GR10 Hiking the Pyrenees - Anyone done it ?

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GR10 Hiking the Pyrenees - Anyone done it ?

Postby kermitbindy » Sun 21 Mar, 2010 6:42 pm

Hi, I am looking to get in contact with anyone who has walked the GR10. I am planning a trip there in August to walk for three weeks. (But I still have to pick a section) I have walked the tour de Mont Blanc before and would preferablly try to avoid the crowded guites at that time of year and Bivoac instead. (an hour from a road etc) If anyone has any sugestions or advice it would be greatly appreciated. :D
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Re: GR10 Hiking the Pyrenees - Anyone done it ?

Postby Tony » Sun 21 Mar, 2010 7:23 pm

Hi kermitbindy,

I think Roger Caffin has done the GR10 you can pm him through the link below.

memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=500

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Re: GR10 Hiking the Pyrenees - Anyone done it ?

Postby rwfox » Thu 01 Apr, 2010 5:27 pm

Hi
While I have not walked the GR10 I have done some sections of the Pyrenean Haute Route in Gavarnie and Wollon valley's and highly recommend this area (parc national des Pyrenees). The highest peak (Vignemale 3298m) is also in this region. You need to get the Cicerone press guide to the GR10 (http://www.cicerone.co.uk ) and with that It wont be two hard to workout the best sections. As far as I known you can only camp next to a refuge in the park over night. However, the GR10 drops quite low so you should be able to stay in villages a long the way. The 1:50000 maps you need are the Carte de randonnees they cover the whole range in 11 maps and show the GR10. You should also consider joining the Austrian Alipine Club (OeAV Sektion Britannia) British section (http://www.aacuk.org.uk). This will give you a discount on the refuge accommodation fee and mountain rescue insurance. As far as the crowds you will have a LOT of company in the Pyrenees in August, but that's Europe. :) (Cicerone press have 25% of all guide books Easter weekend)

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Re: GR10 Hiking the Pyrenees - Anyone done it ?

Postby archipete » Tue 13 Apr, 2010 7:55 pm

Hi,
May partner and I have completed the Pyrenean Haute Route from the Atlantic coast (french/spanish boarder) through to Andorra over a period of 5 weeks. It was about 650Kms, with the route crossing over into the GR10 and GR11 frequently (also used during periods of bad weather). We did it pretty much unsupported, carrying all of our gear and up to 14 days food - very tassie style, and got a lot of very strange looks from the locals. We walked with the Cicerone guide to the HRP and it was very good.

Roy is correct in saying that you are only supposed to camp inside national parks next to Refuges. the 1:50000 maps should be enough for the GR10. we carried a lot of maps (mostly 1:25000) and while good to have, they were very heavy. the GR10 is less remote/exposed than the HRP so the 50000's should be fine.

If you are planning on doing it as a refuge-to-refuge walk then you really don't need to carry a lot of food as the refuge's usually can prepare dinner lunch and b'fast. you should definitely join the AAC - uk section as staying and eating in the refuge's can be quite expensive. we only staying in 1 refuge the entire time, camping most of the time and occasionally staying in 'shelters'. when out of the parks we camped where we could - a lot of the HRP is outside park boundaries.

Timing wise we walked during july/august, and when we were in GR10 areas there were a lot of people, especially on weekends! expect to see a fair amount of people.

Gavarnie is a spectacular area, along with vignemale. you could almost spend 3 weeks just in those 2 areas, there are plenty of areas to walk and tracks to explore.

hope that helps,
feel free to send a pm if you have any more specific queries

pete
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Re: GR10 Hiking the Pyrenees - Anyone done it ?

Postby durks » Thu 13 May, 2010 5:16 pm

In the course of two trips, I have walked the western half of the GR10; in total, from Hendaye to Bagneres de Luchon.

For general info, I would recommend you look at the guidebook 'Trekking In The Pyrenees' by Douglas Streatfeild-James, published by Trailblazer Publications.

For mapping, the best things to get are the French 'TopoGuides' which cover the entire GR10 in a couple of volumes. (These guides are easily obtainable from shops in the area; whether you can get hold of them for reference before you go is another question.)

The GR10 is routed so that nights are most naturally spent in valley bases - and often in small villages. I think you might struggle to wild camp in such places, but if you're discreet (and strict with yourself to set up camp late, and leave early) no doubt you could manage it. On our trips, we've used a combination of camping in recognised camping areas, and the occasional nights in mountain huts.

For me, one of the things I like about walking in France (or Spain for that matter) is the chance to eat the local food, and drink the local wine (*). Staying overnight in (or near) a village is the best way to do that; a too spartan approach might miss out on some of the fun.

Hope that helps a bit.

(* There is some great regional wine down there that isn't easy to find outside of the area. Look out for Madiran and Jurancon, for a start.)
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