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In Hannibal’s footprints?

Late October gave me a brief respite from the weather to test a pet theory of mine. The Roman historian Polibius noted that Hannibal’s route led through zones occupied by tribes called Arenosis and Andosins, which are now believed to be the Val d’Aran and Andorra. Leaving the latter to one side (with good reason!) I decided to make a round trip on my motorbike through the two possible routes into/out of the Val d’Aran: a green lane that follows the course of the river Noguera Pallaresa right up to its source on the Pla de Beret, and a return trip on the black stuff over the Bonaigües pass, which now hosts the main C28 highway.

The view from Borén towards the beginnng of the green lane section

The Noguera Pallaresa appears to branch off into a smaller valley from the small town of Esterri d’Aneau, but it is the major branch in fact. The ‘main’ valley is that of the Bonaigüa river, which gives its name to the pass, the Port de Bonaigües. After passing through a narrow stretch the road, now a tarmacadamed lane (C-147), passes through the picturesque villages of Isavarre, Borén, Isil and finally Alós d’Isil and one gets an idea of the terrain still to be negotiated further up into the mountains.

Packhorse bridges like this are a common feature all along the river Noguera Pallaresa

The first stretch of the cami rural from Alos d’Isil is asphalt, but it is very narrow and quite alarming as the visibilty is poor. It also overlooks a precipice into the rushing waters far below! But this lane soon changes to a rutted track beyond the mountain refuge, the Refugi de Fornet, from here on the valley opens out somewhat and the riding is much easier.

Have BMW G650 X-Country - aka the Flying Banana - will travel!

As one gets higher and the valley’s orientation veers to the west, the trail leads into deep forest. Quite a shock to me as I was banking on encountering open, dry surfaces. I had inherited the bike’s original swanky Metzler hybrid tyres, which were also more than half-worn out. So I had plenty to occupy my mind as there was plenty of squelchy mud as the lane runs along the dark southern side of the valley, much less drying sunlight!

The autum tints are truly superb - depite being a 'Reserva Natural' green laning is allowed, encouraged even. Restricted trails are clearly signposted.

I’m still a novice at green lane riding (and at my age every learning curve is that much steeper!) but I would judge this route to be quite easy - it would have to be! But the route does have a bit of everything; ’staircases’ of steep, switchback bends, fords across rushing streams and lots and lots of inquisitive horses and cattle, all waiting to be herded down to the lower valleys before the onset of winter!

In the sunny uplands: - thanks to temperature inversion due to high pressure it was over 25C at 2,700 metres!

All in all I was grateful to reach  ‘civilsation’ at the ski station on the Pla de Beret itself - at 2,700 metres I felt I had had quite a climb! From here one passes over an escarpment into the Val d’Aran itself - with some spectacular views!

Down into the dark, dark valley - plunging into the shadows of evening with temperatures falling quickly sub-zero is one of the 'pleasures' of riding in the Pyrenean off season!

Posted in Catalan Culture, Catalan Pyrenees, Catalonia, Favourite Walks, Lleida, Noguera Pallaresa | Tags: Alós d'Isi, Andorra, BMW G650 X-Country, Borén, Isavarre, Isil, Metzler, Noguera Pallaresa, Pla de Beret, Val d'Aran |

The Parc Nacional d’Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici - part 2

We began our return trip to the high Pyrenees with a visit to the annual horse fair at Esterri d’Àneu, almost at the end of the Noguera Pallaresa river. Apart from fairs helping bind local communities and provide entertainment during the autumn, they stimulate the local economy in what would otherwise be a quiet period between the summer and the winter months when tourists return for the skiing.

The stocky Pyrenean breed is not used for riding or even ploughing, however, but are a traditional part of the diet! Turning away from the food tent we were drawn to the procession - complete with its pyrotechnical dragon, El Drac, in this case based on the Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus aquitanicus). The protected Gal Fer is endemic to the forests hereabouts and are an emblem of this part of the Pyrenees. I must be one of the few people alive who has actually eaten one - many, many years ago I hasten to add!

Throughout Catalonia the Caps Grossos always parody local characters and are dressed in traditional costume. A good deal of ribald humour, often self deprecating, accompanies them in a parade.

