Big weather here in Haute Pyrenees so it must be blog time !
Where was I ? Oh yes, Font Romeu ...
FR is a winter ski resort and -whilst not as bad as some - feels like one ! It does have plenty to offer in the summer but in that very commercialised way of ski resorts and that extended to our campsite "Huttopia" a kind of center parcs with a campsite bolted on - excellent facilities but camping area clearly not designed by campers ! After a day cycling round and relaxing in coffee shops we headed up for our first mtn day - a col and peaks straddling the border via the beautiful vallee d'Eyne renowned for its flora & fauna, the col being the Col d'Eina and the peaks of Eina (2786) & Nuria (2794). The walk lives up to expectations as it wends its way gently up the valley through trees and alpine meadows awash with beautiful flowers and butterflies, bell laden cows, stunning views of the slopes above andbest of all, red squirrels. Eventually we arrived at a high valley above the tree line and from here on it resembled the plateaus of snowdonia more than the alps, rolling sparsely grassed slopes with little crags and steep streams. a shortish, steep section eased by the zig zags that characterise European hikes, brought us to the col and the border, where we indulged in the standard pastime of straddling the border to be half in France and half in Spain :-) a couple of quick jaunts to either side bagged the peaks, ensuring full satisfaction and a +1000m height day. Views from the top were a bit of a disappointment mainly because the ridge seemed to be a weather boundary with thick low cloud on the spanish side. We lingered more on the descent to fully appreciate the surroundings and sit by the mountain pools eating the remains of lunch. Overall a superb day, quite long at 22k, 7.5 hrs and 1100m ht gain, but never too strenuous and, after the first hour, quiet as well.
The following day involved domestic chores in the morning and travel to Sinsat in the Ariege for, hopefully some more climbing ...
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