ekmc reports

CLUB REPORTS

Passion in the Pyrenees

In June the E.K. Veteran Tigers and their associate members, The Pussycats, had a Walking holiday in Andorra, the only country in the world where the official language is Catalan.

As befits a group whose motto is "To rest is not to conquer" we stormed mountain passes, crossed snowfields and walked along a terrifying "Nature Trail." We endured an incredible range of temperatures, from 2 degrees C to 30 degrees C. We did several walks in the beautiful Vaf d' Incles. At the start of each of these walks we had to climb up the sides of steep burns which cascaded down the hillside and were fringed with broom. Spectacular. Apparently the hills were still covered in snow until the third week in May therefore we had the bonus of seeing daffodils in June and tramping through high meadows which were carpeted in gentians and alpenrosen.

Being veterans we didn't rough it, Anne MacDonald, who had organized the trip made sure we had a first class hotel with swimming pool, Jacuzzi and packed lunches. There was a wee pub at the start of the Val d'lncles. The rather mature barman insisted on giving the ladies a cuddle. We jokingly referred to his amorous approaches as "Passion in the Pyrenees." It was noticed that several of our lady members paid several visits to the wee pub. Many of us made a trip to Villefranche, a delightful walled town in France. The trip was by bus to Villefranche then we travelled on a wee yellow train along a gorge and through magnificent mountain scenery before boarding a bus for our journey back to the village of Soldeu. where we were staying.

On our final day our walk was to the Lacs de Pessons. These were a series of seven lakes which lay at different levels up the mountainside. This was quite a challenging but rewarding walk. On our journey home we travelled by mini bus to Barcelona, flew from there to Amsterdam, then to Glasgow. Although Soldeu is really a ski resort we certainly had an active and enjoyable holiday.

By 'young' Alex Rintoul, the intrepid explorer.

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Passion in the Pyrenees