Friday 7th July: Weather 20°C to 24°C
Bareges to Refuge l’Oule: 9.3k walk: 4hrs 30mins: 8.30am to 12.55pm.
Altitude Gain and Loss: Total Ascent 813m: Total Descent 289m
Accommodation: Hotel Les Castets d'Ayre
Chateau de Sainte Marie
Highlight today was unknowingly taking the GR10F, a variant of the GR10, and finding it was the best route as it passed through 6 little mountain villages and is often the preferred route by many hikers.
6am start and early breakfast of Carrefours yoghurt and muesli in the room. It's a lot cooler than last night at about 20°C. A quick chat home before cleaning up our room where we had a picnic last night and breakfast this morning. At 8.30am we’re out the door and go via the Market Carrefour store, a few hundred metres away, to buy a tin of salmon, fresh bread and capsicums for tonight. We’ve found that the Vival Petit Casino in Bareges where we’re headed, is only open til 1pm on a Thursday. Today is Thursday. And we probably won’t be there in time.
Down the road, there’s a few red and white signs which we follow, and this track takes us steeply to the Chateau Sainte Marie, a 12th Century castle in ruins and only recently cleared of overgrowth. There’s lovely views back to Luz St Sauveur. We walk through a small village of Esterre on the outskirts of Luz, and follow the signs up a steep track to the village of Viella with a beautiful old church. Looking back at the bell tower, there’s storm clouds looming in the distance and spits of rain.
Looking back at Luz St Sauveur
We missed this sign GR10F or GR10
Viella church, storm clouds looming
Pretty track through forest to Sers
Coffee out of the wind gusts in Sers
Should have been view for coffee
High Point Croix de Saint Justin
View of 6 villages down Valley
Sers, Betpouey, Viey, Viella, Esterre, Luz, St Sauveur
Lunch near Intersport Bareges
12.55pm, shop is closed - no beer
Disgusted - shop closed so no beer
Relaxing Hotel Castets d'Ayre
Down the small road out of Viella, and across the D918, main road to the Tourmalet, and the red and white signs take us through the Decheterie - the local dump. We shouldn’t be here and we’re on the wrong side of the valley. We should be headed for the Vallee de Bolou. Ian checks the GPS and yes, we’re on the wrong side of the main road, but this path stlll leads to Bareges via several little mountain villages. We decide to stay on this track, which we later find is a variant called the GR10F, that passes through several small villages and is actually the preferred route for many hikers.
It’s a steep climb up the Viey, a small village scattered vertically down teh mountainside with ancient steep stony steps up between the houses. On through a lovely forested track to the next village of Sers which we reach at 1pm. Time for a coffee, and we find a spot perched on a stone wall on the side of the road with views down to the string of villages the valley below. But in 2 minutes, howling gusts of wind cause us to retreat to a spot over the road, sheltered from the wind. It's coffee, fresh bread and jam sitting on a concrete block covered in iron sleepers behind an old house.
The beautiful forested track climbs high to a magnificent view point at Le Croix de Saint Justin where there's fabulous views down the valley to the little scattered villages all the way back to Luz St Sauveur. There’s also 3 Tables d’Orientation to explain all the different views. To the south east we can see the villages of Sers, Betpouey, Viey, Viella, Esterre, Luz and St Sauveur. By accident it was definitely the best route to take instead of the route around Le Bolou Valee. To the north east we see Bareges, a small ski resort set beside the raging torrent Bastan. It’s 12pm when we leave Le Croix de Saint Justin, via a touristy track from Bareges, a bit like Binna Burra - well graded through the forests.
We can see Bareges below and it looks like we should be there before 1pm, just in time to reach the little shop Vival before it closes at 1pm to buy a beer for lunch. We walk quickly on the easy track and we’re in Bareges at 12.50pm and within a few minutes, we’ve found the Vival store - FERME - its closed and it’s only five to one. We walk away disgusted and find a spot near the local Intersport store on a park bench to have a leisurely lunch of fresh baguette, butter, cheese and tomato with a bottle of warm water, - no beer!
It’s almost 2pm when we stroll down the road through the centre of Bareges looking for an open bar where we can perch to watch the Tour de France for the afternoon, as our Hotel Les Castets d’Ayre doesn’t open til 4pm. Bit there doesn’t seem to be be any bar with a sports TV. Soon we’re at our Hotel where Nathalie and Philippe are having lunch in the foyer, but greet us with open arms and usher us to our room. It’s this kind of welcome that makes me score a hotel highly on booking.com - not the luxuriousness of a place.
Soon we’re in our room, having a cup of tea in the little lounge room where tea and coffee are provided, then having a shower, doing our washing and at 4pm, we’re downstairs in the main lounge room having a rose/beer and watching the Tour de France while blogging and googling. Such a relaxing afternoon. 2 roses and 2 beers later and Le Tour finishes with Riche Porte still in 5th place. We order 2 more glasses of rose, then up to the little terrace near our bedroom where we drag out our capsicum, tomato, smelly cheese and tin of salmon with the last of the mayonnaise. Such a perfect end to the day as we sit and look at the long climb up to the Refuge d’Oule tomorrow.
It’s sprinkling rain when we go to bed. At least at 20°C it’s cooler than last night’s 37°C.