Captain Graham has just returned from a BBC Radio 4 programme recording trip over the Pyrenees. This was a hard four-day hike over a secret mountain route used by escaping Allied airmen shot down over occupied France: the Chemin de la Liberte. I enjoyed it so much I would urge any readers to consider doing it. If you fancy it, here is the route description written by one of the organisers, Scott Goodall:
LE CHEMIN DE LA LIBERTE
Retracing the WW2 Escape Route from Saint-Girons, Ariège, France, across the Central Pyrenees to Esterri d’Aneu, Spain. Le Chemin de la Liberté or Freedom Trail, France, is based on the town of Saint-Girons in the département of Ariège, 100 kilometres south of Toulouse. The trail retraces one of the hardest wartime escape routes over the central Pyrenees into Northern Spain. Useful French maps are IGN (Institut Géographique National) No. 2047OT-TOP 25 ST-GIRONS Couserans; 2048OT-TOP 25-AULUS-LES-BAINS Mont Valier, and IGN Carte de Randonnées…PYRENEES CARTE No. 6 1: 50 000…COUSERANS Valier-Maubermé. These are available in Britain if you seek out a decent map shop.
The event follows the route taken by mountain guides and their escaping groups through the Pyrenean foothills southwards and upwards to the Spanish frontier via the soaring massif of Mont Valier (2838 metres). During WW2 this route was established originally for Frenchmen fleeing from their Nazi oppressors in an attempt to reach North Africa via Spain and join the Free French Forces of General de Gaulle. As the war progressed, the trail was used by many shot-down Allied airmen who were being filtered south on a regular basis along the Pat O¹Leary, Dutch-Paris and Marie-Claire escape lines.
During the second week of July each year, a four-day hike takes place to commemorate all those guides, couriers and safe-house keepers who kept this route open during the last war and in several cases sacrificed their own lives while doing so.
DAY ONE…. The first day of the hike starts at 0645 on the bridge over the River Salat in Saint-Girons. Once an arched, impressive railway bridge of soaring girders, it formed part of the main line between Foix and Saint-Girons. In the 1950s the line was closed and became the local ring road. The bridge itself was demolished in 1991 and replaced by a much more modest and modern construction of concrete and steel with a few fish-bowl street-lamps thrown in for bad measure. Inaugurated in 1995 as ³Le Pont Chemin de la Liberté², it commemorates the many wartime French and Allied evaders who leapt from the train at this point – warned by two blasts on the steam whistle from the driver – and were collected by waiting guides to be formed into groups in isolated barns ready for their final night ascent to the Spanish frontier. All hikers need to be awake and alert at the Parc de Palétès by 0500.Arrangements will have been made earlier to leave spare kit and equipment in a room which will be securely locked during your four days in the mountains. Full details concerning this will be given to team leaders on arrival. Breakfast will not be available at 0500 in the restaurant but the Parc proprietor has very kindly agreed to leave thermos flasks of coffee and a supply of rolls, bread and croissants on the tables so that participants can help themselves to a dawn snack.
At 0630 a coach will arrive to transport all hikers to the Chemin bridge and the start of the hike proper. Please note that the coach will NOT climb the several z-bends which lead from the main road to the leisure centre itself, so all participants must walk down to the flat area below (five minutes), with their rucksacks and catch the coach from there. On the bridge itself there is a short ceremony, a few words of encouragement from Monsieur Murillo the recently-elected Mayor, the playing of the Marseillaise, the Hymn of Resistance (the famous Chant des Partisans which you¹ll hear several times over the four days) and then at 0700…WE’RE OFF! It’s advisable to carry two litres of water for this first stage, plus a few energy bars, etc. The first two hours are up and down, mainly through beech woods in the hills above Saint-Girons. We will have one 15-minute break at approximately 0930 hours before a longish descent then tackle a tough stretch up through the village of Alos (where water bottles can be refilled at the ice-cold local fountain), We’re now into the fourth hour of walking, time approximately 1130.
