I’m not long back from a wonderful trip to the French Pyrenees, with a group of 12 Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award Participants from Lochaber High School in Fort William. Having flown into Barcelona airport on the 7th of June, me, Saki, the participants, and accompanying school staff, got onto the three-hour train to La Tour de Carol Entveig, high in the French Pyrenees. Then we journeyed onto our base, a hotel – Hotel l’Oustalet – in the village of Font Romeu.
A comfortable sleep and a good bed are so important on expeditions like these, and our hotel didn’t disappoint. The food was excellent, there was a small swimming pool, and lots of breakout space for our final planning. Day two involved purchasing expedition rations from the local supermarket, packing rucksacks, and attending a safety briefing. Heat, lightning, guardian dogs, and the effects of altitude were among the hazards the participants prepared for.
We had two expedition groups with us. My group, a group of five boys set themselves the aim of trekking up two big mountains: Puig Carlit (2912m) and Puig de la Grava (2671m). With that in mind, day one of the expedition involved getting to basecamp, a wild camp, near some beautiful lakes, at a height of 2,200m.
Puig Carlit is the highest mountain in the Pyrenees-Orientales. It is a popular hill, but involves a long ascent and some steep ground. My group proved themselves to be very competent in navigation early on in the expedition, and on day two, I was very impressed to see how well they worked as a team and looked after each other. The team made steady progress up the mountain, taking breaks every 10 to 15 minutes to catch their breath, eat and drink, and enjoy the views. They always stayed together as a group, taking care to wait for each other and watch for the effects of altitude. This approach meant they always looked and felt composed and in control.
About four hours from leaving camp, they summited. It was a real adventure and I felt a lot of pride for them in their achievement.
The wildflowers en route, high on the mountain, were wonderful: we saw Moss Campion, Gentians, Mountain Aster, crocuses, among many others.
Whilst my group summited, the other group did a circular trek around Lac Bullosa. Both teams shifted camp to this lake for the second and third night, a beautiful shoreside wild camping spot with plenty of space, lots of fresh water from a mountain stream, and good views.
Day three, for both teams involved an ascent of Puig de la Grava (2612m). The journey took us along the beautiful Grava valley: broad, green, lush, with mountain views. The ascent was more straightforward than Puig Carlit, but with better views of the mountains to the west.
The last day of the expedition involved a trek southeast to the village of Mont Louis. The village and its impressive citadel fortress are listed as a world heritage site, because of its outstanding military architecture. Today, the citadel is a training base for French Paratroopers. Both teams finished mid-afternoon and whilst being debriefed by their assessors, enjoyed a welcome ice cream in the sunshine.
If you are interested in overseas Gold Duke of Edinburgh’s Award expeditions, Aspen runs expeditions to the French Pyrenees and Norway. Please get in touch if you want to learn more.