P-O Life n°29 (11.8MB) - Anglophone-direct.com

Walktheregion...
with Mike Rhodes
6
Porteille de la Grave
Porteille de la Grave 2426m from Lac de Bouillouses.
UTM Grid WGS84 – 31N 418168E 4712375N - 18k, 6 hours and 455m of ascent
Starting from the barrage at Lac de Bouillouses, 2005m, built 100 years ago to create the lake and
supply power to run the Train Jaune, this walk follows the route of the Tet river as it flows down
the glaciated valley of the Coma de la Grava. Today the artificial Lac de Bouillouses is an important
water reserve (16 million m3) but also one of the most beautiful lakes in the area.
Access
Take the D118 Les Angles road
from Mont Louis, for 1.5k until
you see a sign for Barrage de
Bouillouses. In the summer school
holidays the road is closed to cars
after 1.6k, just after the camp site.
You will see a large parking area
on the right where the navettes
depart. The cost is 5 euros per
person for the uphill trip. Coming
back is free!!
The navette drops you by the
Auberge du Carlit (great place for
a beer at the end of your walk)
where you can cross the barrage.
The walk
From the far end of the barrage
turn right, North, and follow the
well marked path, through the
forest, by the side of the lake. The
path is marked with white and
red dashes, identifying the route
as a “Grande Randonnee” and it is
in fact part of the Cross Pyrenees
GR10 route. Although the path
generally follows the lakeside,
it is far from flat, climbing and
descending small knolls and
crossing several stream valleys.
After 3k (1 hour) exit the forest
into pasture land and the path
splits. The RH route follows the
Tour du Capcir, but we continue
on the LH track and climb into the
Coma de la Grava.
We have only reached 2030m
at this point but it feels a lot more.
Our chosen route continues to
meander gently up the valley for
a further 4k to a height of 2150m.
Stay on the LH side of the stream
before turning westwards and
climbing into a higher valley at
Estanyol where wild horses can
often be found grazing. This valley
is a favourite training ground
for helicopter pilots and it is not