Valley Heat

After our recent adventures in the mountains, we needed a bit of time to rest and recover. We've stayed a couple of nights in the town of Sabiñánigo (for no other reason than there was a cheap hotel there!). Using it as a base, we went up for a gentle look around the town of Biescas (thanks Andy for the beta), and then up to the Ordesa Valley which is super scenic. We'd thought a gentle hike near Mt Perdu would be a good rest day activity, but this involved getting a bus up to the end of the valley (€4.50) from the village of Torla, as the road is closed to the public during the summer season. 

Despite good intentions, heat induced lethargy got the better of us and we settled for some ice water on a shady cafe terrace looking up the valley instead.

At 40°C, it was so hot we could barley think. We got back to the pad and took a swim instead, which helped greatly. We had to wait until sunset for it to be cool enough to even think about cooking or eating. Such a temperature difference compared to up in the mountains! 

A beautiful (but slow and winding) drive east across country, along the deep gorge of the Rio Esera, got us back up to an altitude where the climate was much more agreeable. Thank goodness for the air-con in the van - how did we ever manage in the Escort Van?!

The village of Taüll is at about 1500m above sea level and close to the rock climbing area of Cavallers. It also has a really nice, quiet and friendly campsite, where we emptied out of the van and did some kit sorting in the shade.

The campsite owner even did some (well overdue) washing for us! 

The area is a UNESCO world heritage site as there are loads of old churches in the valley. We stretched our legs after the drive to go and have a look at a few. Amazing that this was built in the 1100s!

Made the most of the van comforts in the evening - watching a movie while lying on the sofa! Such luxury!