Een leuk, zeer leesbaar en goed gestructureerd boekje is:
The GR10 Trail (Coast to Coast through the French Pyrenees)
Author: Paul Lucia; Cover: Paperback - PVC; 1st Edition
ISBN_13 9781852843649
zie: http://www.cicerone.co.uk
Voor de topo's, met fragmenten uit IGN-kaarten:
http://www.ffrandonnee.fr/topos/topoGuidesClassiques.aspx
Ter voorbereiding is nuttig:
Voor overnachtingen is een absolute must (het gaat NIET alleen om hotels):
http://www.gaf.tm.fr/nl/frankrijk/hotel.php
http://top.tourisme.free.fr/S1028/refuges-D73-V30527.php
En gloednieuw is:
http://www.gite-etape.com/RechercheGite.php3?topic=GeGr&FGGRS=GR10
De volgende site was de eerste die we uitgebreid gebruikten. Hij is helaas "uit de lucht", maar een deel ervan stond nog op mijn schijf en heb ik hier opgenomen: er staan bruikbare tips op. Klik de "url" maar aan.:
http://www.tomandsarah.btinternet.co.uk/
http://www.tomandsarah.btinternet.co.uk/
accommodation and food shopping
We were delighted by the standard and price of the meals and accommodation along the GR10. On the other hand, buying food was very difficult. Some villages have lost their shops in the last year and some of the shops that we visited looked doomed. We stayed in five types of accommodation
gites d'etape
These were, with only one exception, excellent value for money. At about Ff150 per person per night we got overnight accommodation in a room or a mixed-sex dormitory, using our own sleeping bags, a four or five course set evening meal of excellent quality with invariably more than enough to eat, and a french breakfast. Sadly, however, the Gite d'Etape movement does not recognise the concept of a vegetarian. The evening meals seem generally to be served between 7:30 and 8:00. Most walkers arrive starving at about 4:00. By 7 everyone is to be found circling the table waiting for dinner to arrive. You can cook your own food in any Gite d'Etape in a kitchen for the use of guests, which means you only pay about Ff70 per person per night. In all the Gites in which we stayed there was plenty of hot water for showers and washing clothes. The Gites are certainly not youth hostels, you get a good mix of interesting people of all age ranges. The Gite was our favourite type of accommodation, good value, plenty to eat, and good crack with other walkers. We didn't bother to book at the beginning of our trip, but after about 14 July we found it necessary to telephone three or four days ahead. We learned a routine in French and stuck to it, no matter what was being said at the other end of the telephone. It seemed to work. You can get a list of Gites, on or near the GR 10, giving phone numbers from Confederation Pyreneneene du Tourisme website. Look under Herbergement. The Topoguides also include contact details of the Gites along the route.
refuges
These are generally found higher up in the mountains and are either run by an association like the Club Alpine Francais (CAF) or are under private management. These cost about Ff175 per person per night for dormitory, dinner and breakfast. Plenty of food, generally not as good quality as the Gites, but as these refuges are supplied either by helicopter or donkey they are very good value for money. You can cook you own food in a refuge, but unlike in a Gite you have to use your own stove and pans. You can get a list of Refuges and their phone numbers from Confederation Pyreneneene du Tourisme website. Look under Herbergement. The Topoguides also include contact details of the Refuges along the route. The same comments about booking ahead for Gites also apply to Refuges.
hotels
We only stayed in Hotels if there was no Gite to be found. During our trip we stayed in six hotels. For the first four we just walked into the first one or two star hotel we found, without any prior booking. We stayed in our fifth hotel in Arles sur Tech on 4 August. On this occassion we had booked ahead and are glad we did, as the all the town's hotels were full when we arrived. We had made no booking in Banyuls sur Mer and we were told gleefully by a functionary in the Tourist Office that there were no beds to be had within 30 kilometres. We caught the train to Carcasonne, where we had established, by telephone, that there was a bed, and from where we flew home the next day. Generally, staying in a hotel was not much more expensive than a Gite or Refuge, but not as much fun.
cabanes
Scattered throughout the Pyrenees are small unguarded refuges or cabanes These are free or make a small charge of about Ff20. They have no water or toilets and are in all conditions from wrecks to very good. They are marked in the Topoguide and on the IGN maps. We only stayed in one of these, the Cabane des Sauneres above Bagneres de Luchon on Day 28. This was in good condition and had a sign up welcoming Randonneurs. There was a source of fresh water about half a mile away (marked on the map and shown in the Topoguide), and a beech forest for firewood about a mile away. We had a wonderful night here. Douglas Streatfield-James's Trekking in the Pyrenees gives an accurate description of the condition of most of the Cabanes along the GR10.