We then climb VERY STEEPLY up through another beech wood to the highest point of the day, the Col de Plantach at 1000 metres (3300 feet). Time now 1230. Another 30 minutes descent takes us to the Col de l’Artigue and a barn where 19 year-old passeur Louis Barrau was betrayed by a Spanish “friend” and shot by the Germans in September 1943 while waiting to guide a mixed group of Allied airmen and French évadés on their final ascent to the Spanish frontier. Transport to the Col from Saint-Girons will be organised for supporters and veterans
It will take us six hours walking from Saint-Girons to the Col de l¹Artigue. There will be a ceremony and laying of wreaths, followed by a very filling, merry and enjoyable outdoor lunch provided free by the Barrau family and the municipality of Saint-Girons. This is an exceptional chance to meet the local people (especially the Barrau family), and if the weather is good, you’ll have stunning views of the Pyrenees and…the problems to come!
Assuming we arrive on schedule at the Col de l’Artigue at 1300 hours, we’ll then start the final stage to Aunac at 1500 hours. There is a gratifying descent followed by another steep climb and we arrive at the memorial to the Evadés de France at Aunac at approximately 1800. Again, supporters and veterans are given transport from the Col de l’Artigue to Aunac. Height now 700 metres (2310 feet). The third ceremony of the day is held here and then transport is again provided to shuttle all hikers and supporters down to the town of Seix, where the hikers spend the night. There is a brief vin d’honneur offered by the local Mayor, Monsieur Laffont, and then we’ll move to the offered accommodation in the local gymnasium. In other words we all (usually about 50 people), sleep on the floor of the gymnasium which is – as most French floors usually are – beautifully and immaculately tiled. Toilets are available plus seven or eight fairly lukewarm showers (for girls and boys) and sometimes, if we¹re very lucky, we can borrow judo mats from the local club next door. This has happened only once in the last three years, so please be prepared to sleep on your own karrimat on your own section of French tiled floor and do your best to ignore the snoring and other animal sounds which will pervade the atmosphere during the hours of darkness. This is a FREEDOM TRAIL after all, and you¹re not looking for a comfortable bed just an escape from injustice and tyranny! BUT…to offset the night-time misery, aching limbs and weeping blisters, a very good meal (with wine included) is served at 2000 hours in La Maison de Haut Salat, a restaurant and holiday centre directly opposite the aforesaid gym. The cost of this meal is included in the overall price of the four-day hike, but individual veterns and supporters will have to pay (usually 16 euros).Total distance from Saint-Girons to Aunac is 21 kilometres (13 miles) but my advice on this first day is to forget distance and think of difficulty of terrain, stumbling through head-high ferns, bushes, mossy ravines, etc, etc…all of which slows a group up. Believe you me, it will take 8 hours of walking to cover this fairly modest distance. So go easy on all the free booze at lunchtime. A few years ago an eager young Royal Signals apprentice soldier from Harrogate reached the Col de l¹Artigue in fine fettle, met two former French evaders, was offered a glass or two…or four…and then…well, it¹s all history now, anyway!Bonne nuit!
THE HIKE…DAY TWO…FRIDAY 8TH JULY, 2011. A very good continental breakfast is served at La Maison du Haut Salat from 0600 hours. Again, this is included in the overall price. We start day two¹s hike at 0800 hours. For the first hour we’ll be walking on a minor road which climbs steadily up the Esbints valley. The tarmac ends at the gîte d’étape d’Esbints and a well-marked trail leads on through woods ending in a steep climb up to the Col de la Core at 1395 metres (4603 feet) It will take nearly four hours to reach the Col, where another memorial has been erected in memory of all the local wartime passeurs. There will be a short ceremony here followed by a snack lunch which walkers must provide for themselves. At this point we meet up again with local people and veteran evaders. Water replenishment is provided here as well. PLEASE NOTE…ANYONE IN ANY DOUBT ABOUT