Psyched for more time camping up high we headed to Val de Pineta - a steep and severe valley in the Central Pyrenees. It's famed for its geology, with dramatic rock cirques and harsh glacial terrain, a very different kettle of fish from its family-filled and more hospitable neighbouring valleys.
We arrived in the rain, spending a night in a rather and dark moody valley bottom before starting the slog up the next morning. No cable cars or taxis here, just seemingly endless zig zags up the mountainside! The slog was worth it though and the hanging plateau that you eventually reach is an impressive, almost intimidating, place!
We'd planned to do a 6 day circuit from here (and lugged food and gas up accordingly!) but the crucial col to get out of our hanging plateau turned out to be a technical looking mountaineering route up rock bands and snow slopes - not really feasible in trainers, with heavy packs and no ropes! But all was not lost as there was plenty to explore and views to admire for a couple of days before starting the steep descent back down...
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| Welcome to the Valley! Grey clouds and steep rock faces... |
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| Dramatic rock formations on the North East Face of Monte Perdido. |
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| Extreme glacial terrain... |
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| Amazing clear skies over Monte Perdido. |
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| Clear enough to capture the Milky Way! |
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| Our tent looking a little lost! The "path" runs up the rock and snow bands to the col beyond. No thanks. |
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| Walking round the Marbore Lake to the refuge, thistles abundant amongst the boulders - even the plants here are hardcore! |
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| Bit chilly if you slip. |
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| Our destination up the scree slope was the Refuge de Tuquerouye (2666m) - literally a tin shed perched on a knife-edge col! |
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| Not bad views from the window though! France on this side... |
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| Spain and Monte Perdido on the other! |
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| Not a hotel for the vertiginous! |
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| More icebergs around the lake - bit chilly for a swim up here! |
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| No noisy neighbours here. |
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| It's a long way back down! (Over 2000m in fact) |
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| Ali again laments his lack of telephoto lens as an ibex leaped down the rock bands... he got it mid leap though! |
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| How can something grow out of a rock? Flowers never cease to amaze me! |
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| More milky way and moonlight reflections... Ali's getting rather good at this night photography lark! |
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| Look mum - Edelweiss! |
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| Perfectly still reflections... |
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A final glimpse of our intended "path" out of the valley... |
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| The long road down! |
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| Ali makes a friend! |
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| Making hay while the sun shines in the valley bottom. |