Travel Home

We were up at 06:30 and after a quick breakfast of cereal and packing the last items into the car we were away just before 07:00. After passing Aspet we saw the most glorious sunrise over the distant mountains so we stopped at the side of the road for a few minutes to take some photos.

Only stopping twice to top up with fuel and eat snacks, we arrived in Santander on the Northern coast of Spain just before 13:00, which as perfect for the 15:00 ferry. The weather was certainly turning as we had periods of rain on the journey and as we queued up to board the ferry.
After a good night's sleep, we were up for breakfast at 08:30 and after docking at Plymouth, headed for home back in Derbyshire.

Walk via Herran

Although Karen and I had planned yesterday on a final caving trip in Gouffre Raymonde and we had all the ropes, etc. ready and packed last night. Today was supposed to be the last day of fine weather and since my wrist was hurting a bit after slipping over while on yesterday's trip, it seemed that it would be a good day to spend our final full day in the Pyrenees by going for another walk.
Elaine was also doing another local walk. Boyd, Steve and Phil were to drive around to walk on Pic de Cagire. Paul, Waggy and Pete Collins were planning on a trip in the Gouffre du Pont de Gerbaut. Keith wanted to walk along the ridge above us, again to take advantage of the fine weather.
Keith joined us as Karen and I drove up to the Fontaine de l'Ours car park where we left my car. Keith set off to follow the beginning of the route Karen and I did the other day, following up the rough track past the Trou Mile and onward past the Cabane. We walked back up the descent route we had used previously, setting off at 10:30 so that we would reach the ridge further along rather than repeat the same walk.
It was a pleasant walk up through the woods with just a very short section of zigzagging, though quite warm. We soon reached the top of the ridge and first had a look around for any roaming Pyrenean Mountain Dogs as we were close to where we had met one the other day. luckily there was no sign of any!
We continued along the ridge covering the part we hadn't been on before, still following red and yellow painted stripes on trees and rocks. The views across to the main Pyrenean chain were as good as the other day as we reached the high point at Sommet de Cournudère (1561 metres). Walking down the other side, still continuing along the ridge, we heard loud "Woof! Woof! Woof!". Obviously Keith had reached the Pyrenean Mountain Dog's lair further back along the ridge!
The path now started to drop down through woods and at around Noon we sat on the ground and had flapjack and drinks. After 15 minutes or so we started off again down the path and not long afterwards Keith appeared coming down behind us.
The three of us continued following the path as it wended its way down to the nearby picturesque village of Herran. Following the road for a kilometre or so brought us back to the gite at Labaderque for about 14: 30 where we met Elaine reading a book in the sun.
After a rest and a tea, we all walked back up the 2.7 miles to the car park to collect the car.
After dinner Karen and I started getting everything packed away ready for the journey home tomorrow after a final session of feeding carrots not only to the two donkeys but also to two black horses next door.
We were booked on tomorrow's ferry from Santander while the others were leaving the next day.

