Equipment Reviews

 I promised reviews of the equipment I took on my Pyrenean adventure, and they will appear here. What I will do is a set of reviews under the headings listed below. As each one is published I will update the list to include a link to the review in question. The kit reviews are actually on a separate blog and if you are really keen you can subscribe to that and get email advices as they are published.

I think my 55 day walk was a severe test for most of the equipment I took, and I am pleased that mainly it passed with flying colours. I am particularly happy with the "big three," ie rucksack, tent and sleeping bag, all of which were sourced from Zpacks, and all of which performed brilliantly, above and beyond the call of duty. Here is the list, then there are a few more general comments below:

Rucksack

Tent

Sleeping bag & sleeping mat

Footwear

Clothing

Water bottles and treatment

Walking poles

Phone, watch & digital

Maps & guides

Food & cooking

Remember that I am taller than average, 6ft 4 1/2" (1.94m) and that coloured some of my choices, eg I picked a 2 person tent and a longer, bespoke sleeping bag. 

I am also getting older, and for this trip, I decided I should do what I could to reduce my carry weight a little more. I replaced my faithful Terra Nova tent, Gossamer Gear rucksack and Marmot Helium sleeping bag with Zpacks products which saved me 2Kg right away. But would they cope with a rugged walk?

Otherwise the only major change from my previous visits to the Pyrenees was that I went 100% electronic: no paper maps, no books or guides, everything went onto the smartphone. This worked very well although in the end it didn't save a vast amount of weight.

Overall my rucksack weighed 12.2Kg when I set off, including food and 1.5l water. There is a full equipment list here. I was pleased with this, but I am pretty sure it weighed quite a bit more during some parts of the walk. Weight creeps on.. you take clothes off when it's warm, and stuff them into pockets; you go to a food shop and stock up.. you buy one or two other essentials you forgot.. it rains and the tent gets wet.. I reckon the total carry weight went up to about 15Kg at its maximum, but I cannot be certain as scales are rare in the mountains!

HRP Photo Slideshow

Below is an embedded slideshow of about 430 photos of my journey along the HRP from Hendaye to Banyuls. Just click on it. Whether the embedded link works in emails I don't know.. but you can also see the photos by clicking here Slideshow: This completes the blog posts for the HRP except for the Equipment Reviews, which will follow in a few days' time. Thank you, to all readers and commenters! I can be reached via email at: hrp at jerrywhitmarsh dot com (replace the "at" and the "dot"!) . Jerry

Thoughts on completing the HRP

It's nice when you finish!

During the walk, I lost just over 11kg in weight (80.4kg now, against 92kg before), and walked 568.4 miles according to my pedometer. I'm told there is about 30 miles of vertical ascent and descent, but haven't checked. 

I am confirmed in my view that the HRP is the hardest, but also the best and most rewarding of the three trans-Pyrenees routes. I think doing the walk in one go is also more rewarding, if you have the opportunity. I have never been away from home for so long, and probably never will be again. I'm very grateful to Sue for holding the fort, and to Charlie & Co for being there much of the time too. Also those who looked after the walks and the village hall in my absence, notably Peter McGillivray.

Some aspects of the walk, I was very pleased with:

- not one single blister or foot problem throughout.
- nothing lost or forgotten en route, (except one small item), most unusual for me!
- most of my equipment lasted the course very well, especially the Zpacks kit - rucksack, tent and sleeping bag. I will do a separate post about equipment, in due course.
- most of the hotels and gites d'etape that I stayed in were excellent, as were some of the refuges.
- the phone plan provided by 3, which treats calls, texts and data made in France and Spain the same as in the UK, is the bees knees,  and saved me a great deal of money. Pity about Andorra though. 

- I met lots of really nice people on the way. I daren't try to name them all, but you know who you are! Thanks for everything. Walkers are great. 

Above all, I think I picked the right mountain range! The Pyrenees are stunning throughout.

Some aspects of the walk I was less happy with:

- the refuges I stayed in were a very mixed bunch. Some were excellent,  some pretty dire. Their fixation with pasta was a constant irritation. I will do a separate post about accommodation, in due course. Of course running a refuge situated above 2000m is not an easy job, and we need to remember that refuges are not hotels. But some were so much better than others.

- physically, I think I did this walk in the nick of time. My knees only just lasted the course, and my sense of balance (or lack of it) was an impediment too. In future I should perhaps stick to easier, shorter walks, like the Pennine Way.

I have over 1100 photos to wade through and prune. When I've done that, I will provide a link to a slide show. 

what happens when you lose your balance!