Here is the roadmap for a holiday spent in Sierra de Guara.
This week of June, I accompany 4 ladies: Christine, Francoise, Sandrine and
Josiane. We
start from Pau to join Nocito where we will stay in the convivial
hostel of San Urbez. All the week, we will walk arround the hostel.
Sunday 13: ... Day of departure ...
It is about 13h when we find ourselves at the train station in Pau. Les présentations faites, tout le monde embarque dans la voiture et nous voici parti. After the presentations, we take the road and during the travel we are aware. We arrive at the shelter at 16h, a little shaken after twenty miles of track. Geneviève welcomes us.
We take the direction of the cross, perched above the sanctuary of San Urbez on the peña del Sento, for a first little walk. We discover some flowers such as tapsia (umbelliferous large yellow) and afillante (small purple flower petals to six who hatches a fine bare stem) and two songs of birds, the Pouillot Bonelli and finches. At the cross, we see a wonderful view of the Sierra, accompanied by a taste. I present the Sierra, and present the program of the week.
Back at the hostel, everyone takes time to settle, then returned for the evening meal.
Sunday 13: ... Day of departure ...
It is about 13h when we find ourselves at the train station in Pau. Les présentations faites, tout le monde embarque dans la voiture et nous voici parti. After the presentations, we take the road and during the travel we are aware. We arrive at the shelter at 16h, a little shaken after twenty miles of track. Geneviève welcomes us.
We take the direction of the cross, perched above the sanctuary of San Urbez on the peña del Sento, for a first little walk. We discover some flowers such as tapsia (umbelliferous large yellow) and afillante (small purple flower petals to six who hatches a fine bare stem) and two songs of birds, the Pouillot Bonelli and finches. At the cross, we see a wonderful view of the Sierra, accompanied by a taste. I present the Sierra, and present the program of the week.
Back at the hostel, everyone takes time to settle, then returned for the evening meal.
History of San Urbez:
San Urbez was born in Bordeaux in the 8th century. He came to Spain prisoner Arabs. He obtained his release and return to France. Then the Arabs were defeated at Poitiers by Charles Martel.
In the year 730, San Urbez returned to Spain following the course of the Garonne, passing the breach of Roland and down the canyon Añisclo. Along the way, there are still many hermitages honor.
Arriving in Sierra, it becomes shepherd and spends much time meditating in a cave under the current cross. Soon, he devoted his life to religion, and convert the people of Sierra highly populated at the time, to Christianity. It said he was making small miracles.
He built a chapel in the first place of the current monastery. Later, the monastery was built in place of passage, at the intersection of two valleys. There was never any monks, but today, every year the last weekend of June, there is a great pilgrimage that honors the spirit of San Urbez.
In several religious places, such as the Cathedral of Huesca or hermitage of Aragon, one can observe many iconography representing San Urbez with two children martyrs: San Justo and San Pastor.
Monday 14:
... Beautiful weather, great blue ...
We awake peacefully, lunch at 9:00, in the sun in a holiday spirit.
In my treks, I try to what my clients décontractent they enjoy, and they leave their daily lives. The Sierra de Guara and the relaxing site of San Urbez are quite conducive to that.
10am start of the descente Guatizalema one of the most beautiful river of the Sierra. After 15 minutes by car, we begin the hiking trails through small bordered by boxwood and flowers afillantes. Nous identifions des orchidées, des phalangères, du spirée lunaire, de la vipérine, des catamanches, de la sarriette, du lin jaune, bleu, et blanc, … A cette époque, la Sierra nous offre de nombreuses fleurs, ceci enchante le groupe. We identify orchids, phalangeres, lunar spirea, blueweed, catamanches, savory, flax yellow, blue and white ... At that time, Sierra offers many flowers, this delights the group.
After one hour's walk overlooking the river, we descend to pause beside a nice pool. Some bathe, and we eat fresh fruit and dried planned for the morning break.
Nous repartons, puis présente la Ramonde des Pyrénées, endémique qui pousse en milieu calcaire ombragé, elle porte de 1 à 5 fleurs violettes et orangées au centre. We leave, then I present the rare flower Ramond of Pyrenees, endemic that grows in limestone shaded environment. It was dedicated to the scientist Ramond Carbonnières, naturalist who discovered the chain in the 18th century.
After a few views on the canyon, we descend finally set foot in the water. We then follow the Guatizalema about one kilometer, skipping from stone to stone, sometimes with water up to their knees, sometimes we get small waterfalls and pools along more natural.
Josiane and Sandrine have a little trouble walking in the slipping river, and are not very comfortable in the water. We walk a little slower to take their bearings. We take lunch under a green oak located on the banks of a pool shaped bean very pleasant for swimming.
After a short siesta, we are left without the bags, with Christine, Francoise, and Sandrine, for a return in the Barranco. Josiane we prefer to wait and read to the place of meals.
We go through small trails lost in the brouchous, to the village of Nocito for a beer. Brouchous called on all sharps shrubs such as broom or juniper.
Large clouds are formed throughout the day. The evening at sunset, we admire beautiful shades of gray and pink, with substance, the Tozal mountain. The whole team is tired but pleased with this first day. We feel that links are created.
Tuesday 15:
... sunny with cumulus formations in the day ...
Today we leave for a loop at the outset of the shelter, through the forest of Tozal and an ancient Roman road leading to the peak Chemelosas. We descend into the canyon of bleeding, then go by the Rio abellada.
From the outset, we are immediately surrounded by nature. In the climb toward casetas de las Canadas, we are experiencing beautiful moors arid composed of boxwood, oak and brooms. The trail moves between layers of limestone that give us the impression of being in a grand staircase down. We identify several orchids; bouquets of flax and afillantes along the way.
