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Travel
Information
Arrival:
Afternoon/early evening of day 1.
First
hotel: At Bielsa, 13 km/8 miles south of the Tunnel de
Bielsa (French/Spanish frontier).
Travel:
Most
convenient airport:
is Toulouse. The fastest route
from Britain, and that used for our UK-based full-package
customers, is by air to Toulouse. Daily direct flights on
British Airways from London Heathrow; flight time 2 hours. (Or
fly via Paris from most regional airports in the U.K. then train
or fly to Toulouse. Or take the car by ferry or tunnel to Calais
then drive via Paris, Toulouse, and the Bielsa Tunnel.)
Low cost airlines Easyjet, Jet2 and Flybe also fly to Toulouse
from a number of UK airports. These flights can be used in
conjuntion with our ‘land only’ arrangements.
Onward
travel from Toulouse: Airport bus
to Toulouse Matabiau rail station (30min) and train to
Lannemezan (1 hr 15 mins) then connecting rail bus to St Lary
(55 mins), from where you will be collected and driven through
the Bielsa Tunnel and over (or rather under) the Spanish border
to Bielsa (45 mins).
Through
ticketing Toulouse to St Lary. e.g departures from Toulouse for
St Lary at 10.05 and 13.57. A later departure from Toulouse at
17.15, arriving St Lary at 19.42 (Sundays 19.51), would mean
arrival at Bielsa at around 21.00 (Sundays 21.15); it may still
be possible to obtain an evening meal in Bielsa at this time.
Check train times before booking this tour or travelling. This
can be done on the Internet on www.sncf.com.
Trains
from Paris: It
is possible to travel by early morning train from Paris to
Lannemezan, changing trains at Tarbes or Toulouse. E.g. one
could depart Paris on Mondays to Saturdays at 07.25 (TGV, change
trains at Tarbes) arrive Lannemezan 15.06. At Lannemezan change
onto SNCF bus to St Lary. Note that as this bus route is run by
SNCF the bus timetable is available on the SNCF web site.
Arrival
via Spain:
Bielsa is 300km/180 miles from the international airport at
Barcelona and 230km/150 miles from the smaller airport at
Zaragoza. Public transport links are currently slow and
inconvenient but you could consider hiring a car.
End
of Tour: Tour ends at Bielsa after
breakfast on day 8. Private
road transfer via tunnel to St Lary, then rail bus to Lannemezan
and train to Toulouse. Journey times for through ticketing St
Lary to Toulouse as below.
2008
timetable (2009 time available 2 months before travel)
Leave Bielsa St
Lary Arrive
Toulouse Matabiau
05.30
09.59*
07.45
12.22
* except Sundays in June and September when arrival in Toulouse
is at 10.37.
Check times before booking and traveling. Times can be checked
for your day of travel on the Internet on www.sncf.com
Season:
Mid-June to end September. The accommodation can be heavily
booked in August, so if you want to travel at that time then
better book early!
Level of Difficulty
Grade:
Challenging.
Fitness:
This challenging walk is designed to appeal to the fit and
experienced walker/hiker.
The first walking day is strenuous so you do need to be in
good shape before you start the tour. You should be competent at
map reading and compass work. Because of the remote and
rugged terrain this self-guided tour is not available to solo
travellers.
Day
stages: 10km to 26km (6-15 miles) per day with average
altitude gains of 900m, but over 1000m on some days. Walking 5 to 8 hrs a day. The 4th walking day (from Nerin to
Ainsa) can be shortened by using a car transfer (included in
tour price) at the start of the day,
starting at the village of Buerba. The seventh day can be
shortened by starting at the village of Sin rather than Plan.
Waymarks:
The trails are generally well
waymarked. But they can be spaced and hard to find on some
sections. You do need to be able to cope with rough trails that
are in places somewhat overgrown with vegetation and with
mountain streams, which may be swollen after heavy rain. The
maps are not as accurate as British maps of a similar scale
(1:40,000 and 1:50,000).
General
Information
Baths:
it is not normal for your room to have a bath, the main reason
being that it takes up a lot of space, some hotels/guesthouses
may have a separate room in the house where a bath is available
to guests, but in the main it is showers. There is generally a serious water shortage in Spain.
