Pyrenean Odyssey - part 3

Having now returned to Blighty , I've relieved some of the depression by writting up the remaining accounts of out trip but it's turned out to be quite a tome, so I am staggering its publication, Harry Potter style to allow everyone to recover from each breathtaking instalment and to prolong the excitement :-)

BTW: apologies for the general lack of pictures, our small camera was being temperamental and I had my iphone, which I was using instead, nicked ! There are more towards the end of the trip so I'll probably post them via vimeo or similar ...watch this space.

So, on with the Odyssey (now spelt correctly for the eagle eyed) ...

Arieges - Tarascon & Foix, Quie de Sinsat:

In need of a climbing fix, we found a lovely campsite near Tarascon but in the country close to the well known climbing area called 'Le Quie de Sinsat' and claimed a huge pitch right by the river.

The climbing turned out to be a pleasant mountain bike + short walk away up the river, total time about 20mins. This is limestone climbing again, well bolted (although in the usual french style a bit economical at times) and well signed with a good mix of grades - plenty to keep us out of mischief for a couple of days - the highlight for me being a 30m single pitch classic on the 'grande dalle' (slab) with a 6a 'direct' option high up, which I took and successfully negotiated. There were also a number of longer climbs, but with a 60m rope these were out of bounds; based on my experiences this trip, I'd definitely recommend a 70m rope to get the best out of the climbing on these big crags.

After a day enjoying Foix and checking out property prices, we spent a night in a local english run Gite by the well known climbing area of Calames (check out Base Calames on the web), intending to spend a full day there armed with some local knowledge from our hosts. Alas, we had one of the very few weather let downs of the trip, waking to a morning of low cloud and drizzle. Following a re-stock of provisions, we prepared to move on but with improving weather, managed to sneak in a quick stop at Auzat, another major climbing venue but this time on granite which came as a nice change after two weeks of limestone !

Arieges - Mont Valier:

Now in need of more mountain days, we stopped in a small village called Bonac, in the heart of the Ariege Pyrenees, which had a cool 'camping car' halt right by the river, an open area with about 10 pitches and electricity, water and drainage facilities but nothing else.  We had to pay at the local Auberge, so stayed and had a basic but enjoyable meal and a couple of beers.  The following morning with the cloud still low we drove a few km to La Maison du Valier at the road head of the Riberot valley and put in a long day doing a GR route up Mont Valier, returning by one of the 'Chemins de la liberte' - these are tracks used by escaping prisoners and other refugees in WW II to escape the Nazis, by crossing the mountains into Spain.  The 'chemin' was steep but ok in Summer with good gear, but in Winter without any special clothing or equipment it must have been an epic !   Unfortunately, most of the route was done in cloud so the views weren't often visible (though the nav practice was good !) but we did see the impressive Cascade de Neroch and have a period of sun for our pit stop at the Lac Rond.

Despite a long day in the mountains, I was under orders to find a campsite with a shower so we hot footed it to Castillon-en-Couserans where by sheer luck we found a good municipal site with excellent facilities and cheap - result !