The following itinerary takes you along the best selection and are generally the more suited to hikers who wish to have nightly access to facilities (e.g. accommodation and food) found in the villages at the foothills of the mountains. If you only have a week or so available, then this Spanish route is highly recommended.
2nd Pyrenees block trek of 2.
Phase 2 plan sets off at Escalona village the entrance of Añisclo and Ordesa National Park (Central Pyrenees). The great ones arrive, not only because of the height which is eventually a modern convention, but also because of provides more dramatic mountain scenery. Seven days later we get to last landmark, Higuer Lighthouse in the western side (Hondarribia & Cantabrian Sea).
Guided programme.
Group size: min. 6; max.13.
Grade: level B moderate . 8 days / 7 nights / 6 days walking.
Daywalk baggage: Daysac.
Accommodation: 7 nights **Hotel and ***hotels. Full board.
Price: 875 EUR / pp. Sharing double room.
Dates: From dinner first day to breakfast last one.
Summer: 24-31/08.
Connecting landscape & emotion:
This suggested Spanish Transpyrenees trip, south side of the Pyrenees, stretches on challenging scenarios boosted by the orogeny. The key to understanding forms of relief and its expression in the landscape become the characters of our story. We use the “artistic resemblance” to describe them, in order to incorporate us as protagonists: granites, print of glaciers, lakes, and splendid reliefs. Metamorphic, sedimentary, perhaps endogenous person? What about the environmental influences on personality?.
Detailed Tour
1
Meet up in Escalona. Briefing.
We have plan to start the hike in the small Spanish village of Escalona. Let us know potential schedules and we advise you how to get the meeting point and return to the airport/train station. Nearest one are Bilbao, Toulouse, Zaragoza airports/train stations.
2
Añisclo Canyon
16 km / 0 m. One-way. Highest point 1,740 m.
Transfer to starting point at Plana Canal. The defiant-smallness footpath runs downwards the canyon floor, a long cleft on limestone sculpted by the Bellós River. It was pushed to the south by Monte Perdido and unleashed its anger in gashes almost of thousand meter deep towards the outermost mountains and the Cinca River. Any human being should feel proud of its contemplation, walk inside it and be a respectful witness.
Transfer to Torla village.
3
Ordesa National Park
22 km / +800 m. Circular. Highest point 2,000 m.
Central Pyrenees. The greats arrive, not only because of the height that is finally a modern convention, but also because of its origin and endless reading. The overthrust sequences get stacked by tectonic as summits and mountain cols. Three deep scars of ancient walking glaciers radiate from the main knot of Monte Perdido, discharging their extinct bravery to the West, South and Southeast: Ordesa, Añisclo and Pineta valleys.
4
Formigal - Candanchu
15 km / +680 m. One-way. Highest point 2,235 m.
Transfer from Torla to Formigal. From Aramón ski resort the slopes set off going up, as usual. Most walkers are bound for visiting the Anayet lakes and return on the same way. Right in front of you is the view of Anayet 2,545 m high, on the right its sister peak Midi D'Ossau -another volcanic piton.
But the valley to the west, Canal Roya, is a real reward for anyone wanting solitude and quite day. Many details and millions of years of history: post-Hercynian andesites, Permotrias conglomerates, the Great Extinction, Salamandra salamandra. Red colour appears more clearly together with compact sandstones. Descent to Candanchu.
5
Candanchu - Selva de Oza
17 km / +685 m. One-way. Highest point 1,915 m.
The western side of the mountain range, accessible from Candanchú, has always been a delight; the northern wall of Aspe and the Sansanet beech forest lend a note of intrigue and arouses curiosity. Anyone getting this walked mid aftenoon will be rewarded with a tranquility and light that is deeply satisfying. Reddish tones prevail, studded with green and crowned by white limestone as bastions and walled castles with robust names: Petrechema, Petraficha, Acher, Bisaurín.
Transfer to Isaba village.
6
Irati - Roncesvalles
14 km / +500 m. One-way. Highest point 1,050 m.
It begins the descent towards the Atlantic side through the Navarrese valleys of Roncal and Baztan. Transfer to Irati. The gentle softness of green reliefs, the forests thickness and the culture of devotion return. The renown of Roncesvalles as one of the key tourist hotspots of the Way of St James. From here believers of all types and commitments launch themselves into the hills. It is the tower of Babel.
Transfer to Elizondo village.
7
Ursumiatza - Collado de Lizarreta
8 km / +140 m. One-way. Highest point 540 m.
Transfer to Ursumiatza. The shortness and gentle last day around Zugarramundi should deter no one from tackling this exquisite little walk. The language is now Euskera. The same mountain range but another country, the Basque Country, where the architecture is decorated with different elements and the flags have changed the yellow lines for green ones. I like it, I really like the contrast.
Time to reach, by vehicle, the final destination of the tour, the Higuer lighthouse in Hondarribia.
8
Farewell
The best-served airports/railway stations near Cantabrian Sea are Toulouse (France) and Bilbao ( Basque country). Let us know potential schedules and we advise you how to get the meeting point and return to the airport/train station.
What is included in this picturesque tour?
875€/pers*
Included
- 8 days / 7 nights / 6 days walking. Half board.
- Briefing at spot is delivered.
- Everyday internal transfers mentioned.
- Baggage transport.
- Route book (maps and notes send by mail).
- 24/7 satelital emergency device (Garmin).
- UIMLA Mountain leader (English spoken).
- Taxes.
Not included
- Transfers days 1st and last day from / to starting point (Figueres, Escalona, Irún).
- Picnic or packed lunch.
- Bus Torla-Ordesa-Torla. (10€/pp).
Optional
- Single room (single use fee).
* 260EUR per person in a double room. 30% deposit at booking. The rest to be paid 30 days prior to departure. Read conditions.
Travelers’ pictures
