Crossing the Pyrenees on the GR11
La Senda Pirenaica

Andora and Spain, Autumn 2020, 20121, 2022

by George Wormald and Martin Curren

Over the roar of the high winds, and straining to see through the spindrift, I shouted to Martin “When do we decide to turn back?”. He never heard, and we continued wading through the drifted snow to the top of Portella d’Engorgs (2691m) on our way to the Refugi de l’IIla in Andorra.

We didn’t lack experience, and with our combined age of 143 we should have heeded the warning signs the afternoon before. We had been pitching our tent beside the Estang Sec near the Refugi de Malniu (2131m) as a shepherd and his flock descended from the heights above. We were just preparing our evening meal and thought nothing of it. In the early hours the storm started and what a storm it was. The tent nearly took off and was blown in, wiping our faces with its damp surface andits frame shaken by the violent gusts of wind. Bleary-eyed we awoke to find treacherous icy sections on the path and deeper snow higher up. All the waymarks were obliterated and it took us 9 hours to reach the doors of the Refugi de l’Illa, only to have to wait outside while the guardian checked blood samples to see whether we had Covid. This was the penultimate stage of our first foray on the GR11before we descended to Encamp, Andorra, to return home.

That was in September 2020. Nothing daunted, we completed the east – west traverse of the GR11 through Spain and Andorra in October 2022 on our third ‘expedition’, covering its 820km and 46,000m of ascent in 47 days, each in late summer and early autumn. The late Brian Johnson’s excellent Cicerone guide (new edition in 2024 – ed) was our bible for planning and while he leaned towards understatement we were grateful for his accuracy. He states that La Senda Pirenaica requires experience of high mountains with rough, steep terrain to traverse, at the upper end of walking difficulty. What follows are my own reflections.

Whilst the warmth of the Mediterranean Sea at the start – the barren most easterly point of Spain, Cap de Creus – was enjoyable, our enthusiasm was then a bit dented by the 40°C daytime temperatures that only abated when we went on to higher altitudes. Whilst we knew from the GR20 in Corsica that travelling light was really important, especially with our advancing years, the first sections did require a tent, stove and sleeping mats and bags, as accommodation was not readily available. We kept our pack weights to below 10kg each except for water. In the next two years we used refuges, gîtes d’étape, and hotels to allow us to leave the tent, stove and food at home. In fact, in Aragón, but not everywhere in Catalunya, hut blankets, pillows and hut slippers were provided so we could have lightened our load even more. Reciprocal arrangements for ÖAV members are available in Aragón with the FAM -Federación Aragonesa de Montañismo, but not with the FEEC – Federació d’Entitats Excursionistes de Catalunya.

The trek more than exceeded our expectations and justified Martin’s dream to celebrate his early 70s with this traverse, to be followed by completing the return along the French GR10 to take us to 2025. With numerous memorable days it is a challenge to pick out the highlights. It is a historical, geographical and anthropological journey across four Spanish autonomous communities Catalunya, Aragón, Navarra, and Basque Country) and the independent Principality of Andorra, each with their own language; and within them very deep, isolated valleys with their own dialect and history. We sat down for dinner in the Refugi Vallferrera with 5 full tables of trekkers (no 1m social distancing here). Two tables were of Basque (Euskara) speakers, two of Catalan, leaving two Spanish people on our small table for very limited conversation while the volume rose in the dining room to the usual high levels.

The deep blue crystal-clear lakes of the Parc Nacional d’Aigüe Tortes were stunning, providing a softer aspect to the rugged summits surrounding them. Many of these were preceded by boulder fields requiring great care to avoid trapping an ankle or slipping, which slowed our progress considerably. The variety of rock types crossed also provided their own challenges. Slippery when wet limestone, rounded edged sandstone to roll around on, and rough eroded shale on some of the steepest cols to ascend and descend that needed high levels of concentration to avoid being thrown off balance. There were some welcome sections of granite too.

Over many of the stages we saw few other hikersand even fewer who were walking the GR11, and only a handful of English speakers. There were several very busy refuges, all located below major peaks, as besides mountain running the Spanish like to climb the famous peaks – Aneto, Estats, Posets, Perdido and Puigmal. Much has been written about the Ordesa Valley too, a honeypot for day trippers, but beautiful in the early hours of the morning before they stream in. Even where it was busy, everyone was friendly and polite, making hiking a pleasure. Using trains and buses to reach all our start and end points has proved that not flying provides many pleasures and few insurmountable challenges.

The GR11’s final long stages over the verdant Basque hills, then tinged with golden autumnal colours and with griffon vultures soaring over the cliff tops, has left us with an indelible memory of the beauty of the Pyrenees. We were euphoric when we reached the end at the Cabo de Higuer on the Atlantic Coast. We treated ourselves to a day’s rest before crossing the Bidasoa estuary to Hendaye to complete a week on the GR10. Now comes the winter planning, and the anticipation of more excitement for our next GR10 stages where we are aiming to get to Fos – from the green French Basque country to the wild mountains of the Ariège.

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