We had good reason to go to the fair, however, as the north wind came straight from the Arctic, with a top-up dose of cold as it crossed the highest peaks for good measure. The fair had a splendid market on the fringe, just the place for buying warm hats and gloves in readiness for our day out in the Parc.

This time we stayed around the Lake of Sant Maurici, whose waters were whipped up by the chill wind. We explored the sylvan woodland along the lakeside, accompanied only by the brave!

In severe winters avalanches fall through the pine forest, cutting great swathes right down to the valley floor. Surpisingly perhaps, birch trees are the first to repopulate the newly cleared terrain. White birch (Betula pubescens) are a feature of this side of the Parc and it was in such a colony that we had our best moment of the day.

The red deer are  in the midst of thier rutting season and this stag sported a magnificent set of antlers. Perhaps it was the season that overcame his usual caution and he remained close by during a two-minue ’stand-off’, facing down our  exited huskies!

Lucky certainly thought she had landed on the moon; fortunately we were well provided with heavy dury restraint gear! We all slept well that night after our long day - but a good amount of four-legged sleepwalking took place!

Posted in Catalan Culture, Catalan Pyrenees, Catalonia, Cuisine, Favourite Walks, Lleida, Noguera Pallaresa | |

The Parc Nacional d’Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici - part 1

It’s been year since we were in the Parc, before we became dog owners in fact, so that makes it ten years! But a brief respite from stormy weather in early October and visiting friends who wanted to go got me there without the huskies.

I was stunned all over again by the beauty of the scenery. As indeed is everyone else - I gather that the Parc is one of Spain’s most photographed sites - with good reason; the autumn tints over the Ratera lake never fail to please!

It took just an hour’s walk to get to the Mirador overlooking the Estany de Sant Naurici itself, lying in the shadow of the twin Encantats (enchanted) peaks. After all these years the distances seemed shorter (due no doubt to chasing walking the dogs all this time!) so we vowed to return with The Pack the following week. But in fact we went to the other half of the Parc, to the Aigüestortes (meaning twisting waters) themselves.

This side of the Parc features evidence of severe glaciation, making open views that are admired by all!

Further back down the valley we were treated to yet more autumn tints, shown here to perfection against a background of Black pines (Pinus nigra) that are a special feature of the Parc.

The weather worsened in the high mountains, however, so we took ‘refuge’ with an interlude in the Pre-Pyrenees, crossing the Sierra de Montsec. The distances here are remarkable, we could see the Sierra de Montsant, a good seventy-five kilometres away south over the Pla d’Urgell.

We had crossed the Montsec’s summit years ago, when we had a jeep, but now the track is well metalled thanks to Catalonia’s new Observatory, reflecting the fabulous air quality found on the summit.

The clearing air bode well for the following week’s return trip to the Sant Maurici, meanwhile the dogs were beginning to revell in the cold northern air!

Posted in Catalan Pyrenees, Catalonia, Favourite Walks, Lleida, Uncategorized | |

The Irati Forest

While we were in Navarre we couldn’t resist a visit to the Irati Forest, one of  Europe’s most important woodland areas whose 17,000 hectares stretch westwards into the Basque Country and over the Pyrenees into France. The forest is most notable for its abundance of beech (Fagus sylvatica) and silver fir (Abies alba).

The approach to the Forest along the banks of the Irati river is verdant enough, with meadows being increasingly engulfed by woodland. But the road suddenly leaves the valley and climbs towards a cleft in the ridge.

Here the Forest’s ’secret’ nature is apparent and it is easy to see why it has remained isolated through time, maintaining an air of magic that spans the centuries and gave rise to numerous myths and legends!

Once under the canopy, however, the range and beauty of the habitat easily overwhelms the ominous sensations we had on our arrival - helped by the glorious August sunshine illuminating the new green foliage!

Timber extraction is both a pillar of the local economy and an essential element of forest conservation, however. Although the forest is relatively young, at 12,00 years it emerged after the last great ice age, it has had many stages in its development. Originally composed of oak this gave over to the predominating fir trees from the middle-ages. This in turn has been overtaken by beech in recent centuries due to the increasing lumber trade.

