As is the custom, each year at the end of September we hope to celebrate my birthday by a mountain walk. This time, I had a plan and it involved 3 days of hiking and a couple of nights in a refuge, since it is getting a bit chilly now.

A friend who we met on a previous walk, Sheri suggested that the area above Lac D’Oo is stunning and worth an explore so after getting a map we booked the refuge and headed off for 3 days of fun in the mountains with stunning weather, long days, great views, good scrambles, a lovely refuge with only 6 of us staying there so dorm to ourselves result not having to contend with snorers.

First day was over 2000m of ascent but once we were past the popular Lac D’Oo we hardly saw a soul which was great. I struggled with leg cramps for a couple of hours and meant that progress was slower than planned. Finally got to the refuge at 650pm and told dinner was in 10 minutes! We had a chat with the guardian re a scramble route the next day which is always good to get the local info.

Day 2 was stunning weather again, we wanted to do a scramble ridge up on the Spanish border and to climb Pic de Perdiguere 3222m also hoped to take in another peak Crabioules but looe rock and lack of a rope stopped that POA. Wow what a fab day, scrambling up over a few peaks following the ridge line and amazing views both on the French and Spanish side. Managed to find the path back to the refuge making a lovely loop.

Day 3, birthday day, we decided with the cloud to descend and do a lower summit on the way back to the van. Skies cleared though very quickly until we reached the van and the clouds came in, perfect timing. Had a lovely day on the hill with my hubby could not have been nicer.

All was lovely and then we hit Lac D’oo on a Saturday and it was mobbed hundreds of people trundling!!!!!

Back to the barn with a stop at the auberge, Rene and Anouk had a bottle of pink bubbles in the fridge for me which was very kind and Clive and Peter joined us too so a lovely finale to our 3 days away. It was then back up to the barn, more bubbles, cards, pressies, foie gras, prawns and cheese. A perfect end to 3 birthday bashing days! Thanks Al for sharing with me and making it a very memorable birthday.

Just us and the tent, plus some fodder, something to cook on, something to sleep in… Parked up at Orris du Carla and headed up the steep track to Etangs de la Gardelle, on to Etang de Canalbonne and up to Port de la Gardelle. Beautiful views of the lakes in both Spain and France and some stunning coudscapes.

Took in the ridge to Pic de la Rouge before dropping down to Lago de Aresi and beyond before ascending to our camp spot at Etang de Port Vell. Yet another solitary camp spot by the lake (if you exclude the issard, horses and sheep).

The next day we got up to Port Vell/Romaset and scrammbled the ridge to Pic des Lavans.

Note – the French and the Spanish probably disagree on an awful lot of things but one thing that they obviously are at odds with is the names and indeed the locations of different peaks on the frontier. In fact Pic des Lavans appears on both the French and Spanish maps but approximately 500m apart. We went up the Spanish version as it was closer.

The descent took us on the HRP route past Orrie de la Soucarrane and Orri de Roumazet and the van (where we left it).

Definitely an area to return to.

Lee and Sooze kindly asked us to join them for 2 days hiking with the tent and with 2 of their lovely friends Sheri (USA) and Michael (Dutch) who live just out of Seix. Great to get some hill time with S&L and also to meet some new like minded buddies in the area too.
Second day definitely made up for the first day!!!

Bit of an epic first day, with thigh high for some, chest high for others bilberry bashing, foothpath finding and boulder hopping up scree slopes…..Anyhow we did finally make it to the Col de L’Aliot from Ossesse via the Cabane de Bon Repos. Good yomping up weather as coolish and at the col, a strong wind. By the time we got to the col too late was the consensus to do a peak that day. There was to be no more “nipping up there!” and we headed down into Spain to a lovely little lake about 300m lower for the night with enough space for 3 tents.

A right veritable feast, onion bhajis, dhal, green thai cuzza with noodles and choccy to end a banquet. A cracking “partager” meal enjoyed by all. Beautiful spot in the sun till 730pm ish and then as soon as the sun went we dived for the tents twas cold especially with the wind.

Next day we opted to climb Pic de Flamisella 2781m dropping packs for the final ascent to make life easier. CRACKING views in every direction and stunning weather.
Plan B came into action for the descent after coming across some gnarly terrain initially not really passable…. so this meant dropping down to Estangy del Port for lunch by the lake. Then a final easy 200m hike up to Col de Marterat before descending down down and down back to Billy Boy. Beers on the way home and all pleasantly tired.

Thanks team Flamisella mucho fun.
Where to next????

Weather has continued to be gorgeous so Breezy had been perusing the maps as usual and enticing Al away for a few days with the tent. Always nice to walk out straight from the barn for the off! Our new Osprey packs which we got for Madagascar are great and perfect size for a few nights away with tent, stove and fodder.

Always a bit of a shocker heading off with a heavier pack but the beautiful camp spots made up for it. After lunch we did a couple of hours slog up the steep terrain opposite towards the Mont Rouch refuge. It is steep the whole way and not much let up, the path was in a shocking condition to say the least and neither of us were looking forward to the descent and had already hatched another plan for the descent! Great view of the barn though from an aerial point of view. Got to the refuge and there was just a French couple there, and we pitched our tent in a lovely spot with fab views, no wind and peaceful as. Cards, cups of tea and then the last of the Westler Ration packs, slightly out of date but fine except the brownies which we threw to the birds!!!

Al had his new thermarest from the Ski Cham Gang lot, which is VERY comfy so he tells me!!! A fab pressie.

A leisurely start with brekky and packing up the tent but off up the hill just as the sun hit us towards Mont Rouch and then a wee scramble across to the Spanish Mont Rouch. Just 2 lovely Spaniards with us briefly on the summit with a much better map than ours for the Spanish side so we grabbed that for some extra info re the descent. Stunning views all around and no clouds about at all, perfecto! Plan was to descend down to Spain and the Mt Rouch refuge by the lakes. This area is stunning with 4 or 5 lakes. Took in a couple of peaks before descending to the 2nd lake where I had a swim bracing but lovely! and then we had a late lunch. It was not a well marked path but we scrambled and picked our way down with no problems. Strolled on to the 1st lake to find a camp spot next to the lake, nobody about at all idyllic.

Another nice evening with cards, cryptic crosswords, more rat packs, dodgy cups of tea and an early night. A fab day out.

Last day so early start in the hope of doing the ridge to Cap Rhuos, sun was coming up as we set off at 7am an d up to the border for 8am, after picking our way up from cairn to cairn. At the ridge, clouds were a swirling big time, no vis and moisture in the air… to do the ridge we needed good vis for sure and we were not sure which way the wind and weather was going to blow! so we decided to play it safe and return via a new lake above the refuge and down the dodgy path which was even worse on the descent! Anyhow, it made the day a little shorter and gave us time to pop down to the auberge with a bottle of bubbles for Rene’s birthday and to have a catch up with Anouk and Rene. He seemed to like our homemade golf coat hooks made from some of Dad’s old clubs.

It was baking hot again so we had marinated chicken and a good salad with loads of goodies from the garden before crashing pleasantly tired. Fun few days and really nice tobe exploring with a tent again and as always lovely to get into Spain.