Category: Summer 2021

Tuc des Fourmiguet and Cabane D’Aula

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A grey day as we set off from Col de la Pause but that burnt off as we climbed to Etang D’Areau.  We tried to find a path behind the refuge to contour around to the Col above Cabane D’Aula.  In this respect we were wholely unsuccessful.  We found a path that headed in the general direction (probably made by sheep), this then diverged into many smaller paths as each sheep chose their own way. After battling tussocks, thistles and nettles we gained the col and headed up the ridge up to Tuc des Fourmiguet and down to join the GR10.

This we took down to Cabane D’Aula for lunch and to admire the horses, then back up to the col via a well marked path. More new flowers and half a dozen isard between the cabane and the col. From the Col we followed the marked path back down to the first shepherd’s hut just off the 4×4 track and back to the van at Col de la Pause.

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Pic de Seron via Crete de Seron

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Met up with Lee and Suzie for an explore. Again it is a peak that we have done several times before, along from the ski station at Guzet, though never by this route in this direction.

Starting at Gerac and heading round to the quarry at the bottom of the Crete de Seron from where we followed a very indistinct path and cairns up the ridge to the summit. The rock was super slippery in the morning dew until the sun dried it out. Some lovely scrambling and great views as the cloud level followed us up the hill.

Lunch at the top and descent to Etang D’Aube on well marked path before traversing back to the car. A beautiful day with a drama sky.

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Exploring more of the border

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Port de Salau

There is something nice about being able to get straight out the door and into the mountains. There is a great temptation to say that having been up to the border from the barn that it has been done and we don’t need to go again. There are however so many little deviations and detours to explore that “the doorstep” is often the least well explored area.

So, out of the door and turn right up to Port de Salau. From the Col at the border we took the ridge to the left, towards Mont Rouch. The other fantastic thing about doing the same walk at a different time of year is that the flowers change so much and there is always so much to learn. We traversed the ridge to Tuc de Bassiere. After lunch at the top watching the helicopter dropping supplies to various cabins for the shepherds we retraced our steps back to the col. For the descent we chose to follow the line of the old pylons discovering a cave and different terrain to the path.

 

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Making stuff

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New steps

On our return from the UK we had 7 days of “voluntary quarantine”. Not quite sure how that fits in to a Nation managing Covid, but we did it anyway. This gave us plenty of opportunity to fix, fettle and create things. As well as gardening. Noteworthy examples were:

The steps out of the front of the barn have been slowly rotting away over the years. Treads have been replaced and additional support has been added to prolong their life. However, they have not weathered the winter very well and had to be replaced. The Man Cave (a small outbuilding with a green roof) is our store for random wood. I say “our store” but it is mine really. Anyway, some beams were found for the stringers, a couple of hardwood treads and some teak we brought back from my Brother in the UK. Some careful cutting, glueing and a couple of screws later and we now have a new set of steps which look like they have been there for years.

Amongst our salvage was an old Davos sledge. With the addition of some rustic rope, 3 bits of old floorboard, 2 old leather belts and a handful of screws it is now a bookshelf in the hallway.

Categories: Summer 2021, The Project

Subirou traverse

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Gentiene

After some internet comms with Sheri, Michael and Ian we arranged a car drop to enable us all to traverse Subirou. This is a mountain ridge you can see from the barn which gives magnificent views of the French side of this area of the Pyrenees. Starting at the old mine above Salau and climbing to Col de Crusous. From here you turn left, away from the frontier, and traverse the ridge above Couflens, to get to the GR10, and descend back in to Couflens.

We were lucky with the weather again as it was overcast and not to hot for the 2hr climb. Then the sun came out for spectacular views all around. We saw deer and a stag on the Guzet side and a group of about 60 Griffin Vultures on the Salau side. The birds were just sat there on the ground below the ridge for no apparent reason. Occasionally a few would take off, glide about, then settle again. They were amazing to watch, just by there sheer numbers.

The descent on the GR10 was uneventful down to the goat farm where we had left a vehicle, then everyone came back to the barn for supper.

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Getting Started

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The round flower bed

Having driven from Chamonix in a day and stayed overnight with Rene & Anouk at the Auberge in Salau, we got up to the barn with a very laden van. As well as “stuff” we brought over from the UK at the beginning of the winter, we had acquired quite a lot of random salvage in Chamonix.

Someone was good to us as we had perfect weather for unloading, and we did spread it out over a couple of days (because we could).

The barn had faired pretty well over the winter with no major damage or infestations. The main objective was to get the garden planted up with seeds before heading off to see family in the UK. Lots of weeding and a little sowing. We had picked up some lettuce plugs, beetroot and blet plants to be able to get a slight head start for early harvesting. As ever, with us, there is an element of sow what you can and see what comes up after 3 weeks of complete neglect. This year, however, we have a cork board in the kitchen so a map was drawn up of what went in where so that we knew what was what when we came back. One thing that was in the van which got first use was some fibreglass rods which when bent over the raised beds made a great “support” for netting to stop the deer scoffing our seedlings.

Categories: Summer 2021, The Project