Sunday 9 September 2012

Two mountain walks



We have recently done another couple of very scenic walks in the Pyrenees. 


Yesterday we drove up the Aston Valley as far as you can go to the Pla de las Peyres  and walked up to the Etangs de Fontargente. It was a long drive which is not tarmaced for a large section at the end, but it was well worth it to get to this more remote area of the mountains. We went with friend Jean Paul  -  it was good to have a guide who knows the mountain well. The climb took just under 2 hours and wasn't difficult. The lakes were absolutely beautiful - even on a slightly overcast day. The water was incredibly clear and it was very peaceful up there. We spent a couple of hours having a picnic and exploring around the lakes before returning to the car - with thunder rumbling behind us and one or two heavy showers of rain!!

The previous Saturday, Dave was in England for the weekend so I went up to the Soulcem valley where we have been before, again with Jean Paul as my guide. This was a bitterly cold but very sunny day which made for very clear conditions. We again climbed up to a couple of lakes, which was well worth it, but the clamber back down on a very rocky track made for very wobbly knees!!

Photos of both walks can be seen here
https://plus.google.com/photos/106845264213097004579https://plus.google.com/photos/106845264213097004579/albums#photos/106845264213097004579/albums/5786127077518633793#