O Camiño Dos Faros Day 3

Day 3 on the Camiño Dos Faros and a great day's walking, approaching epic!

Early morning near 

The big change, after yesterday, was the weather. Last night's monsoons were replaced by a dry but fresh sunny day with white puffy clouds racing across an otherwise blue sky. The light was great, clear and crisp, presenting some great scenery in the best possible way.

O Camiño Dos Faros Day 2

One word provides an all too succinct summary of today: 'wet'. It was drizzling as we left our lovely hotel at about 9-30, and raining properly about 30 minutes later. In the day long weather battle between good and evil, good turned up off stage for just a few minutes early afternoon but decided he had better places to go and the rain came down even harder. After sticking with the route until late afternoon we cut our losses at about 4.30, took a big shortcut across the final headland and dropped down into Porto do Corme. Almost impossible to imagine but as we entered what I suspect is a sad little town even in the sunshine the rain took on monsoon proportions. After roaming the deserted streets for about 30mins we found our accommodation, an apartment, and started the not insignificant task of drying ourselves out.

A Dolmen - maybe

El Pont de Suert - Circular Walk No 2

After the navigational challenges of the first circular walk out of El Pont de Suert the second is a 'piece of cake'. It's a completely different - less about abandoned villages and decaying trails and more about huge open views, particularly north into the Pyrenees.

GR1 Sendero Histórico - a Review

Starting at the beginning of March 2013, I walked for five weeks along the GR1 Sendero Histórico. Apart from the weather, apparently the worst in Spain since 1947, I had a great month, - the GR1 is an amazing walk and deserves to be much better known internationally.

The GR1 is a 1,200 kilometre trail running across northern Spain from the Mediterranean to the Asturias.  As the name suggests, the route has a historical theme and was developed to take the walker along the boundary between Moorish and Christian Spain. Travelling along it, I visited some of the world's most important Romanesque sites (Sos del Rey Católico, Loare Castle, Besalú).

Day 37 GR1 L'Escala

Arrived in L'Escala, the end of the GR1 Sendero Historico on the Mediterranean, at about 5 o'clock. It was freezing cold with a biting north wind, almost as cold as when I started the trip at the beginning of March. Christine's swimming costume was staying put in her bag.

It wasn't nearly so cold when we rejoined the GR1 at Orriols after breakfast. I had anticipated an ugly walk across a coastal plain for the last day but it turned out to be nicer than that.
The countryside was rolling rather than flat, a mix of woodland and arable, very green, and reminded me of Christine's home county Suffolk.

Lush spring meadows

Day 36 GR1 Banyoles

Heading down on the final descent to the Mediterranean the weather is a real disappointment. Instead of the blue sky, sun and sea it's all cloud, rain and greyness. It's a shame and adds to the stew of mixed emotions inevitable at the end of a 37 day trip.

Misty morning in Oix

Day 35 GR1 to Oix

After complaints about yesterday's walk being too long it was essential to come up with something shorter today. The original idea was to take a taxi along the busy valley to the east of Ripoll and start at Sant Joan de les Abadesses but on a cold, drizzly day 33 kilometres seemed too long. Instead we asked the taxi to take us further to Sant Pau de Segúties, leaving a very manageable 20 kilometres.

When we arrived it was market day and the bar we dropped into for coffee was busy and full of men topping up their alcohol levels (about 9.30 in the morning). Apart from us, the only person not drinking was a young guy wearing the cyclist's uniform of baggy shorts and tights and he turned out to be a German reaching the end of his Berlin to Barcelona bike trip. Really nice guy, and great to share a bit of time with another long-distance travelling nutcase. He had hauled his 35 kg bike and gear over the Pyrenees in the frost last night and was now stopping at the bar to buy cigarettes! Apologies for the photo which seems to capture two drinkers emerging from the bar rather than the cyclist and his bike.

Day 34 GR1 to Ripoll

Normal service resumed, the walk was longer than expected and I was in trouble as we made the final, extra long approach to Ripoll. Not sure what the fuss was about, 38 kilometres instead of 33, but I was blamed for all sorts. Shame because I got everything else right, nice walk and near perfect weather.

