Costa Blanca Mountain Walkers

Panticosa Trip 2007

On 1st July 41 members of the Costa Blanca Mountain Walkers went on a one week mountain walking holiday to Panticosa in the Spanish /French Pyrenees. The trip was the second one to the region organised and led by Bob Fisher who has been a member of the CBMWs for 17 years.

Panticosa is a small village 8 kms from the French border and is at 1200m altitude. The mountains in the area tower to 2800m above sea level and provide excellent skiing during the winter months and breathtaking mountain walking for the remainder of the year. The area has wonderful landscapes of rugged mountain ranges, densely wooded hills, green meadows and super lakes. One of the reasons July was chosen for the trip was for the wonderful variety of alpine flora which are at their peak at this time of the year.

Bob had scouted the area thoroughly on several occasions and had organised a programme of 12 walks graded from easy to very strenuous. The idea was to alternate an easy one with a more challenging one having regard to the time of year and the considerable altitude which meant that walks could be in snow if above 1800m.

Report by Ian McKernan