We continue in a pine forest that leads 20 minutes later in Posento pass. It's a flat and wide, where humans are built dry stone huts for bring sheep during the summer. We admire for a few minutes vultures who wind thermals.
Then the group attack down by an ancient Roman road built with marches in flats stones and walls to support the way. It observes limestone numulitique. Before the second uprising of the Pyrenees, this area was under the sea, unicellular organisms were then deposited at the bottom water and sediments were covered, creating the limestone that fossil found by the wayside.
After a pause nuts, we go back in a forest consisting mainly of oak and pine forest on the northern side Tozal. It listens to songs of the black woodpecker and Pouillot, and look at the matches, nests of vultures perched on the cliffs of Posento.
Arrivé aux crêtes de Chemelosas, et après avoir profité du panorama, nous redescendons en direction de la piscine glacée, au croisement des rio de la Pillera et de l’Abellada, pour manger. Happened to peak Chemelosas, and after taking advantage of the panorama, we down to the icy pool, to the jonction of the rio Pillera and Abellada. We eat.
After a nap and have bathed, we are left with the beautiful small canyon Abeliada up the "billionaires" pool where we make a break swimming. Back to the shelter, a bearded vulture flew over us very closely, we offer a magnificent spectacle.
At the shelter, everyone go about their occupations, beginning with the shower ... Then comes lunch time well deserved.
The atmosphere is always very good in this enchanting. Each makes its satisfactions of the day and his desire to leave the next day.
Wednesday 16:
... Good weather, with cloud formation in the afternoon ...
We start hiking quietly at 10am on a change of plans last minute, compared with the desires of the group. It is a little tired, and after the last two days, we feel it needs a softer ride. There is no point in pushing, we are on vacation! I would opt for a descent barranco to "warm pool" located at the entrance of Gorgas Negras.
We leave by car for a dozen kilometers of track toward Bara. We leave the vehicle at the roadside, and leave for the loop. For an hour, we walk in the pine forest on the edge of Barranco, then the first long break, led by different stories.
For the remainder of the trip, we put our feet in water while walking in the Barranco. It has very little slope and a U-shape, with large portions of long and flat with little depth. An hour later, we are on the "warm pool", where we do the lunch, nap, swimming, reading.
Then, with part of the group, we make a return in the Gorgas Negras, then we take the path to Bara and traditional beer. We visit the village, we stop at the coffee, then go back to the car by the track.
This evening, at night, I gave a small lesson in astronomy including a reading of the sky in its broad lines.
Thursday 17:
... Grand beautiful, with a slight formation of cumulus clouds in the afternoon ...
Awake smoothly as usual, relaxed in that spirit that we offer refuge and its setting. Departure at 9:30 am in van Used for 10 kilometers. Today, we make a summit, the soum de la Cabeza (1860m) in the Eastern part of a massive Tozal of Guara.
We start the trail between brouchous and boxwood, and then continue in a pine forest, before joining the altitude pastures. These have been leveled by the hand of man and pretty dry stone walls, very well fitted, define the properties. Many huts, sometimes collapsed, were built to house the shepherds. At this point, we pause in the shadow of boxwood, with the North, a nice view of the Mont Perdu, the 2e hightest pic of Pyrenees.
Two hours later, we reach the summit, all round, where vultures us. We take the meals, vultures fly over us very closely, and we admire the panorama of the Sierra de Guara and the Plaine de Huesca, overlooking the impressive Gorgas Negras and Mascun Canyon, and a incredible view on the Pyrenean chain.
We down at a faster rate than Sandrine a little difficult to follow. But with his mind and with that I can make it, we arrive at 18h in the car.
Friday 18:
... Grand beautiful, as always in Sierra! ! ! ! !
... Today is the last day ...
First, each align its business, then, by popular demand, we will descend to the river to Abellada up the pool of billionaires.
On the trail, we are revising flowers and the singing of birds in an atmosphere remains relaxed. The ladies take a bath, then after an hour rest and relaxation, we return to the refuge.
Last storage, a cold meal at the foot of the monastery, then we are left for France.
Different species of flowers in Sierra identified:
I referenced in the table following a few flowers remarkable:
| Espèce Species | Floraison Flowers | Biotope |
| Anacamptis pyramidalis | March - July | limestone - dry - light |
| Ophrys scolopax (woodcock) | March - June | Basic - dry or wet - light |
| Ophrys apifera (bee) | April - July | limestone - moisture and light indifferent |
| Platanthera bifolia | May - August | rather dry - light or medium shade |
| Platanthera chloranta | May - August | Basic - rather wet - or light shade |
| Orchis ustulata (burnt) | April - August | Basic - dry, sometimes wet - light |
| Dactylorhiza majalis | May - July | indifferent soil - very wet - light |
| Nigritella nigra | June - August | limestone - dry - light |
| Ramonda pyrenaica | May - July | limestone - wet - shadow |
| Saxifraga longifolia | June - August | limestone - dry - light |
There are also abundant:
- The
catamanches.
- The afillantes.
- white linen, yellow, and blue.
- The tapsias.
- The phalangères.
- The immortal.
- Melissa.
- Blueweed.
- Spirea moon.
- The afillantes.
- white linen, yellow, and blue.
- The tapsias.
- The phalangères.
- The immortal.
- Melissa.
- Blueweed.
- Spirea moon.
... As many herbs:
- Savory.
- Thyme.
- Mint.
- Sage.
- Thyme.
- Mint.
- Sage.