HIS OR HER ABILITY TO COMPLETE THE TREK MUST ABANDON AT THIS POINT WHILE ROAD TRANSPORT BACK TO BASE IS STILL AVAILABLE. At approximately 1430 we set off on the final stage to La Cabane de Subera, a two-hour hike into the mountains proper. No more roads just soaring mountain peaks. The height now is 1499 metres (4946 feet). One half of the cabin is occupied by a French shepherd during the summer months and the other half is reserved for a party of French officials who arrive to join us at Subera on Friday evening. The terrain is mountain pasture encircled by high cliffs, so there is plenty of space for walkers to pitch their own tents and cook their own meals in the company of a friendly and curious herd of cows – several adorned with large bells around their necks. The ones with bells never seem to go to sleep at night, so be warned! There is also at least two haughty and very impressive BULLS sauntering through this scenario, but no hiker has actually been gored or trampled to death by wearing a red T-shirt (or even a Red Poppy) up until now as far as I know. Animal life apart, if the weather at Subera is bad this will NOT be a fun night, so keep smiling. There is an ample supply of COLD fresh water for cooking, drinking and washing, but no toilet facilities exist. Please walk at least 200 metres from the base camp site before… THE HIKE…DAY THREE…SATURDAY 9TH JULY, 2011. At 0800 on Saturday morning, the French contingent of hikers joins us for the last two days. There are usually about 60 of them which brings the total number of participants to 100-plus. The absolute limit is 120. After brief introductions all round and hot coffee provided by the French officials who had arrived the night before, we are now briefed by the professional mountaineers who will take charge of the party during these two most difficult days of the escape trail. In principle there will be one qualified mountain guide for every ten participants. A group of French police, Gendarmes from the local Mountain Rescue Team, will also be with us. All these professionals will be instantly recognisable by the armbands or special clothing they wear (usually yellow t-shirts and caps), so if any participant is in trouble physically and needs help, please seek out one of the pros. The briefing will tell you that this is NOT a race, so RAF and military teams please leave any ideas you may have about inter-unit rivalry firmly locked up back at base. The pace we climb at is the pace of the slowest and there will be regular pauses for the hikers to re-group. One thing that the mountain guides insist on is trying to prevent an accordion effect, with a rambling line of hikers stretching further and further apart across the slopes. The idea is to keep the group firmly together. Naturally it doesn’t always work, but at least the idea’s good! The hike starts at 0830 hours. In the first two hours we ascend from 1499 metres (4946 feet) at Subera to just over 2000 metres (6600 feet) to the place which the local French know simply as avion or aeroplane. It was here at the base of the Pic de Lampau that a Halifax bomber from 644 Squadron Royal Air Force based at Tarrant Rushton in Dorset, crashed on the 19th of July 1945 with the loss of all seven crew. The aircraft was on a cross-country training flight and more than 80 kilometres off-course when the accident happened at night and in bad weather A fair amount of wreckage is still scattered around and you are asked to leave it untouched as a mark of respect. There is a memorial plaque at the crash-site and every year a British Royal Air Force representative lays a wreath, says a few words and asks for a minute¹s silence. High in the mountains and surrounded by pieces of twisted wreckage, this is truly a moving moment. From the Œplane we climb ever more steeply upwards to the snow-lineand the knife-edged ridge of rock that is the Col de Craberous at 2382 metres (7860 feet). The descent from this Col towards La Cabane des Espuges can only be described as dizzy, and because it is so steep, particpants are fed down slowly ten at a time, aided by the guides. This process naturally slows the pace up and if you¹re forced to wait on the Col for some time before your turn comes, make sure you¹re wearing clothes warm enough to keep out the icy wind that often blows up there.
