Col de la Core to Port de Salau via the Estanous

 

Isards on the Cuns d'Aula. Filmed in slow motion, so press the cog icon and select speed, x2, to see at actual speed.

Al and Breezy hatched a plan go up to the Estanous refuge one day then the following day to continue all the way to their place in Salau. I was game, so on Wednesday Susie dropped us at the Col de la Core. 

The weather was forecast to be extremely hot so we made an earlyish start leaving the col at 8.00. The path more or less contours the East side of the mountain ridge running North-South from the frontier to the Col until it reaches the Cabane Subra. Here the climbs starts, passing the wreckage of the Halifax bomber that crashed into Pic de Lampau in 1945.

Col de Craberous, top left

A short but steep haul reaches the Col de Craberous...and the first breath of wind on an already sweltering day.

On the descent we saw marmots and a fox amongst the boulders. 

On reaching the Etangs de Milouga we stopped for lunch and a cool off in the lake.

The onward route is the climb up to the Col de Pecouch over sun baked granite slabs and not an ounce of shade. My water soon ran out and the heat was energy sapping. We were relieved to reach the col and descend to the refuge for water and later a beer! 1550m of ascent and 15km.

At the col de Pecouch

A shower at the refuge, then a game of dice before dinner. Onion soup, veal and rice then chocolate cake. The clouds came for some great photos before sunset.

isards on the ridge

The refuge was not too full and our dormitory was not too hot or noisy, so a reasonable if intermittent night's sleep was obtained. 

Breakfast was at 6.30 and we were away by 7.00. Stephane the guardian had warned of a risk of storms in the afternoon and with much distance and many tops to cross, we decided not to visit the summit of Mont Valier but turn right at the Col Faustins to start the ridge back to Salau. 

We scrambled up Petit Valier, crossed the Col de Peyre Blanc, before more scrambling got us to the Col de la Pale de Clauère. 

Valier and Petit Valier behind us,heading for the Col de la Pale de Clauère

The onward ridge

We descended in Spain watching herds of isards on the cliffs. 

Tackling the ridge from here to the Port d'Aula had been discussed, but in the end given the already long day and the storm warning we tackled just the first part over Les Montagnols. It's a very narrow ridge but was a fun detour and probably didn't add too much time to the day.

On the narrow ridge of Les Montagnols

At the Col de Tindereille we left the ridge and continued on the Spanish side to the Port d'Aula (4hrs from the Estanous). 

Retrospective of he first part of the journey, Valier and Petit Valier the two peaks on the horizon in the centre, the Port d'Aula immediately below us. 

A Lammergier (bearded vulture or Gypaete Barbu), constant companions on our trip

The onward route was to follow the frontier over Tuc de Bignau, Tuc de Berbégué, Cap de Hoque Prégonne, Pic de Montagnol, crossing the Portenech Aurènere before Pic de Montaud, Pic de Portabère and finally Port de Salau. On the ridge it was hot but there was a slight breeze and below us a sea of cloud. 

Descending to the Portenech Aurènere

At Pic de Montaud we stopped for a late lunch. In the Salau valley the cloud was lapping the frontier ridge and it wasn't long before dropped into the mist. 

Pic de Montaud

After Pic de Portabère we left the ridge onto the french side before cutting across to reach the ruined buildings on the Port de Salau. 

Another bearded vulture dives into the mist.

A long descent in poor visibility finally lead to Al and Breezy's place were Susie was waiting for us.

Another long day with 1300m ascent, 2500m of descent and 20km.

Cabanatous circuit

The hay is finally safely in. Nathaniel's bailer broke down so I had to help him with his hay using my bailer and tractor, but he reciprocated, helping us transport our bails into the barn the following day. It was a very hot and humid day and the clegg flies were ferocious. At the weekend a huge thunderstorm rolled and cleared some of the humidity.

Today was fresher and so we ventured into the mountains in what seems like the first time in ages. Sheri has a friend staying (Jenny from canada) so he arranged to do the Cabanatous circuit - Sheri's favourite and and easy one for guests. Al and Breezy, back from their travels joined us.

A swimmer in the Etang d'Alate

Lunch spot

After lunch on the Pic de Cabanatous we descended to the Etang d'Alate where Jenny, Breezy and Sheri took a dip. Al spied that we were being watched....a lone Ibex on the ridge above the lake.

A cold beer in Aulus was a fitting reward for a great day out.

Summer update

The weather this summer so far has been very unsettled. Hay making is 3 weeks behind schedule. I cut it yesterday and in the afternoon contrary to the forecast it rained. Today is overcast. It's still salvageable if the sun shines for the rest of the week, but it nutritional value is already low.

Earlier in the week Valentine - one of our white sheep - became ill. A trip to the vet confirmed he had piroplasmosis from a tick bite. He died later the same day.

On a slightly more optimistic note, Pompom, one of our two remaining hens is sitting on half a dozen eggs. We selected them from eggs laid before the fox attack but we cannot be sure how many are fertilized. We're hopeful we may get 2-3 replacements hens.

