Day 24 GR1 to Salinas de Trillo

First day for Christine and so far she has been 100 per cent lucky, gorgeous sunny morning, clouded up just a bit in the afternoon but both the thunder storms missed us, one to the north and one to the south.

Got better views of Liguerre de Cinca this morning (it was dark when we got there last night), great location and carefully restored. Very much like a Parador, the trade union has done a great job.

Liguerre de Cinca

The best part of the walk was also in the morning. About a kilometre north of Liguerre de Cinca you enter a steep sided gorge, with a river running along the bottom and a narrow path cut into the rocks along its eastern side with grape hyacinths and violets littering it, Lovely path, lasts for about three kilometres until you emerge at the dam which is holding back the huge reservoir which we looked down on from the Castillo de Samitier last night. A huge vulture sat in the sun on a rock above the gorge waiting for someone to fall off the path.

Above the Río Cinca

The Pyrenees were particularly clear and you could see them as soon got above the dam. Protruding from the reservoir is the tower of the church for the village which was flooded when the dam was built. The reservoir is full at the moment but more of the church is revealed every summer as the level of the water drops.

Along the gorge path above the Río Cinca

More great views of the Pyrenees as we walked up over a little pass and down to El Humo de Moro which had a restaurant and bar and some smelly pigs tastefully housed in camouflaged pig styes. Christine and I waded through a river before we got there without taking off our trainers which, in my case at least, will guarantee that the shoes smell like the pigs.

Submerged church in the Embalse de Mediona

Stopped for lunch at the El Humo de Moro which I think is the fourth lunch stop I've had on this trip. Red wine, bruschetta, cheese ham and chorizo.

The Pyrenees from the Muro de Roda

The afternoon was a bit messy. We followed the GR1 north and took the variant up to the Muro de Roda, spectacular church high on a hill with more great views of the Pyrenees and the thunderstorms rolling up the valley from the west. Slightly disconcerted about the weather we also started to work out how far we have got to walk and of course it's a lot further than expected.

Ermita de Santa Bárbera on the Muri de Roda

Christine's energy levels, already running low after the "extra" climb up the hill Muro de Roda, were now dangerously close to empty. We decide to take a more direct route to Salinas de Trillo chopping off the huge meander the GR1 makes at this point.

The thunder storms passed close by and we feel spots of rain but once they have left the scene the sun returns and on the final run into Salinas de Trillo we get more great views of the Pyrenees.

Casa at Salinas de Trillo

Quite a big first day for Christine, 33 kilometres, and without the short-cut, it would have been 40. No blisters though and nothing that a good dinner and some nice Spanish wine didn't put right.

Christine adds
Good dinner comprised homemade chicken soup, aubergine fritters, pork and garlic meatballs in mushroom sauce and homemade sausages, all followed by little slices of chocolate ice, borage leaf frittata and tiny home made biscuits. Large dishes of food were put in front of us and we helped ourselves. When you get a good casa rural it takes some beating.

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