Return to Grotte de Goueil dy Her

Another lovely sunny day - cool in the shade but warm in the sun. Keith, Pete, Waggy, Steve and myself drove in Pete's car to Mané for another supermarket trip and Boyd plus Elaine took a trip to the Spanish side of the Pyrenees.
Afterwards there was a degree of faffing then we managed to head off down the road towards Arbas to have a trip into the Grotte du Goueil dy Her. A second go for Karen and myself.
Keith, Karen, Pete, Steve, Paul, Waggy, Phil and myself drove down to park at the car park and while we were getting changed, Karen realised she had left her helmet and light behind. So, the two of us returned in my car to the gite to collect it while wearing our furry suits.
When we returned, Waggy and Phil were still looking for the others and the cave as they had followed the main stream upstream as Karen and I had done last week.
We directed them to the cave entrance and then walked over ourselves to find everyone waiting at the entrance as they had heard Waggy shouting.
We all headed in and after the rest had dropped down the initial climb using the in-situ handline, Karen and I rigged a 10 metre rope and we abseiled down.
We caught the others up at the 5 metre climb where Karen and I had turned around last week. Paul and Keith were already at the top and I chucked up the end of a 15 metre rope which I had brought so that Keith could tie it to the natural thread which was at the top of the climb which we hadn't spotted on our last visit. The rest of us climbed up the slippery climb with assistance from the rope.
Soon we were at a sloping ramp of more slippery limestone. I was last as I had retrieved the 15 metre rope in case it was needed again. To speed my clamber up the slippery ramp, I again chucked up the rope and Waggy belayed it while I used the rope for assistance.
From the top of the slab there was a second slab with less holds than the first leading down at around 59 degrees and about 3 or 4 metres long. This was where Karen ahad turned back on our previous trip. Waggy held the rope around a low bollard of rock while I slid down the slab holding onto the rope. Waggy then slid down the slab as I waited to field him of he shot past. Luckily he didn't!
We joined the others a short distance down the passage to hear bad news: the sump was up! Arse!
We knew there was a sump bypass but the guide book description had mentioned that it was tight and by previous experience, when the guide book said tight, it was very tight! Paul was climbing up the 5 metre climb using the in-situ rope and even though Karen had checked on the sump, I walked down the muddy slope following the wire cable which was laid leading to it, just in case it was only a duck as water levels seemed to be low everywhere else we had been. I reached a low rock arch with quite a lot of air space, past this was a round, deep pool of water with the guide wire re-belayed to a boulder, then disappeared about 80° to the left and down into deeper water: definitely no way on. I even traversed along the side of the pool to get a better look getting soaked in the process, but no luck. Double Arse!!
Returning to the others, I found that Keith had tried the sump bypass and on reaching the top of the rope there was a tight ascending tube which was difficult to progress through especially wearing SRT kit.
Damn. This meant some of us of larger girth had no chance.
We waited a while and Pete Collins had a go. By now Waggy had joined Paul as he had the 20 metre rope for the pitch down beyond the sump and they had lowered some rope down the tight ascending tube to assist progress. Pete made it through. Soon Phil had a go and he too, was successful.
Once we were sure that Phil was going on with the others, Keith, Karen, Steve and I headed out.
At the bottom of the second slope on the way in I had spotted a low passage heading back on the left, looking back. Waggy had checked it on the way in and found it was a bypass for the slippery slabs. I told the others about this and they headed that way. Karen didn't like the look of the climb down at the end of the bypass so we returned to the upward slab and I again chucked up the rope to Keith who had climbed down at the bypass and clambered up the slab on the other side. He fed it through a nearby rope sling and gave me and Karen a doubled assisted handline as we clambered up the slab.
Karen then clambered down the second slab. I thought I might as well make use of the rope as we had it there and Keith body-belayed me as I clambered down while sitting down. Soon I found it was a lot easier to descend than it looked as there were some footholds but also a wall on the left and a rocky fin on the right so that you could brace yourself using these with your arms and hands. So I stopped and unclipped the rope while Keith slid it down to me and I quickly clambered down the remaining length of the slab.
We were soon back at the slippery climb which had stopped us on the first trip so I re-attached the rope and quickly abseiled down the drop followed by the other three.
We clambered up the initial climb near the entrance and were soon back in the warm air outside. We washed off some mud from our caving gear in a pool in the stream and then returned to the cars after nearly two hours underground. We had gone in just after midday and were back at the cars just after 14:00.
Karen and I got changed but Keith's and Steve's clothes were still locked in two other cars. We sat around in the car park until 16:30 then I drove back to the gite with Karen with Steve and Keith in the back of my car. We had a snack and brew while sitting outside. Meanwhile, Boyd and Elaine arrived back at nearly 18:00 with still no sign of the others.
A little while later I spotted something hanging from beneath the verandah above us: it was a bat! There ensued a mass photography session as we stood on a chair taking photos of the bat and while we were doing that, at 18:45, the others arrived back from the cave. It had been a longer and slower trip than we thought!

Karen, Steve and Keith wait while others attempt the sump bypass 

Feature on cave wall 

 Phil at top of climb to the sump bypass

 Steve washes mud off his oversuit as Keith supervises

Waiting for the others...

A solitary sheep which appeared out of nowhere on its way to somewhere...

