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Type: Guided Walking in Spain's Nature Parks
Price: Ł695 per week half board

A new holiday in one of the few places where it won't be too hot to walk at this time of year!

This is a holiday at a relaxed pace, leaving plenty of time to cover our ground and take in the impressive mountainous scenes and all the colourful plant and wildlife that abounds. We aim to be outdoors for the best part of each day. A real treat for nature lovers!

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We are teaming up with my good friend and local mountaineering guide Luis Cebrian so that we get the most out of the landscape. Luis has been based in Benasque for the last 30 years and was a pioneer in the local and national climbing and mountaineering community. He is a fully licensed European mountaineering guide.

GRADE
Mediano

THE AREA
A few hours drive from Barcelona airport, Benasque lies roughly half way along the Pyrenees in the province of Huesca. Set at the foot of the highest peaks of the Pyrenees, we are well placed to strike into the heart of this impressive range with it many glacier formed valleys. Early July will see a huge variety of apine like flora from swathes of giant Yellow Gentians to the delicate Western Marsh Orchid.

Looking to the sky, we'll be hoping to spot the resident Lammergeiers, as well as the elusive Wallcreeper. The woodlands are incredibly varied, with conifer, oak, maple, beech and poplar to name a few. The forests give way to alpine meadows, in turn leading to rocky slopes and the highest area with small lakes and even glaciers.

We'll be exploring all these areas during the week making sure we take enough time to savour the rich variety of landscape surrounding us.

THE ITINERARY
The following routes are just a few of those on offer. We reserve the right to change a planned walk should the weather be against us.

Day 1         Transfer from Barcelona airport to Benasque – aprox. 3 hours

Day 2         Coll de Toro. 5 hrs. Max Ascent – 400m
          A good way to ease yourself into the mountainous landscape. A gentle climb up to the
                  impressive Forau d'Aiguallut Waterfall before climbing up to the French border with breathtaking views to
                  the north face of Mt. Aneto, the highest mountain in the Pyrenees.

Day 3        Vall de Vallibierna. 6hrs. Max Ascent – 600m
          An old timber track now the GR11 provides a well graded entry into this impressive glacially formed valley.

Day 4        A half day walk on the slopes above Benasque, followed by a visit to the town itself.

Day 5         Vall d'Estos Circuit. 6hrs. Max Ascent – 550m
                   Another well graded track onto the western side of the Benasque valley past various
                   cabins up to the Estos refuge before returning by the same way.

Day 6        Salvaguardia. 6 hrs 30 mins. Max ascent – 1000m
                 An emblematic peak and lookout post on the French/Spanish border with stunning 360 views of all the surrounding tops.

Day 7        Puerto de la Glera. 5 hrs. Max Ascent – 550m
       An age old route up to the frontier with France past glacial lakes.

Day 8        Transfer to Barcelona airport.

ACCOMMODATION
The welcoming Carina and her husband ( a mountain rescue Guardia Civil) run this chalet style hotel with care and warmth. The home style cooking is a big plus, especially after a long day in the mountains. Have a look at their set up at www.hotelturpi.net

More Information

When to go: Summer for the Spring flowers
Transfer Options: Barcelona Airport
Grade of Difficulty: Mediano - in the mountians
What's included.: Airport transfers, Half board with wine inc. in en suite accommodation. 6 days guided walking.
Date: June 27th - July 4th. 2010

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More About Our Holidays

Mad English in Sierra de las Nieves

Not many hardy souls make it out in these sorts of conditions, especially when they are supposed to be on holiday. Neil and Claire aren't your average walkers, keen on stretching their legs in out of season conditions whilst holidaying in Andalucia, Spain.

"I'll take you on one of my special walks close to the village of El Burgo" I told them. Little did I realise just how special the day was going to be. After a short drive, we hiked up through the mist till we hit the tree line. Another half an hour of walking brought us to a saddle where the path hopped from one side of the mountain to the other. "We'll be a bit exposed for a short way" I commented. Within a minute our windward side was all but frozen by a bitter horizontal driving rain. Before we could regain the shelter of the trees and the leeward side of Sierra Prieta, both Neil and Claire were forced to stop and don waterproof trousers and swab their lenses.

Climbing through the pines, the mist was thick, but on the odd occasion it cleared briefly, pierced by the surrounding pinnacles, and the views dropped steeply down the valley to our right. All too soon the rain turned to sleet and then to snow. By the time we gained the pass to Yunquera and cleared the forests I knew it was time to call it a day. The summit of Sierra Cabrilla, a further 200m ascent with no path and steep drops would have been a foolhardy undertaking to say the least. A good friend and fellow guide, once told me how some clients complained about not getting to a summit. "Well at least you'll be alive to talk about it when you get home" was his considered reply!

There were no such complaints on this day when I announced taht we would go no further. So I whipped out the camera and this was the result..what a day!