Closing the Loop…

‘You know that walk of yours that goes up to the Roca Xapada and then returns the same route? Well it can be done as a circuit. We’ve found a really good route up Xapada using a gully to get up the steep bits – only one mildly tricky manoeuvre  and then a good path and you can come down the usual way’.

These were interesting words coming from some climbing friends who live locally. When we were putting the routes together for our guidebook Mountain Walking in Southern Catalunya, we had searched for this route on several occasions and always ended up thrashing about and lost on steep, wooded terrain. When our friends offered to show us the route we jumped at the chance. It was not an auspicious day, the 1st February. Very cold weather was sweeping across Europe and due to reach Spain that day. We would not normally go into the hills with a cloudy sky, a high of 9o C and potential rain showers forecast.

We are now much too accustomed to walking with blue skies and sunshine. In this case it was the right decision – having to wear a fleece and waterproof at times was more than amply rewarded by the spectacular nature of the route.

Philip winding his way through dramatic limestone scenery

The New Route

Leave the car at the start for Walk 22: Roca Xapada and continue on foot up the main valley track to join the route up to the Coll de Lloret used in Walk 24. It takes some 45mins of easy track walking to reach the col. Here a small path, marked with a cairn and a purple (!) paint mark, leads up to the right. It climbs up at 90o to the track and passes to the left of the first group of rocks on the ridge before bearing to the right to climb a small rocky gully. The purple waymarking and cairns continue to show the way up onto a grassy saddle with an imposing rock face directly ahead. The saddle narrows into a ridge and about 50m from the rock face the path drops down to the right to enter an area of bushes and trees.

Just before the ‘mildly tricky’ exit manoeuvre in the key gully

The path steepens and becomes rocky, reaching a short, shallow gully some 25mins from the col. At the top the path follows the base of a cliff towards a pinnacle ahead. To the right the ground falls away to give good views of the ascent track far below.

The key gully is immediately ahead. This also is short, about 50m and not at all difficult for anyone used to scrambling. The ‘mildly tricky manoeuvre’ is no more difficult than other scrambles described in the book. At the top of the gully the purple waymarks mysteriously disappear in favour of red ones, but the path is very obvious as it passes a spectacular notch and then climbs and winds its way through dramatic limestone scenery up towards the Roca Xapada, reached some 2hrs from the start of the walk. From here, the descent is the normal one for Walk 24.

Regards

Viv Freakley

The Lands End to John o’ Groats route is one of the UK’s most famous (or perhaps infamous?) long distance challenges, attempted by thousands of cyclists, walkers, runners every year.

The End to End route is not to be undertaken lightly, the terrain can be tough and cycling for several days back-to-back is very physically demanding. But neither is this route the preserve only of the super-fit and slightly mad. Anyone with a with “a good level of fitness and the right preparation” can undertake the route.

Or so says Cicerone’s enthusiastic author Nick Mitchell at any rate. Nick is a passionate long-distance cyclist and a veteran of numerous End to Ends. In his brand new Cicerone guide to the route, he gives all the information you need to plan, undertake, and most importantly, enjoy the end-to-end cycle.

The route Nick has chosen avoids busy A roads and instead sticks to more scenic options, allowing you to enjoy the countryside without battling with lorries and traffic fumes.  It’s split into 14 stages and there are maps, profiles, grid ref’s and GPX data all provided to keep you on track.

Ready to peddle? The Cicerone guidebook will be available mid-March.  But if you’re still feeling a bit daunted (not least by the problem of how to make it back to your car…) why not sign up to be guided along the route by the author himself?

This July Nick’s cycle touring company Pedal Nation are running a fully-supported, guided, trip along the route. They organise all the accomodation, transport, luggage transfer and back up services. Even buffet lunches are included – and, of course, a free signed copy of the Cicerone guidebook. But hurry – there’s only a few places left…

Gathering in Stanfords – London’s, if not the world’s, best travel store, Cicerone author Kev Reynolds was joined by a group of Swiss mountain enthusiasts to celebrate the publication of The Swiss Alps, Kev’s latest World Mountain Ranges guidebook, which has been about six years in the making. We were all treated to some wonderful Swiss canapés, chocolate and wine courtesy of the Swiss Tourist office, and everyone settled quickly into the party atmosphere to celebrate the book, and to have the chance to catch up with Kev and gain first-hand pearls of wisdom from the expert.

Kev is the author of 8 Cicerone guidebooks to Switzerland (listed below), together with a further half a dozen other guides to routes which at least in part include Switzerland, including Tour of Mont Blanc, Chamonix to Zermatt, 100 Hut Walks in the Alps, Trekking in the Alps and Walking in the Alps.

The depth of detail in the book is as you would expect in a ‘World Mountain Ranges’ guide, and this latest book joins two other books in the series – The Pyrenees, also by Kev Reynolds, and Scotland, by Chris Townsend. There are others planned in the future – but please be patient, as books of this quality and complexity are a huge commitment of time and energy for our authors!

No better way to celebrate than with some really good Swiss wine

Cicerone guidebooks for Switzerland:

The Swiss Alps
Tour of the Jungfrau Region
The Bernese Alps
Walks in the Engadine
Alpine Pass Route
Walking in the Valais
Central Switzerland
Walking in Ticino