ROBDOGS MOUNTAIN BLOG: Pyrenees - Ariege 6 day trek on the GR10 & HRP

Recently back from a 6 day trek in the less well know area of the central Eastern Pyrenees. This part of the Ariege is covered by the IGN map ref 2249OT. The trail radiates round the key towns of Merens and L'Hospitlet both on the N20 road cutting through the Ax valley, both places making idea base for forays into the mountains.

Day 1

The 9k trek from Merens to Besines refuge, a pretty long slog following the GR10 steadily gaining height, unfortunately without much in the way of views as the cloud had closed in around. Reaching the high point of the day, the Col Portielle des Besines at 2333m, the cloud lifted briefly to reveal the Refuge des Besines below. Better weather tomorrow?

View from Refuge Besines

Day 2

With the weather clearing to Blue skies, the beauty of the valley before us was revealed. The Refuge des Besines makes for a great base for exploring the stunning ridges of this area. Our goal today were the summits of Comme d' Or 2868m and Puig Pedros 2842m. (Lt Blue)

Refuge Besines

Its fair to say that i had underestimated the quality of the ridges and scrambles this area. Most would be comparable with an extended Crib Goch, Bristly Ridge or Sharp Edge though a lot less worn. The quality of the rock was magnificent, really grippy granite, capable of giving a serious sharp nip if you took your eye of the game. Fair play to Helen, she gave it good go and took some mild abrasions. We returned to the refuge bloodied but not beaten.

Within the group were some hardy fell walkers, well hardier than an unfit climber only used to making some momentary violent outbursts of energy on some poor undeserving rock. Respect, these folks were putting up bloody go show taking on some serious ridges, probably with more exposure than they would normally be used to at home in the UK.

Day 3

Various options. Pic D'Auriol 2695m (Orange) with a classic knife edge ridge line. We opted for the less vertiginous loop up the GR10 to Col de Comma d' Anyell, taking in Puig des Besineilles 2632m (Purple). We then took the GR107c from the Refuge des Besines back down the valley to the village of L'Hospitalet. God i hate the tortuous switchback descents into the deep valley bottoms it always seems such waste of height. However, we were rewarded with the tidy little Gite d' Etape http://www.gitelhospitalite.com/ excellent food and accommodation.

Day 4

L'Hospitalet to Refuge du Ruhle, A tough section on the HRP (Huate Route Pyrenees) Aggghhh today was the killer, 13k of good ground and then ankle turning boulder fields. Apart from this its probably the most spectacular, wildest and most remote parts of the region. Your right in amongst the small mountain lakes, crested with jagged peaks. We climb a fierce boulder field to the Col d'lbe 2538m and briefly nudge into Andorra, before descending back into France via Col de Juclar 2490m. With the Refuge de Rulhe in view we wind round a few more lakes and descend another scree/boulder slope. A safe path down this boulder field is being manually constructed the moment by the Ruhle Refuge guardian. Revealed at the base is a magnificent cascade, we were advised that this is one of the premier Ice Climbing venues in the area due to its northern prospect. Around the nearby lake also make for a good camp spot.

L'Hospitalet to Refuge du Rulhe

Looking towrds Refuge du Rulhe from Col de Juclar

View from Refuge Rulhe

Day 5

Various optional excursions from the Refuge de Rulhe

At this point i would like to point out that i cannot confirm the definitive spelling the word 'Rulhe' it appears on the map as 'Refuge Du Ruhle', the nearby peak is called 'Pic de Rulhe', and various web sites have it as 'Rhule'.

The main goal for most is the ascent of Pic de Rulhe 2783m, with a knowledgeable guide it's relatively straight forward with few tricky bits. Owing to the savage beting we had taken during the walk in the previous day, we opted for more sedate trek to the Pic de Prade 2378m

Day 6

Rulhe Refuge to Merens

Back long the GR10 11k to Merens with more panoramic views. The only major climb is the Pyramide de LHerbes 2439m, A slight miss step by Helen on a rocky boulder just before the climb resulted in a small but deep cut to here shin, owww! plenty of blood with her socks soaking up worst. After a short rest and some first aid the bleeding eased and we carried on up but the constant motion meant it wouldn't knit neatly.

General Overview

Looking back along GR10 towrd Rulhe final day

This part of the Ariege is stunning, having sussed the general pace and geography of the area, we'll more than likely make a return visit on our own. The Refuges Ruhle and Besines make for great bases to tackle most of the nearby peaks. Besines Refuge has the added bonus of mule with an astonishing sense of time, he kicks off a wake up call around 6.50am every morning as far as we could tell. The routes to most summits are no more than 400 to 600m of ascent from a refuge. Not having to start from the valley bottoms means the approx equivalent ascent of a major day walk in North Wales or the Lakes. One word of caution, the IGN maps are pretty good but are no match for local knowledge, with the exception of the main GR routes, most tracks are very feint or even non existent. This is not a well trodden area, we probably only saw a dozen other trekkers each day out. Most of the major summits are extremely craggy so best access to them and escape routes have to be well thought out. It's well worth packing a short rope 25/30m and some slings and binners.

The food at the Rulhe Refuge is quality nosh and comes in good portions. the staff there are climbers themselves, and will pop out for a multipitch route around mid day to pop back to cook dinner in the late afternoon. The mood their is nice and relaxed. A pitcher of Red Wine goes down too easily, and the canned Kronenberg tastes pretty good at this altitude as well.

We had not been to this area before so for short break it made sense to use small trekking company to do the fixing for us. Our guide James Thompson is a qualified International Mountain Leader (IML) who has made his home in the Pyrenees. I can unreservedly recommend him for his excellent attention to detail, local knowledge.You could tell he has a real passion for the area.