Day 148 – 150

Km 4690 to km 4777, Bolquère (France) to Arinsal (Andorra).

Day 148

18/09/2022 – 19km

We had a good breakfast at the hotel this morning, and so left a little later. We did a small resupply at convenience store and there got chatting to a fellow HRP hiker.

The first section of hiking was through a ski area, and not particularly inspiring. But later in the day we passed through a very beautiful area dotted with alpine lakes. Understandably it was quite busy with other people.

We finished the day off with a bit of a scramble up and over Carlit peak. It was a bit harder going than the last few days, and I think a taste of things to come.

Day 149

19/09/2022 – 20km

A gentle day, with only a few short climbs.

We arrived in Andorra at the ski resort of Pas de la Casa. It’s a strange place. All the buildings are new, so the town has no soul. There are a thousand supermarkets selling cheap bulk items, alcohol and cigarettes. I think there’s no VAT here, so it seems to be a shopping destination for neighbouring countries.

This is the end of my hike with dad,and we have another night in a hotel and meal to celebrate.

I’m starting to feel the changing of the seasons. In the sun it’s still very hot, but at night the temperature really drops.

Day 150

20/09/2022 – 26km

This morning I said goodbye to dad. It’s been great hiking with someone again, and it’s always a little sad going back to hiking alone but hey ho.

The next town isn’t that far away, and after stuffing my face at the breakfast buffet, I can definitely see that I have too much food.

Somehow it didn’t occur to me that Andorra isn’t an EU country, and so I accidentally used up a lot of my phone credit, thinking it would be covered by my data allowance.

Tonight I’m in a little shepherds cabin. Despite the bed being just a sheet of steel, it’s quite cosy.