Left the hostal, really a casa rural, at Lluçà at about 8.45. Great food last night (despite having forgotten we were coming, the owner produced a feast : a perfectly dressed salad, a bowl of puy lentils and vegetables, grilled chicken with wild rice and then strawberry fruit salad); and a lovely breakfast.

Llucà - Ermita de Santa Maria

Day 33 GR1 to Lluçà

Today must be the first day when I managed to estimate the distance correctly. Normally I am horribly over-optimistic but today almost everything when to plan. 29 kilometres, two of which were accounted for by the location of the hotel in Gironella, a nice relaxed 8 hour walk.

Gironella is not somewhere you would choose to visit on a weekend - some of the small Spanish towns are wonderful, but on first impressions this isn't one of them. We walked through the old centre, past the cathedral, in and out of a bread shop, and then out of town. The trip out of town was pretty depressing, lots of uncompleted residential accommodation and a new industrial estate which has only got as far as the road layout.

Day 31 GR1 Sant Llorenç de Morunys

After Christine's guest blog it's back to business as usual with me reporting on the first day of the final week of my trudge across northern Spain.

Unfortunately because of insistence on full implementation of the "walking time directive" the day had to finish 10 kilometres before the end. In fairness to Christine, completion would have required a very early start, possibly before breakfast, which would be in breach of regulations. As it was both we and the Hotel seemed to miss the fact that the clocks had changed so instead of 8 o'clock we didn't get away until 9.

Perfect sunny day and the big red cliffs which span the northern horizon of Oliana looked fantastic. Bit of a road walk to start with but I think that was because we missed the beginning of the GR1 which was probably more to the centre of town than we thought.

Day 30 GR1 to Oliana

Guest blog by Christine

Having sworn blind last night that this was the last of John's trips I wanted to come on, I woke up this morning feeling fresh as a daisy and looking forward to a walk. The sun was already pouring through the window and there were 2 donkeys quietly grazing outside.

Breakfast was something else. The woman who ran the Casa (or did all the work) brought a wooden trencher to our table that had a sort of miniature tree coming out of it, on which hung 6 or 7 varieties of home cured dried sausage, all of which had to be tried with our tosta and olive oil. This, combined with home made jams and cheese washed down by gallons of coffee, made for a feast. I sneaked an inch of salami into my trouser pocket for later.

Day 29 GR1 Sant Cristofol

My perfect walking day, on these long distance treks, is 8 hours. Less and it feels you're not covering the ground and hanging around too long in hotels; more and it feels you're on your feet all the time.

Today's walk was a tough 11 hours, the toughest of the trip (so far), and Christine was in open revolt by the time we struggled into the casa rural.

The story of the day is how long it was. I would like to report on the brilliant views but low clouds blocked what would have been amazing views of the Pyrenees.

I did know today was going to be long. When Juan did it he got a taxi at the Coll de Comiols, the only place on the route where you cross a significant road, and that would have taken a couple of hours off. Juan and I agreed however that organising a taxi on Good Friday would be very difficult and even then it would have to take us a long way to find somewhere to stay. The better but painful option was another 8 kilometres (or so) down to a casa beyond Sant Cristofol.

Day 27 GR1 to Puente de Montañana

Today, for two basic reasons, was a tougher walk than I expected.

Firstly it was longer, 28 kilometres rather than the 23 we had expected.

Secondly the going was difficult, a lot of it muddy and "claggy", often overgrown, and occasionally disappearing across a muddy gully. It was just hard work.

Tough trail

Day 25 GR1 to Graus

Christine's luck continued into a second day. Wonderful sun all morning until about 2pm. Then cloud and wind, but it didn't start to rain until we got to the hotel in Graus.

Great breakfast at casa rural in Salinas de Trillo, again everything homemade. Four different sorts of cured meat, cheese and of course sweet Spanish tomato pulp to put on your toast. There was a litre of red wine on the table but no takers, but the cafe con leche with this morning's fresh goats milk went down very well. The cost per person, by the way, was 38 euros for dinner bed and breakfast and as much red wine and other home made beverages as you can drink - Spain offers great value.

