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| Setting out - our destination the peak in the distance |
It never ceases to surprise me how
much one can do in a day. With part of a bank holiday weekend free and the
weather looking settled we headed off to the Pyrenees for a day’s hiking. It was made easier by the fact it was
possible to drive the car up most of the mountain to the start of the walk at Bout
de Touron (1,450 metres). The walk is
no. 20 from the
Topo Guide Midi-Pyrenees a pied. The
nearest town is Foix, which is the final destination along the
Sentier de Cathare
- another walk on our “to do” list.
From Foix you take the D421. Parking the car where the road runs out, you head
up to the track, turning right along the ridge.
Really, you can’t go wrong, although it wouldn’t be easy to find your
way in mist. As the clouds parted, the unexpected
panorama of the snow-capped mountains before us took my breath away. Then,
as if this wasn’t reward enough, a group of semi-wild horses came galloping
past. Ridge walks are a favourite as
they are all about views and I like a good view. This one was particularly nostalgic as we were
looking at the mountains and valleys we had walked as part of our traverse of
the Pyrenees ten years ago.
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| On the summit! |
We walked
above the snowline and made it to the summit of Rocher de Batail (1,716 metres)
in the allotted time then, it was time to retrace our tracks back to the car. We
even had time for a drink in Foix in the late afternoon sun.
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| Looking back along the track |
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| Cheval de Merens (black prince of the Pyrenees) |
