Keith's Globe Trotting Blog: ROAD TRIP TO MALLORCA - PART 3 - ESPANA - Jaca, Bardenas Reales & La Valle de Boi

Lumbier Gorge

Bardenas Reales

Valle de Boi

JACA - THE GATEWAY TO THE NAVARRAN PYRENEES & BARDENAS REALES

All tentatively planned out, without any real direction! Perhaps the best way, but I always hoped or planned to see some Alpine Pyrenees, so sort of heading in the correct direction, but also back towards France!

The photos though sold me on a stop and walk at Lumbier Gorge, very impressive they were too…see the photos.

I then headed to Jaca, the gateway to the Aragon Pyrenees, a slightly longer journey than I thought, which became a theme! Camped up on the edge, and did a decent ride, daring to use MTB on Komoot….was good (with my new lovely thru axel, quick release too!) - - all sort of went well, except demasiado bosques, and relentless climbing….but that was not the worst. From a really high point, all the way down to a valley was a rocky single track with constant switchbacks, that Komoot sent me on….got to admit I bottled most of it…..too remote to take chances, really needed a full suspension!

All forgotten when I returned to Castillo de Jaca for a nice tortilla and a good chat with the Spanish waitress who could also speak French and English (learnt living in Sydney) returned back down to the campsite….and found a bar in the evening showing the Man City vs Arsenal game, although I had a commentary of pretty hard Spanish rock!

I moved on again, but was not convinced this was the best the Pyrenees could offer…..but I’d seen some photos of a completely contrasting area, but away from where I was trying to head: The Navarran Badlands - Bardenas Reales National Park….geomorphological forms of desert erosion…wind, water and sun….it really was in the wrong direction!

Anyhow it was worth it, some classic desert forms….just a shortish bike spin around them, and decided in the late afto to make the journey towards Andorra, more precisely to the National Park, Aiguestertes l’Estany - but it was a good three hours! So, I put my NZ head on, turned up the music, and cruise controlled in that direction….eventually ending up at….

LA VALLE DE BOI - CATALONIAN PYRENEES

The journey itself was very impressive, ultimately, once I’d turned away from the basin of Lleida….some very impressive gorges…and notably some very dry huge reservoirs. I didn’t arrive until almost 9pm, after an alpine type climb up from the valley, very Suisse, although as it was dark….it was hard to tell, until the morning!

I was starving too, so cooked an emergency boil in the bag rice with some crap tinned meatballs…it was delicious! However, I couldn’t be bothered washing the plate and pan, and decided to crash….then something occurred to me: bears and wolves! Don’t they habitat the Pyrenees….shit! So I got out of my sleeping bag, and chucked the said items in my car! Then went to sleep! Just in case!!

The next day I completed, just, a fairly long and lofty walk. Hitting nearly 20km but at over 8,500ft. I became quite breathless at about 7,000ft - the views though were stunning, and very Alpine, but on the descent it took forever, by which time I was getting rather dehydrated (no water left) and sun burnt (no cream ) - eventually surviving, and after a shower, water and some temporary sustenance, I went to a bar and a restaurant owned by the family of the lovely campsite host, for a rewarding evening!

Unfortunately although I considered extending my stay, the forecast was rather wet, so after a short bike ride, inside the National park itself (no cars permitted), on a “must do” cycle up to a small lake…I decided to head off to…..