When we left we really felt like we had made some new friends. Would be great to go back there.

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

Day 23 GR1 Liguerre de Cinca

Apparently the weather has been dodgy back in the UK and Christine was stuck on runway at Stansted for 5 hours. Poor Juan was waiting for her at Zaragoza Airport with the intention of making a multi-modal trip to Samitier to meet me at 3 o'clock to climb a big hill to look at a castle before going to the hotel. Despite the plane being so late amazingly they get to Samitier after Juan charms a lift from a young woman who is waiting for her cousin on the same flight. She drives them the 75 kilometres to Huesca and they then get the taxi as planned - alls well that ends well.

All I have had to do today is walk 20 kilometres from Paulas de Sarsas to Samitier. Nice walk but without with drama of yesterday. The Pyrenees were shrouded in cloud and the little villages had people living in them. Within 15 kilometres or so from rural desolation, villages like Arcusa had been restored and the houses gentrified.

Day 21 GR1 Nocito

Brilliant walk, great scenery, lots of interesting and unexpected things and a lovely trail.

Again it's a different route to the one Juan walked and today the GR1 Sendero Historico followed the Camino Natural de la Hoya de Huesca all the way from Arguis to Nocito. I went on the old route, which still has GR signs on it, along the road up to the pass at Mesón Nuevo only to find when I got there that the new route came cross country up from Arguis. To be honest it didn't look that nice - all routes lead to the pass and there's a sodding great motorway to be avoided whichever way you go.

Once I got on the new route the signs were brilliant and took me all the way to Nocito. Compared with the original GR1 it's more "off road" - carefully avoiding anything that could be accessed by a vehicle. It's had a lot of money spent on it including some unnecessary and slightly ugly hand-rails. Minor complaint though on what is otherwise an excellent trail.

Day 20 GR1 Arguis

Doesn't feel that I've done a full day's walking when I finish at 2.30, particularly when weather is as perfect as it was today. Got another short one tomorrow as well!

I stayed in a casa rural in Bolea and Isabel, the landlady, couldn't stop laughing despite the fact that we didn't understand a word each other were saying. She rang her daughter this morning just to ask me if I wanted to take a sandwich, and then rang her again to find what I wanted in it. What a pain the language barrier is.

Like yesterday the GR1 has been rerouted. From Bolea until it crosses the pass at Paso de Nieve it follows the same route as the Camino Natural de la Hoya de Huesca and then reverts to its original route.

Ermita de la Trinidad

Day 19 GR1 Bolea

When it comes to navigating along long distance trails every country in Europe is different. In the UK we have fantastic maps, with the routes and rights of way clearly marked but on the ground the way marking is comparatively poor. In Spain the routes are not marked on the maps so you're dependent on the way marking, guides when they exist, or a GPS trail from someone who has already walked the trail before. I'm using Juan's trail which he has developed over a series of trips along the GR1.

In Spain routes do however change, much more frequently than in the UK where changing a "right of way" is a big deal legally. In addition variants are often added and "on the ground" it can get a bit confusing particularly when there is no route map to refer to. That was the story of today - lovely route but not the one I was expecting and a good bit longer.

Day 18 GR1 Murillo de Gállego

No Day 17 I'm afraid. It rained all night on Saturday and according to the weather forecast it was going to rain all day Sunday. I was in a comfortable hotel in Sos Dey Rey Catolico and the idea of tramping for 9 hours through the mud to Biel just didn't appeal. Of course what usually happens when I decide not to make a trip is that the sun comes out - well it didn't - it kept raining, walking would have been miserable and for once I had made the right decision. I hung around Sos Dey Rey Catolico all day, had a drink in the Parador, saw the sights and rested up.

I am however on a schedule - the accommodation is all booked and I'm meeting Juan and Christine at a particular time this Saturday. To get back on schedule meant a taxi trip to Biel where I was supposed to stay last night. The taxi took nearly an hour but it was a nice trip and I got to see Uncastillo yet another lovely town surrounding a castle on top of hill.

The huge church in Biel