Today’s walk took Geoff to Col de Madam�te the highest point on the GR10, (for Geoff )at 2509m. it started off a  glorious day  with incredible views to look forward to from the top BUT by the time he got there Visibility was down to 50m so no good views.

Tonight he is here…

in his tent at the end of the lake as Chalet Hotel de l’Oule was closed fot a private party .To make matters worse its raining too, when he rang I could hear the rain 🙁 This will be a good test for his tent and I hope he stays warm and dry.

4 more walking days to go ( I think ) The blue line is how far he has to go…..

Geoff is now well on his way to getting to his half way point at Bagneres-de-Luchon.

Day 15 saw him staying at Cauterets , where he hoped to get a massage but had no luck as they were fully booked.

But he did manage to get to an Internet cafe 🙂

After a disturb sleep with people complaining about his snoring he was off on his way to Luz st saveur passing through the picture postcard village of Grust on his way.

Last night saw him in Bareges in a Gite built like a palace..he failed in his attempt to get a massage here too.

Well Geoff got through the scary bit,”the awesome chemin De la Mature” is how he described it.He then carried on to walk a 17 mile day with 5000ft of ascent and 4000ft of descent, it was so cold at the top that he got his white fingers,but he soon warmed up when he reached Gabas.

The following day he had a vertical climb of nearly a mile not helped by the changing weather a mixture of sunshine and thunderstorms. After walking 16 miles he came to the refuge in Gourette.(which is a ski station)

This morning he left Gourette in awful weather conditions with poor visibility, I presume he is now at Arrens-Marsous.No News from him since this morning but I put that down to the bad weather conditions……Sure we will hear from him tomorrow.

Someone sent me a link today from the Times…. Pyrenees: walkers paradise  a must read…..

Geoff arrived in Lescun in thick cloud too find everywhere shut till 5pm, but he then got a great veggie meal of egg and chips.Views above 1700m around Pic d’ Anie were stunning.

“Lescun is conveniently situated on the GR 10 long-distance footpath traversing the Pyrenees. Combined with the dramatic scenery of its mountain backdrop, this makes it a popular focus for walkers and climbers.

With its old buildings and narrow streets, Lescun exudes a pleasant old village charm.”

Geoff has now done 202km of the 427km he intends to do. To Banyuls would be 904km! ( so glad he’s not going that far as I am really missing him )

Tonight he is at Borce near Etsaut.Tomorrow he has the scary bit …..”The GR takes to the Chemin de la Mâture today. The year 1772 saw the completion of a sloping way cut into the rock face to bring suitable trees down through the Sescoué ravine for the French Navy. Today, part is still usable and the GR10 takes advantage of it. It is quite spectacular, easy to climb and only those who suffer from extreme vertigo would have problems.”

It looks like a ridge cut into the side of the mountain… another bit I would just love so hope Geoff takes lots of photos !!

This is where Geoff was on his 8th day of walking,

 “St Engrace: a fairly basic gite with a bar and *great* evening meal (don’t miss!) 30 places. 0559 286 163. The church is wonderful. The walk into St Engrace along the road is to be avoided if the weather is hot.”

Although the meal was great it was not veggie !!!

Tonight he is here at Pierre St Martin,

” a long but steady climb through beautiful woods. Markings on the hill above are faint – we got slightly lost. You can buy sheep’s cheese (fromage de brebis) from the shepherd at the Col. I lived on the stuff for lunches. In any case ask to see his underground storage room *full* of cheeses. The ski station is a bit of a shock, and  the gite (a ski chalet) is the only place to stay, I think you should book here. 19 places 0559 661 446. The owner was quite a sportsman.”

Geoff did not book ahead so is sleeping in his tent again tonight.

Tonight Geoff is at Logibar and much to his delight the bar was open.

His stats for the first week are :-  over 182,342 steps 142km , 7400m up and 7000m down.

Tomorrow he is going to do the Le Pont suspendu d’Holzarte a suspension bridge, over a 500ft drop, it  adds  an hour to his walking day but will be well worth it. It looks fantastic and I will be sorry not to be doing it too 🙁

This is where Geoff was yesterday not quite sure where it was but he slept in his tent again….after a 16km day in very hot conditions.

This is where he is today, Col d’Iraty ,the way marking was bad today so he was glad to have the route loaded into his GPS. when he arrived the bar and restaurant was closed till 9am tomorrow so no beers for Geoff tonight 

Tonight Geoff is in a camp site at Saint Jean-Pied-de-Paul.

This is where he started his Camino Trek walking to Finisterre,which was thought to be the end of the world in medieval times.

Good job Geoff did take his tent as he was unable to find any accommodation in SJPP… all the rooms were full But at least he got a decent meal and will be ready for the next 20 miles.

He did ring me but not for long as his battery is almost flat….he’s in his tent wondering how we both ever managed to get into it on the GR20 🙂 

I wish I had the GR10 book then I could write a little more about the walk, may check the local library out on Monday.