Travel

Only a few weeks to go!!

 A couple more questions if anyone cares to answer them for me... Bearing in mind were walking Mont Louis to Banyuls from 20th June...

We aren't planning to stay in refuges really except maybe one night to save money, providing we aren't near a refuge and we are being sensible and subtle we should be ok wild camping right? (Tent will be down first thing in morning and we'll be moving off)

Also can you rely on passing places to fill up water bottles at least once a day? There are lots of streams on my 1:25000 map but these may all be dry at this time of year?

As for camping my experience of the HRP in either France or Spain is that as long as you are somewhere discreet, chances are nobody will even see you, let alone start getting sniffy particularly as you are proposing to be off so soon of a morning.  

As for the water question, normally the refuges are by reliable water and the good thing is that this year has been anything but dry, so the signs are positive. 

As I haven't been yet and I am doing the stretch at the opposite side I can't advise you specifically. But from my guide books and any maps I have seen I would say you'll have no problems finding accomodation as there seem to be refuges or small villages with B&Bs at least every 10km or so. Perhaps bringing a lightweight bivi would be a good idea just in case though.

As for the sheer drop I don't know... but the GR10 does do lots of climbing and then falling back into the valleys, I guess to be sure you should get a 1:25000 map and then look for any areas where the path crosses contour lines that are very close together.

I'm back Had an absolutetly fab time although the guide book I was using (Trekking in the Pyrenees by Douglas Streatfield James) was a bit disappointing. Their times were ridiculous for anyone carrying a full pack and not planning to walk from 6am to 8pm with no breaks.... But we made it all the same. Didn't go up Canigou after all as it was the only miserable dayof the trip and it still looked pretty snowy up there. Even a couple saddles we were up had a little snow still (e.g. Coll Mitja)

Finding water was generally no problem although there was onee night we couldn't camp near water so had to use our bottles for cooking etc. The refuge d'Allemany was really lovely for a free unmanned refuge, and made for a nice toasty comfortable sleep after we had a fire. Also there was a playground in the middle of Planes that was for bivouacing which was handy cos theres a little epicerie (Fresh baguette and lardons for breakfast, yum!)

 Just thought I'd share incase any of this info wasn't known.  Our guidebook doesn't mention the refuge or the free bivouac in Planes.