Wild Swimming Mini-Expedition

The day started with an unexpected visit from some friends of ours from Ireland! A few text exchanges in the morning followed by a bit of shopping for supplies, took us up to a quiet little lay-by on the road above Gavarnie. We'd just brewed up when the guys pulled up alongside! We did some cunning shade creating, to keep out of the glare of the sun, then spent the next few hours chatting about plans and catching up on each others news.

Later in the afternoon we drove as far as we dared up the road towards the Barrage d'Ossoue. The tarmac soon gave way to gravel and although we were told you could drive to the top, our nerves gave out as the road became rockier and we pulled over. The poor van had done well enough!

We then packed our bags for an overnight adventure, marked the vans position on the GPS and set off up into the mountains.

In no time at all we were alone in the wilds. The meadows were filled with flowers and the sun beat down on us despite the lateness of the afternoon.

Higher up, we accessed a hidden hanging valley, which would take us up over the border to Spain and to our expedition's objective.

Marmots were literally everywhere and virtually tame! They barely even bothered to move out of the way as we walked past. Over head, more vultures circled. 

After a short stop to cool our feet in a stream, we made the final climb up to the col and there below us was Spain and the hidden emerald lake!

There was not another soul for miles. We were toasted by the sun and couldn't get down there fast enough!

What a place to cool off!

Whoops of delight echoed round the caldera. 

The crystal clear water was pretty warm considering the altitude of over 2200m. Possibly our best ever wild swim!

We made camp on the shore of the lake on a tiny flat area. There was no outflow, in the form of a stream, from the lake, so we were hidden from the world in a crater. After drying off in the last of the sun, we took one more dip then got ourselves warmed up with hot drinks and a huge dinner.

It was a cosy little bivi spot indeed.

We had no tent - just sleeping and bivi bags. (Just for reference, the Rab Neuerino 200 sleeping bag was superb! Super lightweight and lovely and warm).

After a hearty meal, we hiked up onto the far ridge to catch the last of the light and look down into the world beyond. Magically, as we arrived at the summit, the distant peaks were glowing pink in the sunset.

We stood and watched for ages...

Then scampered back down to our beds before it got too dark.

Once snuggled into our bivi bags, we read for a bit as the stars came out. Being down in the natural crater meant that we were hidden from any external light except the stars. They were so bright!

During the night we watched the Milky Way pass overhead, saw loads of satellites and a couple of shooting stars too. Breath taking stuff. A night to remember...