Area: French Pyrenees
Walk: Barages - Pont de la Gaubie - Cabane d'Aygues Cluses - Lacs de Madamete - Col de Madamete (2,509m) - Lac d'Aubert (wild camping)
Distance: 10.25 miles 4,300ft ascent
With: Exodus trekking group
Conditions: Sunshine and blue sky, hot, cloud building during afternoon, windy at col
Comment: The time does not include the 1 hour stop / rest at the Col de Madamete while we waited for some members of the group to ascend Pic de Madamete
Time: 8 hours 10 minutes
Barages
Barns on the mountain side
While we stopped for a coffee at the cafe at Pont de la Gaubie we
watched over 90 Griffon Vultures gather, circle for about 10 minutes
and then disperse again
The view north, back down the valley towards the cafe
...and the view back from higher up
...and higher still
The way ahead
...and the view back
...and again
Cabane d'Aygues Cluses, our lunch stop
...with Lac de Coueyla-Gran next to it.
Heading ever upwards. The Col de Madamete is the low point on the
skyline with Pic de Madamete on its right
Lacs de Madamete. Some of the braver? members of the party had a
short swim in the left hand one
Northerly panorama from above the Lacs de Madamete - click on image
for a larger version
The view north as we headed for the col
Northerly panorama from just below the Col de Madamete - click on
image for a larger version
Col de Madamete (2,509m / 8,230ft). The highest col on the GR10
excluding variants
The view north from the col. The highest peak (left of centre) is
Pic de Midi de Bigorre (2,872m) which has an observatory on its
summit
A mountain rescue helicopter, having successfully picked someone
up from near the summit of the Pic d'Estibere. The observatory can
clearly be seen on the Pic de Midi de Bigorre
The view south from the col into the Reserve Naturelle de Neouvielle
Southerly panorama from the Col de Madamete - click on image for
a larger version
Looking back to the Pic de Madamete with the Col de Madamete on
its right
Lac d'Aumar on the left and Lac d'Aubert on the right
Lac d'Aumar
...and again
Lac d'Aubert
Wild camping next to Lac d'Aubert