Plateau de Sault Calling Revisited

This is one of an occasional series from our days living in the Ariège-Pyrenees. We returned to the UK pretty much exactly 12 years ago. As we’re feeling nostalgic, please indulge me if I spend a few posts over the next few weeks revisiting the Good Old Days. Even though this post is Old News, I hope Jo will consider it could qualify as a Monday Walk.

Plateau de Sault Calling

March 17th 2012

Down here in the foothills of the Pyrénées, nobody’s interested in how far you walk as you stride up the mountainside.  It’s all about the DNV (dénivelé, or number of metres you’ve climbed – and remember a hillside can go down as well as up: coming up again after a descent starts the DNV counter all over again).  On Thursday, we did 791 metres.  That’s 2959 feet in real money.  Our mileage was less impressive:  19 km. or 11.8 miles – in the circumstances pretty damn’ good.

But we didn’t know the statistics till we’d finished.  We were far too busy having a very special walk.

A signpost and waymarks

To reach our departure point, you leave Belésta via a switchback forested road, over the Col de la Croix des Morts, and emerge onto a high and slightly bleak plateau.  This is the Plateau de Sault, home of the region’s potato growers.  We stopped at an insignificant track signposted Langrail and parked the cars.  As we got our boots on, we met another walker on a brief holiday from his home in Durban for a good long solitary hike (‘Durban?  Where do you suppose he meant?  Durban-sur-Arize in the Ariège?  The one in the Aude? South Africa even?’).  He was the last person we met all day.

Our path through the woods.

It was the 14th March.  There were large patches of snow all along our route.  Yet we wore tee shirts all day and became lightly bronzed in the hot sun as we crunched through that still hard-crusted snow. 

A pause for breath

Through the forests we could see the peaks of our more local mountains: Maguy, born and bred round here taught us how to recognise each one.

A first view of Montségur.

Then, quite unexpectedly, we emerged into a splendid expanse of pasture interspersed with areas of snow.  In every direction, there was a distant fringe of mountains: our day-to day familiar slopes, the more distant and higher peaks of the Hautes Pyrénées,and behind us, bereft of snow, those of the Aude and Pyrénées Orientales.

Our path through the pastures.

It was a really special pleasure to tramp across this apparently unending pasture, enjoying views of our constant neighbour Montségur, as well as the small towns and villages where we all live, and much further away, the Montagne Noir, with the sky clear and blue above us.

A bit of snow to tramp through – then a lunch spot by a mountain refuge.

It kept us happy till lunchtime.  We’d arrived at a refuge by then, thoughtfully provided with a table and benches in the sunshine.  After the picnic, we left our rucksacks with Gilbert, the honorary man in the group and went off to investigate the Belvédère, the local viewpoint.  Craggily folded rocks plunged down deep towards the Gorges de la Frau and still we had our views of Montségur.  We were impressed.

Views from the Belvédère

Our route for the day was a simple there-and-back. But the views were quite different, looking towards more eastern slopes so we didn’t feel at all short changed that we were retreading our path. And most of the return was downwards too. Which was helpful. When you’ve climbed 2000 feet or more, it can get quite tiring as the day nears its end. Lucky that there was cake and coffee to look forward to, provided this week by Gilbert..

Nearly back for that all-important coffee and cake.

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Author: margaret21

I'm retired and live in North Yorkshire, where I walk , write, volunteer and travel as often as I can.

28 thoughts on “Plateau de Sault Calling Revisited”

  1. Magnificent views, Margaret. You must have missed them so much when you first came back, but you have a well-varied lifestyle now. How many of you in the group- 10-15, or more? This particular walk, I mean, because I’m sure it varied. Thanks so much. It will be a privilege to include this. Our legs had a good workout yesterday but I never think in terms of height, except when I’m looking back down xx

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    1. This group was smaller than our regular walking group. We went out on Thursdays. About 10 in the grioup as a whiole, but usually about six of us turned out on any given week. As everyone but us was born and bred in the area, we went on some very interesting walks we’d never have found on our own. We always knew the DNV before we went out, because it was important. Too high, and some people would bow out before it started. The group is still going, and I believe the targets are now somewwhat easier as everyone ages! Thanks Jo. Have a good weekend! xx

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  2. I’m not surprised you’re feeling nostalgic! I’ve not walked that side but we did have a holiday close to the Ordesa National Park on the other side of the border which I loved although I was dismayed when I learned on our first day that our guesthouse’s fonda served supper at 9pm along with the rest of Spain.

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    1. I’ll admit tthat those later evening meals are still a bit of a challenge to us in Spain. In fact when we stay with my daughter, we often elect to eat with the children at the – to the Spanish – impossibly early hour of 7.00 p.m.

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  3. That’s quite the view! Well-earned, I know, living in the alps. There’s virtually nowhere to go without ups and downs, but always worth it. 😍

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  8. I love those snowy mountain views and I can sense the peace of that wide pasture just looking at your photos!

    By the way, I have a post half drafted for your MM Walls challenge but my laptop has decided to lose the ability to connect to the internet and is in for (hopefully) a repair. You will see it in due course (again hopefully! )

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  10. Wow, Margaret! What breathtaking views you have here! The photos are amazing, and I can almost feel the coolness in the air. Thanks for sharing these.

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