camping
We set out with great ambitions to spend many nights camping. However, the good value for money to be had in Gites and the call of a warm shower at the end of each day meant that we ended up camping on only three nights. Only one of these nights was true wild camping, in the Arriege. On one of the other nights we could have slept in the adequate Refuge de Clarans, but there were many mosquitoes and we preferred our tent. On the other occasion we turned up at a gite without any booking. It turned out to be full, so we ate a fine dinner, and set up our tent on the lawn. Apart from the first few days in the Basque Country, where the land was a bit pastoral, there was plenty of opportunity for wild camping on all days. Even in the National Park, where camping is forbidden, examination of the small print reveals that bivouac camping, just what someone walking the GR 10 wants, is permitted.
shopping for food
This was not so easy. Food shops were very thinly spread. Even in relatively populated areas, food shops could be three or four days apart. In the Arriege it's nine days between the food shops of Bagneres de Luchon and St Lizier. This means it is either necessary to take detours down the valleys to buy food or to carry a lot. It seems certain that things will get worse, for example the epicerie in Ainhoa ( two days out of Hendaye) now only sells bread, tins of Pate de Fois Gras, and fancy preserves. Douglas Streatfield-James's Trekking in the Pyrenees complains about the high prices charged in the epicerie at Puy ( six days from Banyuls). At least this operation has got itself set up with, hopefully, some form of sustainable business, with a restaurant and a gite on the same site as the epicerie. I would rather pay high prices and buy food, than find yet another closed shop.
equipment shopping, banking, telephones, and post offices
Buying equipment wasn't too difficult, with shops selling boots and general walking and camping gear in St Jean de Pied a Port (Day 6), Gourette (Day 16), Cauterets (Day 19), Luz St Sauveur (Day 21) Bagneres de Luchon ( Day 27) and Ax les Therms (Day 42). A lot of people we met had trouble getting cash, because of the lack of banks along the way. We took all the cash we needed with us and were glad we did. You are unlikely to be mugged on the GR10.
There are more post offices than food shops along the way. Similarly there were plenty of phone boxes and calls were very cheap back to the UK in the evening and at the weekends. We bought two phone cards for Ff100 each and this was more than enough for plenty of calls.
daily log
These observations are based upon our experiences during the summer of 2000. We have generally only made an observation where our experience was different to that which we expected based on the Topoguide or "Trekking in the Pyrenees".
daynr date journey and observations
1 18 June Hendaye - Biriatou
2 19 June Biriatou - Olhette
3 20 June Olhette - Ainhoa.
The Gite in Ainhoa is now closed, only bread and fancy tourist food is available in the shop
4 21 June Ainhoa - Bidarray.
We found the descent into Bidarray tough. The epicerie in Bidarray is closed on Wednesdays. There was no sign of the second Gite mentioned in "Trekking in the Pyrenees". The existing Gite is a bit grubby and does not provide food. You might be better in the excellent Hotel Barberaenea (phone 05 59 37 74 86), where we had a very good dinner
5 22 June Bidarray - St Etienne de Baigorry.
There is no water at all along the way. There is a Gite in Leispars; it is better to take short cut from Atchuanea.
6 23 June St Etienne - St Jean Pied de Port.
The supermarket opposite the Gite sells food in too-large pre-packs. The Intermarche in the town is much better.
7 24 June St Jean - Esterencuby
8 25 June Esterencuby - Chalets d'Iraty (Col Bargargiak)
9 26 June Iraty - Logibar.
Tough day, we wished that we had just climbed Pic des Escaliers (easy) for the view, and taken easier route via Larrau.
10 27 June Logibar - St Engrace
11 28 June St Engrace - Arrette la Pierre St Martin.
The Refuge Jeandel sold essential food for walkers.
12 29 June la Pierre St Martin - Lescun.
Late June was an ideal time to see the spectacular wild alpine flowers on the limestone pavement as you leave. There is now a second Gite in Lescun.
13 30 June Lescun - Etsaut
14 1 July Etsaut - Lac de Bious-Artigues.
The map in the Topoguide is out of date. The GR10 now follows the old N134 south out of Etsaut.
15 2 July Lac de Bious-Artigues - Gabas.
16 3 July Gabas - Gourette.
Long day. The terrifying descriptions in the Topoguide concerning the vertiginous section were much exaggerated.
