching the train higher up into the valley and to where we would join the GR10. We arrived early so I went on an afternoon walk with my brother Thomas to Bedous Waterfall.

When we got there we discovered that it was the wrong waterfall and the actual one was only accessible from the road on the other side of the river. So we paddled across lower down the river and walked up to the proper waterfall. The official one was unusual but I think the first waterfall was better.

The following day we joined the GR10 and began the 2100 meter climb to Col de Moines. There was a glimpse of Fort du Portalet, which was built to guard the border and access to the pass.

We then had to navigate a precipitous path carved into a cliff face, and avoided the climbers clambering over the overhang and up the cliff.

Roughly half way to the top we had a rest break surrounded by cows and sheep. They didn’t seem bothered at all by us. I think the shepherds milk the sheep and make cheese up in the mountains then take it into the valley. We passed a woman leading donkeys that appeared to be carrying baskets of cheese.

Then we reached the top! The view of Pic de Midi d’ossau was incredible. Especially with the snow still clinging to the peaks around us.

We couldn’t dawdle long as the day was getting late and we were feeling rather hungry. The first lake had a refuge nestled beside it and already had a few tents scattered around.

We decided to continue on and pitched by the second lake. I woke up to the sun rising behind the mountain.

The next day we started the descent down the valley. We went past a lot of waterfalls but the best one was at the top of the valley.

What we do next is undecided, the weather turned bad and clouds obscure all of the mountains. So we either wait for the weather to clear or go into the foothills and hope it is sunnier.

The backpacking trip so far:

  1. French Pyrenees – Up the Aspe Valley

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