Spain - Day 35: Camping Can Fosses to Nuria

Morning view

Nuria gorge and the sanctuary come tourist resort at the top are apparently famous. But to us is was just a two up day with 1,600m ascent, 900m descent and 18km to do it in. So doing the maths again...

Bloody Steep

Trees

We start off, well you know it by now, up. 

There is a road that does two sides of the square that our walk completes. It is tempting. But we are not really in a hurry. So follow the red and white marks.

We get to a pic-nic spot just below a refugi. The refugi Corral Blanc if ever you want to visit.

Smile

We sat on a, kindly provided, table and bench and started to snack. Then some friends arrived. Big four legged friends. Most just ambled past . But this horned beast, a mother with calf in tow, got interested in us. Now, if you don't know cows are big. Horns are pointy. And mothers are protective.

We have passed and merrily ignored numerous signs warning of the dangers cows represent. With recommendation to stay anywhere from 5 to 30m away. 

Our guests were drooling on out backpacks on the other side of the table that we were using for ad hoc protection. They were not aggressive, luckily. Cute would be a good word. But big and sharp none-the-less.

We waited until they lost interest and moved to the refugio for a beer and Fanta Lemon (#Why?).

Post cow view

Meadows

Cliffs

We walked up then down. Through meadows and past towering cliffs. Down to Queralbs

Queralbs was a tourist trap. Nuria the great attraction. This was the starting point and it was busy. We tried to shop but it was all touristy stuff. Not the bread and sausage that we so desperately craved.

It was pretty. Old and stone built. Narrow streets and restaurants.

Queralbs church

Queralbs

We were hungry. We successfully hunted a restaurant and fortified our selves for the climb to come. The calculation says 10% but this is an average. It consists of near vertical bits and near flat bits. We were not looking forward to the climb.

The book raved about it. But he has to fill the pages with something we have decided.

We set off as late as we dared. It started with a vengeance. Then got worse. It was up, it was rocky, it had big drops of to the side of the path.

We met lots of people walking down. But none up. We figured it was just late in the day. But then we heard and spotted the train. Yes, a train. They had built a train to take people to the top. So the game was up in the train and if you wanted down on the path. It seems only GR11'ers actually walk up.

We saw a chamois  lying on the grass in the middle of a cliff. But too far away to get a shot of on a phone. But it know it was safe and just watched us. Nonchalantly.


Nuria, we decided is a dish best enjoyed down. Yes it must have been impressive. Yes it was an engineering feat. But going up you are too hot, tired and focused on your footing to notice.

Even Gummy Bears didn't help so much.

Nuria 1

Nuria 2

Nuria 3 - cool bridge

It was  hard walk up. Not a nice touristy path. A real mountain path. Rocky, uneven, climbs and jumps. So imagine our surprise when we met a cyclist on his way down. I said I thought we were stupid but that he was in another league. He laughed and he and martin talked bikes and biking.

Nuria - the truth

The resort Nuria was interesting. Definitely worth a visit. The campsite, however, was an after though it seemed. A few beds of sand next to the river. We pitched at the end of one of them with someone's small tent, 15m away at the other.

We had one tent up and the other in progress when the someone came up and asked why we were camping on his pitch? Once we sorted out the language issues. We all spoke English. I realised he was from my home area in England. I asked where he was from. Not 30km from my home village. So all was forgiven. 

We could camp.

We had arrived too late to pay for the campsite, reception was closed. If we came back after 9am in the morning, we were politely told, we could pay. While we, of course, wanted to pay; tomorrow we get to the highest point on the whole trip. Start early, beat the thunder storms and arrive alive - is the mantra.  So it is unlikely that we would be coming back after 9 o'clock.

We ate in the restaurant so we think we covered our stay. As we, as is our habit, ate an awful lot.

Lots of well dressed, well to do, Spanish tourists. And us, unshowered, unshaven but carefree.

The campsite ski resort and a part of the Nuria complex

The complex and ski resort in the background. Our Italian friends in the red tent. No sign of Mr. Gruber.