As with most forest areas, it is interesting to observe how fragile the habitat is, and how little material is required to support such apparently huge vegetation. A forest trail blasted through the surface reveals the scant soil on which the canopy evidently thrives.

Inside, it is easy to believe that the woods are endless, but climbing back out of the Forest its ’spell’ is broken by the sight of the distant peaks of the Pyrenees on the far side.

Back at the picture-post-card village of Ochagavia it is easy to guess how close we are to the French border - time to head home to Catalonia!

Posted in Environment, Favourite Walks, Navarre | |

The Valle de Roncal - Navarre

The Valle de Roncal, in the extreme east of the Autonomous Community of Navarre, runs due north and  is deep and dark, with dense, seemingly impenetrable forest lining the steep mountainsides. But at the extreme head of the valley, beyond its ‘capital’ Isaba (Izaba in Basque) the valley of the river Belagua takes a turn for the east and opens out very markedly.

This area, known as the Macizo de Larra is based on karstic rock formations, one of the most important in Europe. The formation has been widened by the effects of glaciation that allows long daylight hours and encourages the growth of deciduous trees at higher altitude than is usual. The area is notable for its virgin forest, especially with the presence of beech (Fagus sylvatica) and we walked among them, following a marked trail, the Mata de Haya, in the Reserva integral del barranco de Aztaparreta nature reserve.

The dark, dense and damp forest made a sharp contrast to our home in Catalonia; the other end of the Pyrenees does not benefit from the Atlantic weather systems and by July we yearn for the temperate climate enjoyed by lands on the Atlantic seaboard – including the British Isles! It’s strange to see plants and flowers that were once too common to be of any note to us; we haven’t seen bracken in half a dozen years and the common foxglove (Digitalis purpurea) seems exotic to our eyes!

Indeed, the lush vegetation seemed voluptuous, tropical even, in the mid-summer heat (rare for the western Pyrenees – and only in the daytime as we were to discover later whilst camping at Isaba!). A paradox here is that although the pine forests of the Mediterranean regions are quicker growing, they don’t exude the sense of flux, the physiology if you will, of deciduous growth – and death!

Leaving the forest via the summer pastures it was difficult to imagine how much the scene would be different in winter, but we have vowed to return in the autumn. The herdsmen, (and women!) return with their cattle to the tiny, close knit village communities like Isaba or Roncal itself – the latter giving its name both to the valley and the famous, and delicious, sheep’s milk, Queso de Roncal, which is a mainstay of the local economy.

Isaba has a grim, rather unfriendly face, much to do with the severe black masonry of its older buildings and their forbidding adornments.

But the people themselves were warm and welcoming, despite the obvious impact of tourism, which is also vital to the economy there. Friends, even Catalan friends, all agreed that we would eat well in Navarre, and indeed we did – what a pleasure it must be to garden here with all this lovely water to hand!

Posted in Environment, Favourite Walks, Navarre | Tags: Atlantic seaboard, Autonomous Community of Navarre, Digitalis purpurea, Fagus sylvatica, Isaba, Izaba, Macizo de Larra, Mata de Haya, Queso de Roncal, Reserva integral del barranco de Aztaparreta, Roncal, Valle de Roncal |

A short summer jaunt to Andalusia

It’s a long way from Catalonia to Andalusia so it’s no wonder it’s easy to feel that they are completely different countries. But after a fourteen-hour journey, including six hours on the Talgo, from the Pyrenees to the small Almerian town of Albox I was beginning to feel that they are in different continents! A warm Andalusian welcome at the hotel, “there’s no kind of hurry, settle yourself in and you can eat anytime you like!” restored me though and early the following morning, with a midday train to catch, I explored the pretty town centre.

But my real interest was up in the sierra. I haven’t been to this part of Andalusia before but found it very similar to the western Alpujarra region around Motril, where we spent one warm Christmas in the early ‘nineties, that is to say, several years before Chris Stewart made the region famous! Here just beyond its eastern extreme the region is notably drier. La Alpujarra is proud of its Moorish roots and atmosphere, indeed the landscape and land use was strikingly similar to those in the Anti-Atlas ranges on Morocco, where my wife studied the indigenous Berber agriculture.