17 4 July Gourette - Arrens
18 5 July Arrens - Lac d'Ilheou
19 6 July Lac d'Ilheou - Cauterets.
The Gite Beau Soleil where we stayed had excellent rooms, but unusually, portion control was vigorously enforced. The self service kitchen was closed early so make sure you have extra provisions to fight night starvation.
20 7 July Cauterets - Grust. The food in the Gite in Grust was excellent.
21 8 July Grust - Bareges.
We took an alternative route from Luz St Sauveur through the villages on the north side of the valley (marked PR in the Topoguide), as GR10 here seemed unusually uninteresting.
22 9 July Bareges - Lac d'Oredon
23 10 July Lac d'Oredon - Lac de l'Oule.
The times in the Topoguide seem a bit misleading here, we wasted a day and could easily have gone directly from Bareges to Lac de l'Oule.
24 11 July Lac de l'Oule - Azet.
Excellent food in the Auberge La Bergerie.
25 12 July Azet - Germ
26 13 July Germ to Espingo
27 14 July Espingo - Bagneres de Luchon.
Stayed in Hotel 2 Nations. Demi pension, with excellent food for Ff 320 for the pair of us.
28 15 July Bagneres de Luchon - Cabane de Sauneres.
"Trekking in the Pyrenees" says that this hut is private but there was a sign up saying walkers are welcome. There was a source of fresh water about half a mile away (marked on the map and shown in the Topoguide), and a beech forest for firewood about a mile away.
29 16 July Cabane de Sauneres - Fos.
Tough descent into Fos, we were glad we had walking poles. Now there is no food shop in Fos. The gite does not provide meals and the hotel is closed on Sunday nights. There is an Hotel and mini supermarket in St Beat about 6 kms to the north.
30 17 July Fos - Etang d'Araing. For a refuge whose only supplies arrive by packhorse the food here is surprisingly fresh and good, much the best refuge in which we stayed.
31 18 July Etang d'Araing - Eylie d'en haut
32 19 July Eylie d'en Haut - Bonac.
33 20 July Bonac - Aunac
Very long day, but there are Gites on the GR10 at Bouche (1 km SE of les Bordes sur Lez) and Esbints, not mentioned in Topoguide, which could break up the journey. It is very easy to get lost on the way out of les Bordes sur Lez. The food and hospitality in the Gite in Aunac was excellent.
34 21 July Aunac-Rouze Another very long day
35 22 July Rouze - Bidous.
There is a Gite at Bidous (2 km S of St Lizier) not mentioned in Topoguide. There is excellent food in the Gite in Bidous.
36 23 July Bidous - Aulus les Bains
37 24 July Aulus les Bains- Refuge de Bassies
38 25 July Refuge de Bassies - Goulier.
We went via Auzat, as we couldn't face the detour to Mounicou. This saved us a day.
39 26 July Goulier- Col de Gamel.
We camped at Col de Gamel. Good spring as identified in Topoguide 5 minutes along the path to SE through the beech wood.
40 27 July Col de Gamel - Refuge de Clarans.
The Cabane de Ballydreyt was not habitable. The path was very badly marked after Ballydreyt.
41 28 July Refuge de Clarans - Refuge de Rulhe
42 29 July Refuge de Rulhe - Merrens.
Topoguide gives optimistic time for this section. It allows 1 hour for crossing a 3 km boulder field. It took us 2 hrs 15 mins. Epicerie in Merrens closed on Saturday (not normal?) Good supplies in Ax les Therms 15 minutes away by train. Get times from station before climbing hill to Gite.
43 30 July Merrens - Refuge des Besines. The Topoguide shows two different locations and altitudes for the Refuge. The location is near the split of the GR 10 from the GR 107 C. The altitude is 2,104 metres.
44 31 July Refuge des Besines - Superbolquere.
We stayed at the excellent Gite Les Ramiers in Superbolquere, not mentioned in "Trekking in The Pyrenees". Phone 04 68 30 37 48.
45 1 Aug Superbolquere - Ras Caranca (There is a new Gite in Planes).
46 2 Aug Ras Caranca - Mantet
47 3 Aug Mantet - Refuge de Marailles
48 4 Aug Refuge de Marailles - Chalet de Cortalets.
The route passes through an area devastated by landslips. Tortuous nature of the route did not seem to be apparent on map in the Topoguide. There is a good cabane two hours before Cortalets along the route at Refuge de Bonne Aigue. The water source was dry. This cabane is not mentioned in "Trekking in The Pyrenees".
