This was a tough trip but accurately described as being one of the toughest Grade C trips offered by Exodus.The ascents & descents were both challenging & more demanding than any walking that you would find in England. You do need to be fit to do this trip
- What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Roland was the local "accompagnateur" travelling with the group. He was particularly interested in the flora & fauna of the Pyrenees. There was an abundance of wildflowers, most of which Roland was able to identify.
We saw a lammergeier, golden eagles, vultures & marmots. We were walking in very wild & remote areas on severals days of the trip & it was comforting to have Roland leading the group. Roland at times struggled with English but he was keen to improve. He was a success with our group because of his character & because there were two people in the group who were fluent in French & were able to act as interpretors.
The view of Vignemale from the second refuge.
- What did you think of your group leader?
Brendan the group leader was excellent. The tranfers from & to the airport worked well. The daily briefings were clear & informative. The food & cooking were good and the meals were varied. The breakfasts were a good mix of cereal, fruit, yoghurt & bread. There was plenty of food for lunch & the evening meals were generally very good. Wine & beer were available & the honesty box system worked well. There were two birthdays during the fortnight (including a 50th birthday) & extra treats were provided. There were two vegetarians on the trip (including myself) & I was impressed with the meals that Brendan provided.
I sat out on two days of the trip & I travelled with Brendan in the van. It gave me an appreciation of how hard he worked to make the trip a success.
- Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
You do need to be fit to do this trip.
The weather on our trip was fantastic. It was damp & overcast on the first day but otherwise we were blessed with glorious sunshine. We needed plentiful supplies of sunblock & water but you also need to be prepared for all climatic extremes even though the trips are all done over the summer months.
Take plasters to deal with blisters & a knee bandage. The terrain is rough & many of the days are long. Few people in the group escaped blisters or acheing knees.
For the three days when there is no access to the van, walkers need to be given specific advice to take the absolute minimum in their day bags, keeping weight as low as possible.
The use of walking poles is to be strongly advised.
- Is there anything else you would like to add?
The only criticism of the food relates to the food that was provided at the restaurant adjacent to the gite d'etape. As a vegetarian I was provided with a starter which comprised a plate of lettuce with a few pieces of tomato. The main course was a plate of mashed potato. Not great.
The van was not really big enough for a full group of 16 people. It was a daily struggle to get all of the bags loaded + all of the tables, tents & other equipment. This was not helped by the fact that one of the group had 2 bags one of which had a hard shell & wheels plus another bag that could not be loaded easily. Several people, including me, had bags that were bigger than recommended. If Exodus had provided kit bags for this trip, as they do for trips outside Europe, it would have given people in the group a better appreciation of the amount of gear they should be taking.
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