Sunday 14th August Espot Camping Solau to La Guingueta d’Àneu: Nou Camping 10km 8-11:30am with few short breaks and 20min break before the decline So it turns out Espot is a great little place to be! With the local bakery open at 7:30am, we decided to copy the locals and enjoy a tasty coffee and fresh pastry for breaky sat in the street. We also bought a fresh baguette ready for later, (along with some olive and artichoke spread thanks to the helpful shop owner who tried his best to find something for us veggies as he had no humous) and also knew today was a short and simple walk, so we were feeling goooooood! A fab morning lead on to a fab afternoon, as not only was the walk simple and beautiful (apart from a ... read more

Sunday 7th August Parzan to Camping Forcalla at Es Plans 21km 7am-2:30pm with few shirt breaks and 30mins at bothy by dam on the incline and 30mins on the wooded descent After watching a terrific thunderstorm (only cool because we were in a hostal room rather then tent!) last night, we didn’t get to sleep until later then usual. This, plus being in a comfy bed and having enjoyed a rest day, made getting up this morning difficult. However, with another storm forecast for this afternoon we knew we had to get moving to be up and over the col by midday. With 1500m to climb today, which started almost immediately once we left Parzan, not feeling warmed up, with one trekking pole down and without a morning coffee for Paul, it was a slow slow ... read more

Monday 1 August Wild camp below the incline to Ibon de Llena Cantal to Wild camp below incline to Ibón dero Brazato 17km 7:30 - 6:30pm with many many short breaks, 30mins on first decent next to river, 30mins at Ibón Azal Baxo, 120mins at Refugio Bachimaña and 20mins along pipeline. Described as the most difficult day of the GR11, according to the cicerone guidebook, with the highest point of the trail, we were nervous but eager to go this morning. A ‘lovely’ warm up hill climb to the Ibón dero Brazato got our hearts going ready for the next stage of a steep scree climb. This is tricky, we thought, as we huffed our way up, but then came the moment we saw the ‘uncomfortably steep gully’; say whaaaaaat?! With a safety rope on the ... read more

Sunday 24 July Isaba hotel to Zuriza camping 11km 7:15 - 11:20 with regular short breaks and 30min break at the Col d’Arguibiela Walking out of Isaba, past some of the younger generation clearly still awake from the nights celebrations, we enjoyed a gentle climb along a wide path along the river before hitting a signpost. Here we had a decision to make: to go the much harder, longer and more technical route (old GR11) to Zuriza or the shorter and easier one (new official GR11). Knowing the temperature was meant to rocket up again today, and knowing we had plenty of harder days ahead, we chose the simpler and shorter route, which followed the river further and, surprisingly, past a beautiful waterfall spot; a perfect place for a swim if we hadn’t only really just ... read more

5 - Sunday 17 July Wild wooded camp 2km south of Elizondo to Collado Zaldegi hunting cabin 12km 7:30am - 1pm with 1.5hour break at Collado de Urballo Waking early, it was a little spooky but cool to open the tent door and remember we were pitched in the woods with the sounds of insects and birds. It was beautiful though, to see the light change from this cool deep blue colour with silhouetted trees to a warm pink and orange as the sun started to rise. Noting a hiker already on the trail below pass us, we finished up breaky and got going around 7:30, spotting a fox run across a field in the distance. The trail, expectedly, quickly began to climb, up and up, getting steeper and steeper, along stoney tracks and forest roads ... read more