The ‘Rambla’ de Albox is a dry riverbed that runs up into the mountains for several miles, giving ‘road’ access to the numerous small houses and their surrounding orchards and gardens. These tiny, irrigated plots are a classic feature of this landscape, as are the one or at most two story ‘cubist’ houses. It was curious to note that about half of these had been done-up, evidently by their British or other foreign owners, complete with ornamental gardens, while the remainder reserved their efforts entirely for fruit and vegetables!

The agriculture here would appear to be based on use of marginal land and I presume that this is owner occupied, rather than the great estates that one otherwise associates with Andalusia and much of central Spain. The distribution of the dwelling all about the valley couldn’t be more different than that of my home in Catalonia, where isolated houses are very rare indeed and the history and pattern of property ownership is different on both counts, being based around a system of familial ownership of farmland; the tradition here is for the eldest offspring to ‘inherit’ and run the family farm, while the other siblings is set up with a cash lump sum, which is often used to gain an education and/or capitalise a business, hence the notorious Catalan flair for entrepreneurialism! But I also saw the impact of new, large-scale agriculture, as huge plantations of olives crises crossed the mountainsides on reclaimed land.

Meanwhile, it is curious to speculate the impact of such a large influx of extranjeros on such a remote and rural community. The extent of which became apparent after inspecting post-boxes that line the roadside; the names here are: Grainger, Casa ‘Jack’, Smith & Hanrahan, unreadable, and finally Marshall!

The head of the valley is dominated by the huge XVIII century temple of the Sanctuaries de Nuestra Señora del Buen Retiro de los Desamparados del Saliente, one of the most important pilgrimage sites in south-eastern Spain. Pilgrims from all over the region, travelling on foot or horseback, converge on the site on September the 8th each year, progressing up the last leg during the previous night. Today though, in late June, it is deserted.

Crossing over the Sierra de las Estancias the outlook changes completely, however, as huge plantations of olive and almond trees completely cover the landscape while the inhabitants are huddled together in compact villages like Los Cerricos.

This is a vast, somewhat intimidating landscape, difficult to catch on camera. In the very far distant, out of the picture, the peaks of the Sierra Nevada shimmer in the haze – or is it my imagination!

I was glad to be over the great plain, and near to the autovia that would which me off to catch my midday train home, but it was market day in Chirivel and after a long, lonely trip I couldn’t resist stopping to bask in the warmth of human company!

Posted in Andalusia, Uncategorized | Tags: Albox, Almeria, Atlas, Berber, Cerricos, Chrivel, Morroco, Rambla, Retiro, Sierra Nevada, Talgo |

Jurassic Park - a week in La Garrotxa

I’d noticed the droppings and marks on the ground near our tent late in the evening, too late to consider changing location, and sure enough the wild boar snuffled through the camp at about four in the morning. In the dim luminescent light of the tent I saw the dogs’ ears prick up briefly. Lucky, my lupine husky-cross stirred and looked at me across the groundsheet while Streak rolled over in his half-sleep, grunting in the process. The boars stopped and silence reigned for a moment, then the night air was shattered by a huge braying sound – deep in the primordial forest one of the larger inhabitants of was on the hoof once more! I couldn’t help wondering whether the story about large game not entering tents was apocryphal, but the next thing I knew it was morning, and a damp one at that. We had survived our first night in Jurassic Park!

The title ‘Jurassic Park’ is a joke, of course. In fact La Garrotxa is about as far removed from the Jurassic period as can be, the region’s volcanic origins make it one of the most contemporary landscapes possible; the last large activity was about 15,000 years ago, not 150,000,000! And our camp, even though it felt like being in the jungle, was in a well-organised and officially registered site – albeit a very distinctive one – owned and run by Dutch ex-pat Stendert Dekker and partner Maria Tamayo. Can Banal is located just off the upper Llierca valley in a narrow, densely wooded defile. It was the primordial appearance of the forest, together with the echoic quality of the landform, that inspired the nickname; the braying wasn’t a sauropod ploughing its way through the jungle, but a distraught male donkey, or ‘jack’, imploring Stendert’s four ‘jennies’ to allow it to mount them. As well as the camping Stendert has owned and managed about 90 hectares of forest since coming to the area in the mid nineteen-eighties. Can Banal is in the Alta Garrotxa district, just to the north of the more well-known Parc Natural de la Zona Volcànica de la Garrotxa. He grazes cattle in areas where he has been able to clear the dense woods; a problem here since progressive waves of rural depopulation since the end of the nineteenth century has reduced human impact here.

