Thursday 19/09/24
We had planned on using the far eastern crossing from Spain into France, via Figueres, as the weather outlook over the Pyrenees was looking quite bad for driving. However, as things improved weather-wise, we decided on a more direct approach. This would mean a saving of almost 200km and quite a few hours' driving time.
 |
| The tunnels ranged from simple holes through the rock to much more complex routes. |
This means that, rather than driving over the mountains, we were going to tunnel through them; at least for part of the way. As it happened, we went through dozens of smaller tunnels and one long one - the Vielha tunnel. At 5.2km, this cut through the highest peaks making the route perfect for towing - definitely recommended.
 |
| As you can see, the tunnel saves quite a big hill climb! |
We travelled from the very arid, almost desert-like Spanish side of the mountains to the very green, lush central area, still Spanish but completely different in feel; almost Alpine. The villages perched on the mountainside and in the valleys were absolutely lovely and we would like to return to the area in future to explore some more.
 |
 |
| Perfect lunch stop with a view. |
After a fairly smooth day's driving we crossed over into France without any fuss and are now camped for the night on the banks of the Garonne river.
 |
| Sleeping under the trees tonight |
Just an overnight stop and tomorrow we'll head a bit more north.
No comments:
Post a Comment