July 31st Luz st Saveur

My intuition serves me well. I did not feel happy to spend the night in the mountains, and the effort to get to Gavarnie confirmed I had made the right decision.
(Less than 10 minutes of arriving in Gavarnie I met up with a woman who I saw regularly on my camino walk through France last year).
As I was putting my tent up it started to rain, and it turned into thunder within 30 minutes.
After my mega effort the day before I had the longest continuest sleep I can remember for years.
I woke to fog and drizzle, so decided to pack up quick and head down to Luz st. Saveur. The first car passed me and I got a lift all the way.
The day improved but stayed cloudy. Checking the forecast gave an iffy day next. My guidebook says don't go on in cloudy weather as the next 2 days are some of the most spectacular of the whole GR10.
If it looks ok in the morning I will carry on, if not I will get a bus to Lourdes then a train into Spain to Irun to start the Camino del Norte, which goes along the Atlantic coast.

30th July Gavarnie

I caught the hikers and walkers bus to Pont d'Espagne. Then it was walking up to Lac de Gaube and ever more spectacular scenery to the Refuge de Oulettes de Gaube, with my first Pyreneean glacier spilling from the Vignemale Massif.
After a rest here it was a steep rocky climb to the Hourquette de Ossoue at 9200'.
I met a couple of English folk in their mid 70's here who spend a few weeks each year in the high Pyrenees, respect to them.
I went east down to the Refuge de Beysallance.
There were groups booked in for the night here bigging each other up, or so it seemed yto me in my ignorance. Anyway it was only 4pm and I didn't fancy camping in the stone wall sheltered camping spots at this altitude.
It was an even steeper dedcent zigzagging and traversing the steep mountainside.
I was pleased to be at a lower level area. Once at the first car parking area I got a lift to Gavarnie, from 2 Spanish guys who had done an ascent of Vignemale.

July 29th Cauterets

With a lot of uphill to start the day I was ready to go by first light.
Initially very steeply through forest, then upward along the side of a valley before a very steep ascent to the Col d'Ilheou. All but ths last few minutes in shade from a mountainside.
I was very glad I had the late start and stopover the day before, it would have been hard in the full heat of the day.
Then it was down to the lake and refuge of Ilheou.
One traverse was a bit hairy for me, then around a bend came 20 5 and 6 year old children with 4 adults. That put things in perspective.
From the refuge it was mostly a rough track, with many people coming up from the car park.
After the car park it was down a wooded path  besides a river to Cauterets.
Whilst having a coffee outside a bar along came Patrick, a French-Canadian I had met at Arrens.
I went to the same campsite as he was staying at.

28th July Lac d'Estaing

As there was lots of cloud first thing, I did not leave the campsite until after 11.30.
It was soon hot, but most of the ascent to the Col de Borderes was in shady forest.
Then a descent to the village of Estaing was followed by a warm walk up the valley to a campsitoe at Lac d'Estaing.
This valley is very scenic and consequently there were lots of tourists and campsites.
For some reason the campsite depressed me initially. A visit toze the tacky cafe/bar/ tourist shite place, and a chill out with the wonderful views sorted that out.
I ate one of my freeze-dried meals, a pasta one that was very satisfying and crashed out with views of the mountains

27t July Arrens-Marsous

I spent the day at the campsite, reading, taking in a petanque competition, with visits to the supermarket for food for lunch and dinner
I chatted with a few folk, and got into a book I'd found in the site 'library'.
A very relaxing pleasant day.

26th July Arrens-Marsous

When I awoke the fog had returned.
The walk up to the Col de Tortes was so steep that in places I needed hand-holds. It was not exposed so it was well in my comfort zone. The Col itself revealed huge rock slabs to the right disappearing into the fog below. The path went left for a winding route to a road that I drove on last year, the D918.
The GR10 crossed the road and dropped a long way to the valley far below before coming up to join the road again. I road walked the couple of miles with great views.
A 300' ascent from the road arrived at the Col de Soulor. From here it was a steady descent to Arrens-Marsous.
I found a campsite just on the edge of the village, with the small local supermarche nearby.
After a shower and clothes wash, I decided I was going to spend 2 nights here. I am enjoying being in the Pyrenees and in no hurry to finish the walk.

