We took the train to Foix, not far from Toulouse, and hiked into the mountains, along the Andorran border and down into Spain.
The early stages, in the foothills, were pretty easy. Although there were farms around we soon found a place to wild camp, under these beech trees.
The higher we climbed, the more dramatic the scenery. At this point we stayed in one of the cabins you occasionally find up there: no power, no running water but a bunk to spread your bag on, a fireplace, a stream running through the meadow, and a roof. What else do you need?
The cabin’s somewhere on that grassy slope, obscured from view; so here’s a picture of one we found a few days later, on the Spanish side. This had a roof and little else, so if it had rained we would’ve stayed dry. As it was, we elected to light the fire outside and sleep under a full moon.
Of course, if you do what we did, and set out at the end of May, you run the risk of meeting winter as you get towards the heights. I did NOT enjoy this passage at all. But we made it….
…and had a well-earned brew when we crossed to the other side.
I’ll come back to the Pyrenees before too long.