Talking with Stendert gives a fascinating insight into woodland conservation issues. As well a grazing livestock, the woods were used for forestry activities like charcoal production, wood products like withies or osiers, etc. as well as for timber. Left to itself, however, the woodland has become too dense for use and is being damaged by invasive species like Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and European black pine (Pinus nigra), which outgrow the predominant native deciduous trees such as oaks, especially Downy oak (Quercus pubescens) and common beech (Fagus sylvatica). The problem is that as well as the pines starving the forest floor micro-systems of light, the autochthonous trees must compete for access to sunlight in the canopy and grow too tall and thin as a result. Stendert has to thin sections of forest gradually, otherwise the affected trees can’t withstand winds, and it can take over ten years of husbandry to restore the forest (this was music to ears for Mrs Simon, who is somewhat of an expert in the field, albeit her specialism is in humid tropical environments!). Fortunately, under the auspices of the new Plan per a l’Espais d’Interes Natural (the plan for areas of special natural interest or P.E.I.N.) the Generalitat (Catalan Government) has come round to the view that this intervention is necessary and gives the necessary permissions, and grants, for sustainable forestry practises. Another current issue, however, is the growing trend for second home ownership; managed tended forest is sparse compared to ‘natural’ wilderness and can appear ugly to urban eyes – supported by the myth that the natural environment is in stasis and that there exists a ‘pristine’ ideal form.

But La Garrotxa certainly does appear pristine and idyllic. The extent of the forest is truly astonishing and its undulating hills are dotted with beautiful masias, the traditional Catalan family homesteads. Although some of these are still farmed the agricultural economy needs input from urban spin-off such as rural tourism. We felt that the area was more like France than Spain and but for the lack of British ex-pat population it appeared more reminiscent of the Dordogne than the Dordogne itself! In fact we much preferred the Alta Garrotxa to the Pac Natural itself. We felt that there the villages have suffered from the impact of tourism and that there is a sense of being ‘over managed’. This is very laudable, of course, but it seemed to isolate one from the natural environment and villages like Santa Pau, beautifully situated in the heart of the Parc, was positively twee!

Much more to our taste was to walk around the immediate vicinity of Can Banal, where Stendert has marked numerous walks that take in the nearby section of the GR1 trans-Pyrenean route. Much more to our liking!

Posted in Catalonia, Environment, Favourite Walks | |

Snowmelt fills the Noguera Pallaresa

It’s been a record breaking winter for rain and snow - and not before time after three years of drought. But even though the snow held on for longer than usual the seasons follow their eternal path, and a warm, early spring ensured a dramatic melting up in the high Pyrenees. It was a slightly unnerving night, camping in a watermeadow on the riverbank, and certainly a noisy one! But a dawn walk along the bankside path was certainly worthwhile. I’ve read that the Noguera Pallaresa is the most powerful river in the Pyrenees. Although I’m not sure how this is measured, it’s certainly easy to beleive at this time of year.

After breakfast we decided to retrace our steps along one of our favourite stretches of the river, the Congost de Collegats. Here, the old road that links the Pallars Jussà to the neighbouring comarca of Pallars Sobirà has been bypassed by long tunels, leaving the riverside to its own devices. For a change it was the river’s turn to grab one’s attention, rather than the magnificent scenery of the ravine.

Further upstream a stop at the picturesque and historical village of Gerri de la Sal, where salt has been extracted from springs at least since 807 when Benedictine monks founded the monastery here, was rewarded with a new discovery.

With a mission to educate and inform, the Planter de Gerri uses rehabilitated terraced gardens to grow a wide range of autoctonous plant species. It will be good to return here in furture years when the installation has matured.

Posted in Catalan Pyrenees, Catalonia, Environment, Favourite Walks, Lleida, Noguera Pallaresa, Uncategorized | Tags: Camping Collegats, Congost de Collegats, Gerri de la Sal, Pallars Jussà, Pallars Sobirà, Santa Maria de Gerri |