49 5 Aug Chalet de Cortalets - Arles sur Tech.
Excellent cabane 2hrs 30 mins out of Cortalets at Maison Forestiere de l'Estagnole, with water and firewood. We stayed at Hotel Les Glycenes which was expensive with surly service and poor food. Although they advertise a cheaper randonneur's tariff we had to hassle to get it.
50 6 Aug Arles sur Tech - Las Illas.
It is now possible to break this long day up as there is a new Gite at Moulin de la Palette, three hours out of Arles 500 metres off the footpath near Can Souler. Gite phone 04 68 83 91 77.
51 7 Aug Las Illas - Col d'Oullat. The 'Gite' at Col d'Oullat was disappointing, the most expensive that we visited, grubby with poor food and no kitchen for self-caterers. In retrospect we wish we had spent the night at the Refuge de la Tagnarede, about an hour further along the GR10. See day 52
52 8 Aug Col d'Oullat - Banyuls sur Mer. Refuge de la Tagnarede is a good cabane, with plenty of firewood nearby, and a water supply 500 metres to the west of the refuge, on the GR 10. There is supposed to be a sign saying 'eau non potable' but we didn't see it. The Topoguide suggests that the water is potable.
WATER
Water, we found, was generally not a problem on the GR10. Most of the villages we passed through had fountains or pumps where potable water could be obtained for free. Restaurants and bars were generally amenable to filling water bottles, also free. While away from built up places, water became more available as we climbed; that is, in the higher sections, away from the coast, natural water sources, such as springs, were pristine and therefore drinkable. Whenever we were in doubt, we purified our supply. See also below.
FOOD
Pasta, cheese, soup, cereal, bread and sausage were our staple, get used to eating the same thing over and over! The GR10 passes at least a small food shop almost every day, and when we were on the HRP, we only went for about 4 days without re-supplying, and therefore had to carry our own. Planning was required, but food was never a major problem.
WEATHER
We walked from 8th July to 12th August 1996. We found that the typical hot mornings and stormy afternoons that we were warned about occured only in the central Pyrenees. In the Basque country, we had 2 weeks without any rain and HOT sun all day, and we suffered initially from the heat (partly due to not being quite as fit as we should have been when we left!). In the Haute Pyrenées Region, we suffered in a few major storms, where rain was torrential and sometimes long-lasting. Good equipment will help you cope with this weather.
OUR DAYS...
We typically walked 5 to 10 hours a day, the exact time depending on our destination for that day. We found that, towards the beginning, we tired more quickly, so needed to stop more and hence walked less. As we became more and more fit, we could walk longer days.
Planning the day is important in the Pyrenees, as it is in many places. The hot sun that we experienced made efficiency paramount, as we certainly learnt from our mistakes. For example, our 4th day of walking from a picturesque little Basque village called Bidarray, to the little town of Saint-Etienne de Baigorry, was terrible, as we left too late. It is a 5 and a half or six hour route, with over 1000 metres of ascent, most of it in the first 2 hours. The scenery is splendid, with the silhouette of the high Pyrenees is the distance. Walking is mainly along a line of peaks, and this is the problem: as the path is high and along a peak/cliff area most of the time, there is no shade. We left at 10:00, which was too late (we had been enjoying the Basque party the night before!). By the time it was mid-day, we were only just starting on the peaks section, and since water was scarce that day, we ran out (we carried two litres each). There was supposed to be a stream at one point, but when we got there we found it dry (remember, these mountains are very unpredictable). We arrived dehydrated in St. Etienne de Baigorry.
I suggest that you leave by 07:00 or 08:00 at the latest, and perhaps rest at the hottest times of day. Everyone has their own preferred rhythm, some walking through the hottest period, others only in the morning and late afternoon. The best advice is really not to under-estimate the heat if you are not used to it.
BOOKS
Topoguide GR 10 Pyrenees Occidentales Ref 1086, 1998, Federation Francaise de la Randonnee Pedestre
Topoguide GR 10 Pyrenees Centrales Ref 1091, 1999, Federation Francaise de la Randonnee Pedestre
Topoguide GR 10 Pyrenees Arriegoises Ref 1091, 1995, Federation Francaise de la Randonnee Pedestre
Topoguide GR 10 Pyrenees Orientales Ref 1089, 1998, Federation Francaise de la Randonnee Pedestre
The Pyrenean Trail GR 10, 1997, Alan Castle, Cicerone Press
Trekking in the Pyrenees, 1998, Douglas Streatfield-James, Trailblazer Productions
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