Monday 25th Gourette

The first section of my day's walk was very steeply up through the forest on the side of a deep gorge.
After emerging from the gorge and the trees the wiews were fantastic. The gorge opened out into a broad hanging valley, grazed by a herd of cattle.
I stopped for brunch were a side valley branched off. The French people I'd met just before  camping arrived here in the last light of the day, exhausted.
The path went gradually uphill then got steeper until the final section passef through snow fieldd to the Hourquette d'Arre, at 2465m, over 8200'.
After lunch and a rest taking in the views there was a steep descent to Lac Anglais, a popular spot to camp the night.
I was short of food and cloud was coming up the valley towards Gourette.
I was soon walking in fog with no views. Eventually arriving in the large ugly ski resort.
The campsite had closed, so after shopping I had a pizza and a couple of beers, then camped on a patch of level ground at the top of the village.
After midnight I was woken by a Pyreneen mountain dog, which barked at my tent for over an hour.
The sky had cleared and I could see the wonderful mountains that had been hidden by fog earlier.

July 24th A bothy 3 hours after Etsaut

With a better weather forcast for France, I decided to go back to where I had finished on Monday - Etsaut.
It was great being in Jaca as I bought cheap fuel that comes in a nice pouring bottle, and a very nice sun hat.
Civilised, cheap Spain tempts me to walk the GR11 again. A €2 bus ride took me to Estacion Canfranc where I had a 2 hour wait for the bus to Etsaut, in a bar getting my phone charged and watching Le Tour de France.
After reaching Etsaut I had a hot walk along roads and tracks to the Chemin de Mature, a scary walk along a path hewn out of cliff. I did not look down.
At the end of it the path entered trees always ascending.
After 4 hours hot walking I found an bothy which was perfect for the night.
  I had the place to myself fot the night. A clean firm mattress gave me the comfiest nights sleep I've had for years.

Sunday 25th (?) Gabas

After such a lovely night I set off up the valley and it was cloudy. As I gained altitude I started seeing glimpses of sun shining on mountain tops. Then I was above the cloud level.
A steep climb brought me to the Col de Ayous at over 2000m. What magnificent mountain scenery there was all around me.
From here it was down to a large refuge a above a lake with the Peak Midi de Oisseau behind it.
I spent a couple of hours here taking in the view, washing self and clothes and having my picnic lunch.
Being a lovely sunday there were lots of day walkers arriving and enjoying the area.
It was a long walk down to another lake and the car park, then a road walk down to Gabas.
There were several hikers at the bar, some going east and some west on the GR10. The local cheeses, Oiseau something a hard cheese was on sale so I had to buy some. The Pyreneean hard cheeses are excellent.
I left and walked along thd busy road until I turned off across a bridge into the forest.
There was a scary section with several hundred metres with a safety wire to hold onto, I did not look down.
Soon after this I came up on four French walkers who I had talked with at Gabas. One young woman was freaked out at the crossing of a stream running down a steep rock slab. I passed them there.
A little further over a bridge I found a level site for the night and set up camp.

July 23rd Jaca

So after the hot spell it became overcast with low cloud. I am not on a time-scale, and decided to wait for the weather to improve before resuming my GR10 walk.
Thunder storms during the night and early friday morning and an iffy forecast decided my to hitch to Jaca in Spain.
On my third lift we entered the Somport Tunnel in cloud and emerged in Spain to sunshine.
Ah a bit of warmth and blue skies.

July 18th Lescun

With backpackers going off on the GR10 and HRP each day, I got caught up with the daily exodus and set off on the GR10 going east.
I'd planned on walking the HRP west, but being in the high Pyrenees I wasn't ready to leave them so soon.
It was lovely walking through woodland then the Lhers valley up steeply in more forest to the Col de Barrancq which at 1600m was the highest point of the days walk.
From there it was a steep descent often in the hot sun to the Gave de Aspe and the village of Etsaut.
A shaded thermometer show a temperature of 37, too hot for me to be in the sun, even with the shade of my brolly.
I sussed out a camping spot in a picnic area by the river.
Later I met two guys who had descended from where I was going through on the next stage, who advised me to have a rest day or two whilst it is so hot.
Etsaut was not a great place to chill out for a day or two, so I caught the last bus to a place where I could return to the lovely campsite at Lescun.
The second car going towards Lescun stopped for me and took me to the campsite entrance, thank you kind woman
After the Campsite in Cazorla this is the nicest I have stayed at, and the setting is stunning

July 17th Lescun

My phone's not running as it should. Yesterdays post is still being saved.
So briefly I walked during the morning on the GR10 east.
As it is getting hotter each day I have decided to set out early tomorrow on the GR10 which will be in woodland a lot more than the HRP.