Breakfast:
in countries such as Spain usually consists of coffee and
toast/croissant, if you want more for breakfast then we would
suggest you purchase some food the night before. It is important
for you to tell us if you have any dietary requirements when you
book your holiday so
that we can inform everyone that you are staying with.
Language:
Note
that you will not necessarily come across people speaking
English. Remember you have left home to find things different
bring a phrase book, try to learn a bit of Spanish!
Luggage:
Note
that
on this tour there are no baggage transfers between Hospital de
Tella and Nerin, you therefore need a rucksack big enough to
carry a change of clothing and footwear and your toothbrush for
1 overnight / 2 walking days (details below). When staying in
hotels, sometimes your luggage will have been taken to you room
awaiting your arrival. However don’t be surprised if your
luggage is waiting at reception for you to take it up to your
room please politely ask someone if you need assistance.
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Accommodation
& Meals
Accommodation
is in small hotels& guesthouses. Six evening meals, six breakfasts and four packed picnic lunches are included in the
tour price. In Ainsa only, you will stay on a room only basis.
q Nights
1 & 7: Our 3* hotel in Bielsa is a
large modern building just below the old town. There is a great
restaurant and bar, and the dinner is well prepared, presented
and includes a local wine. This small town has bars, several
supermarkets, a pharmacy, and a tourist information office.
q
Nights 2
& 3: These nights are spent at a small family-run
guesthouse and restaurant on the banks of the river Cinca at
Hospital de Tella. There is a terrace and a bar with a vaulted
ceiling. There are
4 twin-bedded rooms with en suite facilities and 2 rooms without
private facilities. There is no other bar, restaurant or shop
nearby.
q
Night 4:
In the small and very pretty village of Nerin our 2* hotel has
got comfortable rooms with en-suite bathroom. There is a bar,
and the restaurant serves good food. There is no shop or other
facilities in this remote village.
q
Night 5:
In Ainsa we stay near to the church in the historic square
of the town. The old building has been recently converted to a
guesthouse. There are two double-bedded rooms and six
twin-bedded, all modern, well kept and with en-suite facilities.
Breakfast in Ainsa is not included but
all you need to do is pop out to a nearby café for your
breakfast. If the
guesthouse is fully booked a nearby 1* hotel also provides good
service.
q
Night 6: In
Lafortunada we use a 1* hotel with its own restaurant. The rooms
have en-suite facilities. There is a bar, in the centre of the
village but it may not be open.
Outline Itinerary
q
Day 1: Arrival
at first hotel in Bielsa. Depending on your time of arrival
there should be an opportunity to explore the town. Bielsa was
heavily bombed in the Spanish Civil War in 1938, as the
Republican Army escaped up the valley into France. This explains
why the town is a bit of a hotch-pot of building styles.
Nevertheless there is an interesting square and a church, which
amazingly survived the bombing. To explore the beautiful Valle
de Pineta, which extends to the foot of Monte Perdido you really
need an extra day in Bielsa and a car!
q
Day 2: Bielsa
(1050m) to Hospital (this is a place-name, not an institution!).
16.5km/10 miles. 7-8 hours. Total Ascent 1200m, descent 1540m.
Features of the day include fine views of the Valley of Pineta,
forest tracks, open Alpine meadows, a mountain pass at 2060m
called ‘El Portillo de Tella.’ Good bird viewing potential
and maybe chamois. You then descend to the pretty village of
Tella famous for its witches and an ancient dolmen (neolithic
burial chamber). The day ends with a descent into the Cinca
valley and your guesthouse at Hospital de Tella.
q
Day 3: Hospital
to Escuain, return to Hospital. 9.5km / 6 miles. 4-5 hours.
