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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:
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 Gatwick; 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 Dover-Calais then drive via Paris, Toulouse, and the
Bielsa Tunnel.
Most
convenient airport: Toulouse. Then 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). Through
ticketing Toulouse to St Lary. In 2007 departures from Toulouse
for St Lary were at 10.05 and 13.57. A later departure from
Toulouse at 17.15, arriving St Lary at 19.42 (Sundays 19.50),
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,
in some cases also at Bordeaux. In summer 2007 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.
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. Through ticketing St
Lary to Toulouse. In summer 2007 arrival time from St Lary at
Toulouse Matabiau was 09.59 (not Sundays except in July and
August; on other Sundays arrival Toulouse at 10.37) in both
cases necessitating departure from Bielsa at 05.30, and 12.37
(daily; dep. Bielsa approx. 07.45). Check times before booking
this tour or travelling. 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
singles.
Day
stages: 10km to 25km (6-15 miles) per day with average
altitude gains of 800m, 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.
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.
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:
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 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,
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 renowned for the
quality of its service. English is spoken at the hotel, which is
located close to the central square. The town has a choice of
bars and restaurants, as well as 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 next door 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 unfortunately. 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 are several bars, shops and a
medical centre in this village.
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. To explore
the beautiful Valle de Pineta, which extends to the foot of
Monte Perdido you need an extra day in Bielsa.
q
Day 2: Bielsa
(1050m) to Hospital (this is a place-name, not an institution!).
16.5km/10 miles. Ascent 1100m, descent 1400m. Features of the
day include fine views of the Valley of Pineta, forest tracks,
open Alpine meadows, a mountain pass at 2060m, the village of
Tella (famous for its witches) and an ancient dolmen (neolithic
burial chamber). The day ends with a descent into the Cinca
valley.
q
Day 3: Hospital
to Escuain, return to Hospital. 9.5km / 6 miles. Ascent 650m,
descent 100m. The route follows the river Yaga, passing through
the abandoned village of Estamilla and into a very rich natural
habitat with a wide variety of vegetation. Castillo Mayor
commands the view to the south, while Monte Perdido and the Tres
Marias are a short distance to the north. You will be collected
at Escuain at about 17:00 and returned to Hospital.
q
Day 4: Bestue
to Nerin. 13km/7 miles; ascent 800m, descent 800m. A car
transfer at start of day to Bestue - included in tour price - 14
km / 9 miles: ascent 800m, descent 800m. The longer option is a
hard day, crossing the Collada de Raton (1684m) before
descending to Bestue (1220m). You then cross the fantastic gorge
of Anisclo before climbing again to Nerin (1281m).
q
Day 5:
Nerin to Ainsa. From Nerin to Buerba (8km/5miles) we recommend a
car transfer included in tour price) Buerba to Ainsa (on foot):
22 km/13 miles; ascent 400m, descent 950m. Buerba has an
interesting church. You cross a remote mountain region and descend to Boltania
(643m), which has a ruined castle.
There are alternative paths along the valley for the last
8km to Ainsa (589m).
q
Day 6: Ainsa
to Lafortunada. 23 km/14 miles; ascent 600m, 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.
q
Day 7: Road
transfer from Lafortunada to Plan (1120m), then walk over the
mountains to Bielsa while the baggage continues by road. You
cross a pass at 2100m and explore wild forests and hidden
valleys, with magnificent views of the distant peaks.
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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