During the ascent and descent of this Col you’ll often hear the shout or scream of caill-oux! (roughly pronounced kai-yew), which warns you of rolling stones or rocks dislodged by walkers above and now hurtling towards you at an alarming speed. We descend to 2110 metres (6963 feet) and arrive at La Cabane des Espuges (a small mountain refuge) at approximately 1330 hours and stop an hour for lunch, which you have to provide yourself. There is a good supply of fresh water here, so fill your bottles. The afternoon will be long and hard. We set off again at 1430 hours and for half an hour hike along a rutted, stony track overlooking three large mountain lakes Milouga, Arauech and Cruzous. The height is now 2139 metres (7058 feet) and walkers re-group at this point to tackle the steep eastern slopes of Mont Valier which at 2838 metres (9365 feet) is the highest mountain in this section of the PyreneesBy 1700 hours, the walkers will have reached the Col de Pécouch at 2462 metres (8124 feet), which looks directly down on the Refuge des Estagnous where we¹ll eat and spend the night. It is another extremely steep (and in places dangerous) descent to the refuge, but once again the professional guides are there to help us. It’s a difficult 45-minute scramble down, round and over enormous granite boulders. The refuge at Estagnous (2242 metres, 7398 feet) was first built in 1912 but completely refurbished several years years ago. It is now a magnificent building in the luxury class which can sleep 78 people and offer real toilets and even hot showers (you have to pay a modest fee for the hot water. Cold showers are free!) The food provided here for our evening meal is excellent, huge bowls of soup followed by conserve of duck, goose, then cheeses and pastries. Wine is also included in the overall price. The meals are divided into two sittings. Those in tents (the foreign contingent) eat first, followed by the French. As mentioned, the refuge can sleep 78 people in dormitory-type accommodation. In principle all these places are occupied by the French while the foreign group (usually British, Dutch, Belgian and American) sleep outside in tents. Normally there are several two and three-man tents already pitched and available for our use, BUT…as in previous years there has been so much confusion about how many tents are available and how many people can squeeze into them, that I am now advising all participants from abroad TO BE PREPARED TO PITCH AND USE THEIR OWN TENTS FOR THE NIGHT AT ESTAGNOUS. If by chance you ARE lucky enough to find room in a ready-pitched tent please consider it as a bonus and not a right!Arrival at the refuge is usually around 1800 hours, a full ten-hour day from Subera. However, the night at Estagnous is a noisy and extremely merry one. As the worst part of the hike is over, several celebrations and even wine-drinking competitions have been known to take place. Be cautious…there is still day four to be faced and the freedom of the Spanish frontier to be reached!THE HIKE…DAY FOUR…SUNDAY 10TH JULY, 2011.
Continental breakfast is provided in the refuge from 0600 hours. The last day of the hike starts at 0800. There is a steep, slippery 45-minute descent to Lac Rond (the round lake), at 1929 Metres (6365 feet), then a sharp, VICIOUS 30-minute climb up to Lac Long (the long lake) directly above at 2125 metres (7012 feet). We now enter the snow-filled gully that leads directly to the Col de la Clauère and the Spanish frontier at 2522 metres (8322 feet). The professional guides take over again and kick steps in the frozen snow for the hikers to zig-zag their way upwards in single file, each person treading exactly in the footsteps of the person in front of him. The going is slow but reasonably comfortable.
We reach the frontier at approximately 1130 and immediately begin the steep descent into Spain. At the frontier the French police turn back and we are escorted downwards by the Spanish ³bomberos² or local fireman who have climbed up to help us. Although this descent is steep, there are no rocks, just wide, snow-flattened grass slopes. An hour into Spain we stop for lunch (self-provided) at the Lake de Clauère and then re-group for the final two hours descent to the River Palleresa in the valley below, which we’ll reach about 1530 hours. It is at this river that we are picked up by a series of four-by-four trucks and ferried in small groups to the village of Alos d’Isil, where a coach is waiting to take us the last 12 kilometres to our final destination, Esterri d¹Aneu, for an official reception in the local community hall. There will be speeches by the mayor of Esterri and the mayor of Saint-Girons, plus votes of thanks from the Chemin Association President Colonel Guy Séris. All participants who have successfuly completed the four-day hike will be asked to sign the Royal Air Forces Escaping Society memorial book which was presented to the town of Saint-Girons by the society in 1997.
Archive for July, 2011
After Everest, where we discovered the delights of Bowmore Malt Whisky, the First Mate and I decided to visit the distillery. This is on Islay, an island of peat and sea spray which give the island’s whiskies their unique character. First Mate Gina owns land at the Laphroiag Distillery- a square foot of peat. After Islay we crossed to the island of Jura, an unexpected gem. Here there is another distillery, and we camped a few yards from the gates. The next day we climbed one of the famous Paps of Jura- the second highest-a range of oddly-shaped mountains which I used to see from the hills of Arran when I climbed there as a child. My father always pointed out the Paps, which are like the mountains of Moomin-Land, and at last I have fulfilled a childhood ambition.