Total Ascent 750m, descent 300m. The route follows the River
Yaga, passing through the almost abandoned hamlet of Estamilla
and into a very rich natural habitat with a wide variety of
vegetation. The table topped mountain of Castillo Mayor commands
the view to the south, while Monte Perdido and the Tres Marias
are a short distance to the north. Escuain is a pretty village
with a few people working on the land. There are some attractive
old buildings and a little tourist information, which has
details about the Lammergeyers who inhabit the area. You will be
collected at Escuain at about 17:00 and returned to Hospital.
q
Day 4: Hospital,
drive to Bestue, walk
to Nerin. 13km/7 miles. Total ascent 1120m, descent 1105m. 6-8
hours. There is a car transfer at start of day to Bestue (1220
metres) - included in tour. This is another old village which is
slowly being done up and relived in for at least part of the
year. There is then a lot of down and up then down and up again
until you reach Nerin, as you go crossing the fantastic Anisclo
Canyon, which has a long spanned medieval parabolic stone
bridge. On this walk at certain points you may look down upon
Lammergeyers, Griffon Vultures or peregrines flying below you.
The last part of the day is the ascent to Nerin (1281m) and from
the village looking back down the valley you can get nice
alpenglow views of Castillo Mayor.
q
Day 5:
Nerin,
drive to Buerba, walk to Ainsa. From Nerin to Buerba
(8km/5miles) we provide a car transfer included in tour price.
Buerba to Ainsa (on foot) is 23 km/14 miles, but we recommend
that you take a taxi from the small town of Boltana (not
included) to reduce the walk and give you more time in Ainsa.
Total ascent 535m, descent 1030m. Buerba has an interesting
church.
You cross a remote mountain region, which has many signs
of rural depopulation, such as abandoned terraces, chapels and
hamlets. The walk is mostly descent, but with a quite steep pull
up to the pass called ‘El Portillo de los Valles’ and then
on a broad forest track descending to Boltana (643m), which has
a precarious ruined castle. There are alternative paths along
the valley for the last 8km to Ainsa (589m), should you wish to
continue the walk that is reasonably pleasant alongside the
river Ara.
q Ainsa
is a major small town with a number of service and tourist
shops. The main attraction is the old upper town, which is
walled and has a main square and a few old streets leading off
it. There are many restaurants on the square to try different
dishes. Beyond this there is an old fortress, which has a wall
walkway from where if it is clear you can see a panorama
stretching back to Monte Perdido and the French border. Listen
out for Nightingales and Warblers in June! Another good
viewpoint is that from the other side of the River Cinca where
if you cross the bridge, you will get a good view back to the
upper town.
q
Day 6: Ainsa
to Lafortunada. 23 km/14 miles, total ascent 780m, descent 600m.
A day following the Cinca valley, passing through several
villages and along forested slopes above the river. The towering
walls of Pena Montanesa provide an impressive backdrop as you
go. The final 10 km you follow the Cinca bankside path until you
reach the hydroelectric village of Lafortunada, a sleepy place,
but there is a hamlet called Badain across the river, which has
an interesting church you can ascend to.
q
Day 7: This
day is the longest and perhaps hardest of all: Road
transfer from Lafortunada to Plan (1120m), then walk over the
mountains to Bielsa while the baggage continues by road.
Distance 26km / 16 miles. Total ascent: 1300m, descent 1400m.
Around 8 hours. A shorter option is possible via Sin, saving
about 2 hours from the start of the walk. The walk takes you
along terrace margins and through little villages before
climbing through the pastures which get progressively alpine
with good groups of flower including narcissi, columbines and
primulas / cowslips. You
cross a mountain pass at 2116m called ‘Cruz de la Guardia’
and then descend exploring wild forests and hidden valleys,
until you turn out of the valley and there is the distance is
Bielsa again. Reach the hotel and you have completed the circuit!
q
Day 8: Morning
departure from Bielsa.
Baggage Transfers
Your
baggage (20kg per person) is transferred for you when you move
to a new accommodation. However there is normally no baggage
transfer service to or from Nerin (night 4); baggage will be
transferred direct from Hospital de Tella to Ainsa and you will
need therefore to carry overnight gear on days 4 and 5.
Customers wishing to spend an extra night in Nerin should
enquire about the possibility of baggage transfers to and from
Nerin; there would be an extra charge for this service.
Extra Nights
These
can be booked anywhere along the route. We suggest Ainsa, for a
rest day in a small historic town, or Bielsa, from which there
are interesting day walks along the Valle de Pineta. If you are
spending an extra night in one of the smaller centres such as
Nerin you will need to order and pay for your own packed lunch
for the extra day on arrival.
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