Just planning a two week trip from Luchon to Andorra on the HRP and hunting for information about the stretch from Salardu to Andorra. This is a committing stage as there is no opportunity for food re-supply on the route, so I'm toying with the idea of taking freeze-dried rather than risking food availabilty/type in Salardu.
If you've been to Salardu, have you used the supermarket there? If so, can you remember the opening hours, and how big it is? I've dropped a message to the Tourist Information Centre, but no response so far.
Also, if yo've done this stretch of the HRP, how did you find water availability? I'm thinking of taking a filter as it appears from the Cicerone guide water sources are scarce.
We did this in June 2 or 3 years ago. I think water availabilty was not a problem but later it may be. You will be filling from streams. You need to say when you are going. We did it the other way and resupplied at Salardu for 6 days. Your way you will be resupplying for 8 or was it 9? We were doing the add on peaks when the weather allowed. I do not remember the opening hours of the supermarket, but it was not open when we arrived and we had to wait for 5pm for it to open. It was not big but big enough for food resupply. Do you mean dehydated food by freeze dried? We took dehydrated food. There was a pub resturant for a big feed, in Salardu, that was open so we eat first. We were hungry because at that time there was supposed to be a resupply 2 days east of Salardu but it had closed. We did not try to find fuel. We bought some midday meals at 2 refuges and carried on bread and olive oil to leven our dehydrated stuff to help with our 9 day stretch.
Thanks Derek, great response. We're doing the Salardu - Andorra stretch during the second week in September, and yes, we plan to take dehydrated food (such as Mountain House/Be Well).
The supermarket at Salardu has a pretty key role to play given the length of the stage! At the moment it looks like we'll be arriving on a Saturday.
This is stage 3 of what has now become our annual trip on the west-east traverse of the HRP, it looks like it has the potential to be the toughest.
i have been in salardu a few times, the small supermarket there is not really great for resupply, the village of tredos 15 min walk is better, also there is a bus that goes from salardu to vielha which would have everything you would need the journey is only about 30 mins, the bus stop is on the main road there is also a timetable there, i am also going there {again} sec week sept starting l'hospitalet and finishing at benasque, resupply is at the french town of vicdessos {post restante} then an eight day trip to benasque, thought about doing a mail drop in salardu, but would have missed out on the bit from alos d'isil to mataro via airoto which i havent done and am looking forward to, if i was you i would overnight in salardu and take the bus to vielha, hope this has been helpfull.
i have been in salardu a few times, the small supermarket there is not really great for resupply, the village of tredos 15 min walk is better,
hello,
how big are these shops?
ive been to lescun and gavarnie and the shops there are pretty hopeless but you can get by if you like soup and granola.........blocks you up if you mix them together though.
gavarnie is espically frustating, they really dont give a shit(apart from the donkeys who shit everwhere) and could make a killing if they stocked better food.
I have been to Gavarnie and the little supermarket at the road junction was better than the shop in Salardu for my taste. They had some dehydrated food. The shop in Salardu may have been a little bigger but we got unappetizing dried food for 6 days. I was quite pleased in a way when a horse (above renclusa is that the refuge below aneto?) pushed into our tent and stole the last of the French bread type dried crackers. I fought him for the cheese with bite marks though. The horses there are used to stealing food from campers, like Yosemite bears in the US, but not quite so scary.
I wish I had Stephen's information when we had been at Salardu.
Yes. that's great insight from Stephen, thanks ever so much.
Our last foray on the HRP saw us starting from Les Cauterets and finishing in Luchon. I remember the supermarket in Gavarnie being pretty disappointing (in fact Gavarnie generally is pretty depressing).
Mind you I was even more disappointed when we stopped for a coffee at the Refuge des Espuguettes, and the guardian's donkey decided to attack my rucksack in search of the Milka bar I'd bought in Gavarnie only a couple of hours earlier! Result - one slightly damaged rucksack, and even worse..... a smashed up Milka bar (stashed in a pocket). Gutted, to say the least...
Moral - don't leave your rucksack unattended if there is a donkey in the area!
I had my rucksack attacked by a sheep at the refuge below the breche de Roland, while lots of people stood around and ignored it. You can't trust any animals in the Pyrenees.
Those marmots look to be up to no good either. All the vultures gathered round a newly dead horse, already sans eyes and most guts, (gutted as you said ) were at least doing what they are designed to do and it wasn't my meal!. That was somewhere above Andorra.
