Peak Bagging and Long Distance Walking in the UK and Spain: France P600

Sunday, 23 September 2018

Pic d'Anie

Walk Summary

Element of mission creep being introduced with today's summit.

Pic d'Anie from Pic d'Arlas summit
5km and 3 hours tough hiking away

The primary objective of this trip is and remains to be the Spanish P600's but working east along the Pyrenees from The Atlantic find I am including summits like this just the other side of the border.
A true Pyrenean mountain.

Looking back at Pic d'Arlas
from marker post at 42°57'32“N, 0°44'41”W

At 2504m, P814 makes this the highest point to date reached so far under my own steam. I will manage to push this progressive high point higher three more times on this trip.
Also marks breaking through 8000' threshold. 6.14km to the summit with 914m of ascent. Felt more like 3000'

Tough hike across extensive rock fields that needed balancing on, stepping over, scrambling up and finding a route through without path marked on map.Just lots of contours and crag symbols. Same on way back. Total distance 12.38km with 989m of ascent in 7hrs 2mins.

Pico d'Anie
framed by col between 2238m spot ht and 2234m spot ht

There is a path to follow from walk start point at car park on D132 on French side of Spanish border past Pic d'Arlas, though I chose to go over the top of it and descend to Col de Boticotch. From here the path is clear to marker post photographed above and from this there is a route and faint path marked by cairns. The important point to remember is head for the col between 2234m and 2238m spot heights.
Particularly important on the return route to avoid steep dangerous down climbs opposite Le Pourte.
Once at the 2234m/2238m col still a good hour to summit but route marked by red markers through more rocky terrain.
Challenging but fantastic day. Certainly needed today off to recover, so spent it editing pictures.

Walk Statistics

Walk Date - 23 September 2018
Walkers - Steve Smith

Accommodation - Camping Asolaze, Isaba

Start Point - Car park on D132 on French side of Spanish border (N42°58'08" W0°46'4")
Start Time - 10:58

Finish Point - Car park on D132 on French side of Spanish border (N42°58'08" W0°46'4")

Finish Time- 18:00

Total Duration - 7hrs 02mins
Overall Average pace - 1.12mph
Total Distance Walked - 7.86 miles
Total Height Ascended - 984.20metres

Peaks visited
France 600m Prominence Peaks (158)

Pic d'Anie(4)

Pyrenees Top 50 by Prominence (50)

Pic d'Anie(4)

France Region High Points (13)

NONE

France Department High Points (96)

NONE

Other walks on this trip

2018

September

17^th Signal d'Ecouves & Mont des Avaloirs

18^th Mont Baïgura

19^th Autza

20^th Pic d'Orhy
21^st Peña de Ezkaurre

23^rd Pic d'Anie

26^th Bisaurín

28^th Peña de Oroel

October

02^nd Pico Collarada

04^th Peña Telera

07^th Itzaga

08^th Santo Domingo
12^th Moncayo

13^th Caimodorro

14^th Almenara

15^th Blanquilla

18^th María
19^th Sagra

21^st La Atalaya

22^nd Cerro de Javalambre

24^th Terrier de Saint-Martin-du-Fouilloux & Maine-et-Loire High Point

Route

More Photographs

Pico d'Anie at it's finest.
After 2½ hours tough hiking finally get to see scale of task in hand.
Still over an hour to the summit
Click on photograph to view slide-show

Thursday, 20 September 2018

Pic d'Orhy

Walk Summary

Pic d'Orhi summit is not vissible from Puerto de Larrau
hiddden by Orhi Chipia on right

Fairly easy and straight forward summit bang on the Spain/France border increasing summit count on not only the Spain/Portugal P600 list to 20 of the 185 total, which I have aspirations to complete, but also 3 of 158 France P600's a list I had no intention of targeting but does raises the possibility in my mind.
Never say never but unlikely due to the Alpine 4000' summits. Acquisition of the extra skills to tackle Pryenean 3000m summits will provide adequate progression for now. Including the Top 50 Pyrenean summits by prominence is more than enough mission creep.
After that we will see; but Munros and GB P600's has to figure higher in priorities.

Cairn and great viewpoint SE towards Pyrenees at Orhi Chipia

Setting off from Puerto de Larrau there is plenty of parking either side of the road. Follow the path from the car park heading north along the Spanish side of the border which is obvious and clearly worn into the ground. Even so there are regular cairns that would provide additional guidance if visibility was poor.
There is a choice of route to Pic d'Orhi summit after passing Orhi Chipia buttress I decided to ascend towards the col with Pic d'Orhi but first doubled back for the extra summit of Orhi Chipia and viewing point at the 1925m spot height. From there it is a short descent to the col at 1911m than direct ascent up to Pic d'Orhi summit and trig pillar to be rewarded with fine views to France and the more mountainous west side towards Spain.

Descent route from saddle
between Pic'dOrhi and Las Anazkorras towards Ohri Chipia

Descent could be a reverse of the ascent route, however I chose to descend towards the saddle towards Las Anazkorras and from there head towards path which could have taken for a less steep ascent back towards ground west of col at 1911m. Soon after that you rejoin the ascent path and return to van parked at Puerto de Larrau.

Shooting buts or obsolete border posts?

Approaching the van on the French side pointing towards Spain there are what look like shooting buts that have seen better days. I did wonder if they were border posts. Also on the north side is boundary post 237 complete with trig bolt. Not marked on the map as a trig pillar but there is a duplicate 237 post on the south side marked on the map and this time with a plate indicating the elevation at 1577m

Walk Statistics

Walk Date - 20 September 2018
Walkers - Steve Smith

Accommodation - Camping Zuriza, Valle de Ansó

Start Point - Puerto de Larrau (N42°58'28" W0°59'39")
Start Time - 14:11

Finish Point - Puerto de Larrau (N42°58'28" W0°59'39")

Finish Time- 16:26

Total Duration - 2hrs 15mins
Overall Average pace - 1.36mph
Total Distance Walked - 3.05 miles
Total Height Ascended - 481.00metres

Peaks visited
Spain/Portugal 600m Prominence Peaks (168S - 185S&P - 2165E)

Pic d'Orhy (19S - 20S&P - 48E)

Pyrenees Top 50 by Prominence (50)

NONE

Spain/Portugal 300m - 599m Prominence Peaks (1000+)