Guest blog by Peter
This is the second day of my walk with John through some country I know - or thought I did till yesterday! Picking up with John's fiendish high level of fitness was hard so was pleased that both legs were functioning this morning.
We left Mantet after a good breakfast (turned out building his wonderful little gite had cost our belgian host two wives, though current post holder very nice and a great cook).
John bought some locally produced and high priced sheep's cheese and we walked 300 metres up to the Col de Mantet, really good views back the way we had come yesterday.
and then down to Py at 700 metres.
The Golden Nugget of Py had a sign saying "ouvert" but we were unconvinced. Pressed on and climbed gently up to Col de Jou through beech woods.
Weather closing in but some good glimpses if the west face of Canigou which is the last big mountain in the range before the Mediterranean. At 2780 metres it is the sacred mountain of the Catalans visible from Narbonne to Girona. Tomorrow we'll go over early before the clouds and storms build up.
Today they certainly built up. We were just feet away from a lightning bolt and the rain poured down steadily (stair rods says John) but our day today was pretty short and half an hour later we checked into the Refuge. John overjoyed to try out again his dormitory anti-snoring technique.
This is the second day of my walk with John through some country I know - or thought I did till yesterday! Picking up with John's fiendish high level of fitness was hard so was pleased that both legs were functioning this morning.
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| Gite d'Etape in Mantet |
We left Mantet after a good breakfast (turned out building his wonderful little gite had cost our belgian host two wives, though current post holder very nice and a great cook).
John bought some locally produced and high priced sheep's cheese and we walked 300 metres up to the Col de Mantet, really good views back the way we had come yesterday.
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| Up from Mantet |
and then down to Py at 700 metres.
The Golden Nugget of Py had a sign saying "ouvert" but we were unconvinced. Pressed on and climbed gently up to Col de Jou through beech woods.
 |
| Through the Beech trees |
Weather closing in but some good glimpses if the west face of Canigou which is the last big mountain in the range before the Mediterranean. At 2780 metres it is the sacred mountain of the Catalans visible from Narbonne to Girona. Tomorrow we'll go over early before the clouds and storms build up.
Today they certainly built up. We were just feet away from a lightning bolt and the rain poured down steadily (stair rods says John) but our day today was pretty short and half an hour later we checked into the Refuge. John overjoyed to try out again his dormitory anti-snoring technique.
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| The Refuge de Marialles |
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| Grim Weather |
Great blog Pete.
ReplyDeleteI'm wondering if I'll be able to keep up with him next week?