Stage 6 - The E4 from the Pyrenees to Carcassone

After the disappointment of Catalonia things picked once I got into France.  If the E4 through Catalonia was one of the worse bits of the route than the E4 from the Pyrenees to Carcassonne was one of the best.

This particular corner of France is a really great place to walk and the route of the E4 captures both the area's varied and beautiful landscape and its interesting cultural legacy.

E4 - GR36

Tuesday May 17th Caudies de Fenouilledes to Duilhac-sous-Peyrepertuse

As well as huge numbers of bars, Spain also has huge numbers of local banks with ATM machines. France doesn't and French people seem to like cash rather than cards. So yesterday I was running out of food today I was running out of cash. When you walking everywhere, to a timetable, a deviation to a cash machine is a bit of a pain but no choice as Duilhac-sous-Peyrepertuse is a really small place (no ATMs) and I'm staying in a bed and breakfast (cash).

The extra destination was St Paul de Fenouilledes and going there meant dropping down into the valley again right in the heat of the day, probably walking an extra 6 kilometres, and this broke the magic of the walk.

Like yesterday the weather was perfect but today I was perhaps slightly higher, the countryside a bit more remote and the scenery was even better.

Roc de Chalabre

Apart from the visit to St Paul, I didn't go into any villages and today I was walking east from rather west so getting closer to Budapest rather than further away.

Again it was up from the bottom of valley and then high up along the ridge. Sometimes you were working through tunnels formed by the trees and sometimes you were walking across open meadows. Everything, apart from the flowers, was wonderfully green. Lots of wild thyme in full flower. For the fourth and what must be the last day Canigou, the mountain I climbed just before the storm five days ago, dominated the southern skyline.

Old Green Lane

Heather

The number of walkers is increasing, including some people carrying packs, and I was able to share the top of the Roc Paradet with four French walkers. They were walkers but I suspect a car was nearby.

View from Roc Paradet

The walk into St Paul slightly knocked me off my stride and what had been a really great walk started to become hard work. There are two options I think for the GR 36 around here and as a consequence I didn't really know how much further I had to go. Was also getting a bit short of water. As it was it was 5.30 before I saw the famous Cathar castle, the Chateau Peyrepertuse which sits on top of cliff above Duilhac-sous-Peyrepertuse. By the time I got there I had walked 32 kilometres and climbed 1400 metres.

It's half a hour down a road to the village, I hadn't booked anything but knew there was a bed and breakfast which I found immediately. Couldn't find the promised restaurant, the villages have very little of anything (just like the UK), but saw a van selling Pizzas. Had to wait an hour for mine to be cooked so they are clearly doing OK but it was a big one and it was very good.

Have a big walk tomorrow, can't get away very early and I know it's a crime but I think I'm going to have to miss out on a visit to the Chateau Peyrepertuse. I feel bad because it is a Cathar highlight. Based on the last few days though I'm sure I'll be back.

Chateau Peyrepertuse

Friday May 13th Mantet to Refuge de Mariailles

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.

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.

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.

The Refuge de Marialles

Grim Weather

Wednesday May 11th Alp to Planes

In France!!!

For the last couple of weeks or so it felt like I was never going to get here but here I am. Crossed the border at Puigcerda at 11 which is about 7 kilometres from Alp and then walked onto Planes. I'm now following the GR 36 which, for the next three days, follows the route of the GR 10, the trans Pyrenean walk, a really famous route.

Slight embarrassment with the bottom half of my trousers before leaving Alp. Had left them in the sun on the window sill to dry while I had a kip and of course they blew away. One leg was easy to retrieve but the other had gone down into basement in a space which was enclosed. Had to persuade a reluctant landlady to let me climb out of the restaurant window. It was easy getting out but getting back was a problem. Still don't suppose I will be coming back to Alp in the near future.

Very easy walk to Puigcerda, held off from crossing the border and walked up into town and bought some new walking poles. Bit heavy compared to others but will do the job. Also bought a look alike Swiss army knife which is also a lot heavier than the real thing but I'm now fully equipped again.

Then across the border although to be honest you would be hard pushed to notice. Some redundant buildings all that remains, good riddance to borders I say. Stopped in Bourg Madame, the first town immediately on the French side, and ordered a cafe au lait. My French is already as good as my Spanish.

Remnants of the Spanish/French border crossing

Then I started my walk across France. Markings were great but in any event I'm very confident about my GPS trail. Unlike in Spain however I don't have maps on my GPS (got PDFs of the maps on my IPad) so I can tell from the trail if I going the right way but don't know if I arrived - sounds almost philosophical.

Anyway the walk was excellent. An off-road trail along the south side of a very broad valley gradually climbing all the way. Good views although it became quite stormy as the afternoon wore on. Walked through some lovely little villages, Err, Lo and Eyne and some not so nice ski resorts. Very sad photo memorial on the side of a building to two children who had been taken to Auschwitz in 1942.

Err

Village memorial to the Holocaust

Christine and I have walked around here before although it must be more than 10 years ago. We started at the Llavia, the Spanish enclave in France, did a big loop north before coming back to Mont Louis the huge French fort on the north side of the valley I was walking along today. I remember we had a big argument at the Eyne 2600 ski resort, which in the summer is a very ugly place and must set of lots of rows.

Got to Planes at about 6 after a walkof 30 kilometres and 1300 metres of climb. I'm staying in a Gite d'Etape and I'm not really sure what the designation stands for although it is definitely doesn't mean five star hotel. Had dinner at 7 o'clock which is a bit early for us Spanish types but I guess I'll get used to these north European ways in a while.

Peter Williams, a friend from London who also lives out here, is joining me in the morning and having some walking company will be a nice change. Stop me going mad. Hope the weather holds up because the next few days hold out the prospect of some wonderful walking.