The barn is progressing with the inside first floor 75% pointed and wood to build the new roof trusses (prior to removing the old roof) due to arrive in a week or so's time.

The oak tree that came down in the spring has yielded 4 stere of firewood so far with another 2 stere still to split and stack.

The foxes have made a number of visits but so far have eluded capture or shooting (the latter no longer being an option with guests in the gite for the rest of the summer).

RIP Clinton

It's been a sad few days. Lots of rain and on Tuesday when we went to close the chickens up, three were missing. Trisha was gone and I soon found Clinton and Maggie's decapitated bodies. A fox attack. It's heartbreaking.

On Thursday I took the rest of the kitchen apart. We can't live with trapping four or five mice a day. My efforts seemed to make no difference, but this morning I spotted another hole almost at ceiling level behind a wall cupboard. Today the mice have stopped thank god!

During a walk this afternoon I spotted four foxes in the amphitheatre field! The grey vixen we see sometimes on the camera trap has three cubs, already indistinguishable from adults. It explains the killings earlier in the week, she's probably teaching them to hunt. We ll have to keep our last couple of hens and any new chickens locked in the run until October unless I get a chance to reduce the fox numbers.

First scarf underway.

 

Bamboo

The Maurice brassard bamboo thread I ordered an eon ago finally showed up, so time to get another warp on the loom.  Three different scarves in Bateman boulevard.

Summer

Spent the last few days trying to increase the barriers against rodent entry and trying to find their ways in....without much success. I dismantled the kitchen cupboards and worktops to get at the stone wall behind it, blocked up tiny holes in the old stone wall under the stairs (almost impossible to reach), pulled down and then rebuilt the ceiling over our bed. Everywhere is much cleaner...and maybe the mouse numbers are slightly reduced...or am I kidding myself?

Oh well summer is here and it is beautiful.

 

Mouse apocalypse

This year the mouse population is exploding in the Ariège. We 've hardly had any mice for the last 3-4 years but this year it's bonkers. We're catching 3-4 mice every night and the cats are adding to the total. I keep trying to find and block possible entry points, but they keep on coming. At night they are in the kitchen, the utility room, the roof.....chewy on the wood, the insulation. Outside they are everywhere!

Trois Seigneurs

After some rainy weeks summer has finally arrived with hot and humid weather.

Tristan and Agi were up for a walk, so Trois Seigneurs seemed like it would be a good introduction to this side of the Couserans. We went in the clockwise direction starting from the Port de Lers and the ridge before descending to the Etang d'Arbu.

Tristan and Agi's lurchers made easy work of the rocky sections and loved the snow...the youngest had never seen it before!

The weather behaved, with far reaching views.  The heat built throughout the day and it was good to cool off in the Etang.

Below the Etang the scotch broom was in full flower and vivid yellow and perfume were overpowering.

 It turned out to be a long, hot, but enjoyable day with some new walking companions.

Steps

A lot of the bigger posts and beams from inside the barn were put aside to make these steps through the drystone retaining wall. Susie and I put them in yesterday and then another half tonne of concrete to finish them off.

We need another three or four steps to reach the upper garden, but they'll have to wait until I take the roof off the barn and have more beams to recycle.

Concreting finished - 12 tonnes, four days!

...including three window cills.
 

sheep shearing

Two six hour concreting shifts and about 3/5 of the barn floor is laid. Another cubic metre tomorrow then I need more cement and ballast for the last section. 

Sheep shearing is tomorrow and as normal 4 sheep sheep refused to go in the barn. Two and a half hours of chasing them and finally they're in. minutes before the drizzle started, so we should be good to go tomorrow.

Managed to get a brand new scaffold tower on "leboncoin" and saved myself 300 euros. The seller was a bit dodgy, but as long as I paid cash all was good. The scaffolding is still in its original plastic unopened wrapping. The plans for the barn construction stages are slowly taking shape, hopefully we'll be watertight and re-roofed before the end of the year.

Pointing almost finished..

Outside anyway! Inside the DPM, insulation and screeding rails are now in place.

 

more progress

A trip to the natural granite sand pit with the tractor and sieve this morning, then a bit of pointing (still wet). Will probably mix and pour the ground floor concrete slab next week.

 

Cour Vic

A wander upto Cour Vic last week before Michiel heads off to the Netherlands.  It started out as a hot day, but a strong ici wind was blowing about 1500m and in the end we had to put every layer of clothing we had. A rare sighting of a cuckoo was a highlight!

Cuckoo

A herd of isards watching us from above, or were they just sheltering on the lee-side of the ridge?

At the weekend the pipework for the below ground services (water, electricity and sewerage) were put in the barn - hard work and another mountain of rocks removed. The floor is now levelled and blinded, ready for insulation, DPM and concrete slab.

Squirrel

With medium spotted woodpecker