After Provence and an unsuccessful attempt to swim in the Mediterranean due to the French holidays, we set course for Perpignan and the mountains. Here are the impressions from the first part of the Pyrenees.
Wild camping is not advisable in France, so we had to go to camp sites. It started to get late, and on the first one it was full, even though it was far away from the main road towards Andorra. The next chance was even further up in the mountain.
French hippie camp
To our surprise, we found a huge campsite with a market for alternative goods and locally produced food, and Elin bought a purse and a dream catcher. We were charmed by the atmosphere among old gray-haired hippies in colorful clothes chatting and laughing. Unfortunately it was full here too. We thought this was strange, because it was a huge wood-covered area, and up to 30 meters between the cars.
The nice little lady who ran the camp explained that it was her policy that you should feel as if you were alone in the woods. This was something we could definitely support. Living on a campsite where it is 3 meters to a huge white motor homes is not particularly pleasant, although right now it was more important to find a place before it got dark.
After some small talk, we were fortunately allowed to stay, but had to wait until cars parked in connection with the market had left. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we stayed for two days. The place is a good starting point for many hikes, including to peaks of about 2000 meters, so we are happy to return here. The campsite is located in the mountains near the small town of Prades, Camp Les Sauterelles near the village of Fillols.
On the way to the Spanish border we dumped an old monastery, St. Michel de Cuxa, and the largest Romanesque church in France where we were lucky and got Beethoven’s 5. Not everything can be planned.
Wild camping in Spain
We wanted to get into Spain as soon as possible, since most of the Pyrenees are located there, and it is also possible to wild camp there. It is not really allowed, but unlike in France it is tolerated, as long as it happens discreetly, IE not visible from the main road. In the national parks it is not okay, so avoid that. August is high season and there were many campers, mainly Spaniards. At nice wild camp sites by rivers and ski centers in the mountains, there could be dozens of cars.
The engine over-heated
To get into the mountains as far east as possible, we drove back towards Perpignan for a while and up to the border on winding small roads. We crossed the border at almost 1600 meters altitude and just over 40 centigrade heat. The steep rise in the temperature was not without problems for the car that over-heated, and we were a bit stressed, even though we knew it was not serious. To avoid this in similar conditions later in the trip, we turned off the air conditioning. It turned out to help a lot, as the cooler for AC is mounted in front of the engine cooler and preheats the air that is supposed to cool the engine. Later this was not a problem.
Hot – head for the mountains
Traveling to Spain in July-August is a game of chance in terms of heat, because temperatures above 40 degrees are common. One of the advantages of driving a car is that you can then drive away from the temperatures, and for us it meant driving to the mountains when it passe 40 just as we crossed the border into Spain. So we drove up to a national park and found a place to wild camp a little over 1700 meters above sea level, where the temperature was just under 30. The place was a center for cross country skiing, but it was open during summer with restaurant and toilets. There were quite a few cars there, but we found a shady spot for ourselves in the woods. We stayed there for two days and went hiking up some nearby peaks of 2000 meters.
This eastern part of the Pyrenees is very green and lush, and it was fascinating to walk in pine forests up to 2000 meters. The terrain here in the Parc Natural de l’Alt Pirineu is not very dramatic. The tops are rounded and covered with large pine trees, and the forest floor is like a freshly cut lawn. So it is extremely easy to walk exactly where you want. The only obstacles are naturally dead pine trees that lie around and rot slowly.
Driving in the mountains
Road numbering says a lot about what kind of road it is. 1-digit is a motorway, 2-digit is a good 4 or 2 lane road and 3-digit is a good regional road. The 4-digit means in part very narrow and winding local road, but paved. The road up to the ski center was 3-digit, but into the park there was no number on the road. In general, the road standard is very good, but you really have to sneak through the turns where it is narrowest.
Into the park
We drove into the park after two days on a good gravel road. It eventually came to an end and we had to put in four-wheel drive. The road was still easy to drive if you have a 4×4 and good ground clearance. Some of the smaller side roads, or pistes as they say here, were quite technically demanding. What is interesting is that there are very few roads that are blocked or have signs with no entry, as we often experience elsewhere.
Offroad opportunities
In the national parks, many of these roads have been prepared by the park service as fire protection, so that they can get access in the event of a forest fire. For the rest of us, these are great roads to get around in nature, and they provide many opportunities for those who want a little demanding technical driving. For us, tough off-roading is not the most important thing, but sometimes it takes time to get to spectacular places. There are many guide books for the Pyrenees. For those who know German I would recommend this: Pistenkuh, Off-Road Pyrenees. Then you also get gpx’s for many great trails.
Towards the east
The impression of the Pyrenees so far is wonderful mountains and beautiful scenery. It is easy to get around whether you choose asphalt or gravel. Charming little villages and affordable camping sites the times we choose those. About 10 Euro per person. But a lot of people and often full places now that it is high season.
The next travel letter will be about wild camping and hiking among picturesque abandoned villages and fantastic ravines in nature parks.
This is the 3rd travel letter from the trip to the Pyrenees 2021. The first two are here:
Roadtrip to the Pyrenees – Maginot Line and the Jura Mountains
Provence Roadtrip
The next is here: Pyrenees – road trip to abandoned villages