The bat

Walk Along Ridge above Coune Hiournède

After breakfast the others faffed getting rope, etc. ready for an exchange trip between the Gouffre des Pyrénois and Grotte de Pènne Blanque. In the end they decided that all would go to the entrance of the Gouffre d. P. so that those exiting there could find their way back to the cars, then some would head for the Grotte d. P. B., including Boyd who had already been to that entrance.
After they left, Karen and I drove the few kilometres to the nearby village of Arbas to see if we could buy some fresh bread but the shop was closed. We then tried the town of Aspet as we had passed a boulangerie there before and maybe also get some more carrots for the donkeys. We managed to get the bread at the boulangerie but the "Casino" supermarket doesn't open on Mondays!
So we had a wander around Aspet the returned to the gite for lunch.
After lunch we drove up to the Fontaine de L'Ours car park and followed the rough track leading past Trou Mile, etc. which led to open pasture with the Poque Pi Cabane (hut). We stopped beside the hut for a rest while a Pyrenean Mountain Dog kept an eye on us while he lay in the shade beside the hut. Steve White and Pete Wagstaff had a close encounter with one of these dogs while out walking a few days ago. They are trained to guard flocks of sheep and do their job very well!
There as a young horse among the sheep on the hillside opposite and it seemed to be lost as it kept neighing and followed us for a bit. We spotted another three horses of the same age on the crest of the ridge above and presumed the lost horse was looking for them.
We followed the marked footpath up to the crest of the ridge by the Tuc de Harrades then followed the waymarked route along the crest of the ridge watching several large birds of prey gliding long the valley beside us, in pairs.
In the distance to the South and South-West and South-East were mountain after mountain of the Pyrenees, a beautiful view.
When we reached the top of the Pas de l'Ane we could see several large Gryphon Vultures perched on the summit of the nearby hill of Tuc de Tucol. We took several photos of the Gryphon Vultures about 150 metres away, then as we got nearer they took off, including many we couldn't see on the other side of the small summit. Karen counted 28 Gryphon Vultures altogether as they soared around us about 40 metres above.
We dropped down the small Pas de l'Ane then up the other side walking over the area where the Vultures had been perched then started down the other side watching out for the path which leads down back to the car park.
In the trees ahead we could see a rough shelter and when we were about 50 metres away a Pyrenean Mountain Dog appeared and started towards us barking loudly. We skirted below where the dog was keeping about 50 metres away. Luckily, although the dog continued barking until we were out of site, it came no nearer. This turned out to be the animal Steve and Pete had encountered the other day!
We had seen the sign for the footpath we needed and headed for that. When we got there, there ere some sheep nearby so we didn't hang around in case the dog arrived!
After this we followed the path as it wended and zigzagged its way down through deciduous woods until we arrived back at the track to the car park, about 60 metres from the car.
An excellent walk with lovely views - Pyrenean Mountain Dogs notwithstanding.
Poor old Elaine had set off earlier to do much the same walk and found most of the ridge enveloped in low cloud and mist. Luckily it had all cleared when Karen and I arrived.

Pic du Midi de Bigorre

Karen and I were up at 06:50 to join Pete and Keith on a trip to the Pic du Midi de Bigorre. As we were getting dressed there were a group of local men in cars and pick-up trucks outside getting ready for a day of hunting as the season was just starting.
We drove for about 85 miles, taking an hour and a half, mostly on motorway, to a ski resort nearly at the col below the peak with a cabin-type teleferique costing €30, going up to the summit in two stages.
Luckily even though it was overcast until we arrived at the resort, there and of course the rest of the peak was in bright sunshine. There were stunning views of the surrounding mountains with the cloud lower down in the valleys. The summit has several telescope domes as it is a site of Astronomical importance and also a large French TV transmitter aerial.
After a look around the summit area, which was covered with the astronomical installations, we went in search of something to eat as it was around midday and we were getting hungry after an early breakfast but the restaurant wasn't yet open. One of the old telescope domes was converted into an astronomical exhibition, so we had a wander around that for a while.
Soon hunger got the better of us and we waited 10 minutes for the next teleferique back down. We returned to the car park to find a man feeding three of the local wild donkeys with bread from the back of his car. We found a pizzeria open (most things were closed until the ski season) and had pizzas for lunch sitting outside.
Afterwards we drove back via minor roads to take in several cols, This route was also about 85 miles, but obviously slower, according to Boyd who had done the trip the other day. In the end it was a bit longer than planned as the navigator (Keith) fell asleep while navigating! It didn't help that I had a headache and rumbling guts plus the interminable hairpin bends.
Anyway, we arrived back at the gite at around 17:40 to find the cavers had just returned from their trip in the Trou des Heretiques (Boyd, Waggy, Paul, Phil and Steve).
After a sit down and a mug of tea I felt much better (maybe it was due to dehydration) and spent two hours trying to convince Paul Thorne that his GPS (given to him by Trish as it had a dodgy switch - which he fixed) would not work with the cave locations given using the Lambert co-ordinates. Eventually he realised that you had to find the cave entrance on the 1:5000 map (which had GPS-incompatibe Lambert co-ordinates), then locate it on the 1:25,000 ( which had appropriate co-ordinates for the GPS) and enter these co-ordinates in the GPS. Once he and Boyd had done this for the gite and it agreed, they realised I was right.
Paul then entered the co-ordinates for Gouffre des Pyrénois (or “Goofree days pirinoise” as they pronounced it!) and then walked up and down the car park to find that the GPS gave the correct bearing and distance, they were happy.
It would have been quicker to just do what I had said two hours before...
Later in the evening we heard strange animal noises coming from the wooded area on the ridge opposite. There were various guesses on the origins of the noises including wild boar, but as we had heard this before back in the UK, Karen and I knew that it was rutting stags.

 Pete gets a signal on his mobile phone!

 Karen and Pete take a break

Poring over maps looking for cave locations and the vagaries of using a GPS with French maps!