San Lorenzo, Sierra de la Demanda, La Rioja

10-07-2013

(Cerro de) San Lorenzo may well be the 20^th most prominent mountain (2262m P1182) in the Iberian peninsula, however, I would suggest it is nowhere near the 20^th most thrilling. This was definitely a mountain where the drive up the unpaved road from El Rio was the source of most excitement.

It is not to say the ski resort mountain is unpleasant or unworthy of its mountain status, it is just that it did not send my pulse racing. There was some quite nice temperature inversion views. And the distant thunder in the Pyrenees was almost continuous – I thought  thunderstorms were an afternoon feature, not early morning

Because I was following my GPS I did not realise that I had driven up the mountain the wrong way. Most people start from Ezcaray – whereas I had driven up the other side with the intention of going to Ezcaray and, by chance, randomly stopped to check my whereabouts at the very point N42.22890 W2.97412 (1964m) where a path leads to the summit, which my GPS told me was only 1.5km away. 

Not quite an arete

Lorenzo litter zone

So I walked up the path, met the main path on the ridge and followed the excessively and unnecessarily copiously bright blue painted rocks to the religiously littered zone of San Lorenzo’s top at N42.24259 W2.97259.

Larry's trig

I varied the return route by sticking to the higher ground rather than the blue painted path.

4.15km, 407m total ascent.

Overnight in the car park of Hotel Ekai, Aoiz, Navarra province - there are grapes there, though.

Urbion myth - a tale of the unexpected

09-07-2013

Laguna Larga

Urbion/Pico de Urbion/Muela de Urbion was not what I expected - actually all I knew was that it is

2238m high, with prominence P1005, 32^nd most prominent in Iberian peninsula and the highest point of the Sierra de Urbion. And that there was a laguna/lake nearby.

Note the one-way system

I started from the Paso de la Serra carpark N41.99832 W2.82614 (1596m) where you have to pay 4 Euros – you are not allowed to drive any further, there is a regular shuttle bus to Laguna Negra N41.99867 W2.84383 (1750m)  a couple of kilometres away. I can never stand still at a bus stop and inevitably a bus passes me between stops – as it did here, in both directions.

Lagune Negra is a textbook ex-glacial lake. Like the ones you were taught about at school but never actually see for real – well here it is. 

Laguna Negra

It only gets a very brief mention in the Dorling Kindersley guide – however, it is obviously popular enough to warrant a one way system for people walking along the viewpoint gangway.

For the next part of the walk the Spanish equivalent of the HSE have clearly made their contribution. Nobody could argue that they were not warned how peligroso (dangerous) it is, especially for ninos (children). It is a little steep and badly worn. 

Laguna Negra

Above Laguna Negra

At the top of the corrie wall N41.99598 W2.85045 (1870m) the gradient eases off and there is a pleasant walk through a lengthy grass and flower filled alpine meadow.

Alpine meadow

Unexpected view

The surprise for me came at the end of this meadow at Llanos de la Sierra N42.00495 W2.86152 (1994m) when I got my first view of Urbion itself. Not a tree covered bump then. 

Llanos de la Sierra

The path continues at an easy angle, passing the Laguna Larga on its north-easterly shore and then rises a bit more steeply along the side of Urbion’s south-east ridge. 

After Laguna Larga

As I reached the snow line I was very much surprised to meet two young Spanish women wearing nothing more than bikinis and trainers. When I reached the collado N42.00961 W2.87635 (2140m) I was equally surprised to find a flock of sheep being guarded by a shepherd, who had somehow driven up there in a car.

The final section is a mild scramble to the summit at N42.01141 W2.87843 which is marked by a cross.

Urbion man

Urbion from the lower summit

I also visited the two metre lower summit at N4201172 W2.87804 as an insurance job.

Despite the now almost continuous rolls of thunder to the north I did not feel particularly worried that I was going to get caught in a storm. 

Urbion from pt 2183

I varied the return route by keeping to the top of the south-east ridge, over the 2183m top at N42.00421 W2.87379 before dropping down from N42.00104 W2.86807 (2120m) to Laguna Helada at N41.99464 W2.85891 (2007m). The path follows a ridge before dropping steeply to meet the uphill route at N41.99598 W2.85045 (1870m). I followed the ascent route back – except for complying with the one-way system at the Laguna Negra.

Alpine meadow from above

Laguna Negra

So, why an Urbion myth? When I was driving towards Urbion all I could see was a big tree covered bump. I had not expected to find a classic glacial lake, such fine views and an interesting rocky summit, I  had not expected to meet women in bikinis, I had not expected to get back before the thunder storms broke, I had not expected a Spanish inquisition from the Civil Guards who stopped me as I was driving away from the Sierra (although it was nothing more than a routine check rather than aimed at me personally) and I had not expected to drive into Rioja province and not see any wine grapes.

14.09km, 956m total ascent

Overnight by the side of Embalse de Gonzalez lake (987m), Rioja

Where's the grapes?

Moncayo business

08-07-2013

On the drive towards Moncayo

Distant view of Moncayo

Pico del Moncayo/Pico de San Miguel – 2313m P1295 number 9 prominent ‘cumbre mas prominentes de la peninsula Iberica’ Sierra del Moncayo’s highest point. Clearly a popular parque natural. Although the parking is restricted it is plentiful – if that does not sound contradictory – certainly for a non-weekend day.

Penultimate carpark

It is possible to drive all the way to the Santuario de Nuestra Senora del Moncayo – a swanky looking hotel and restaurant – at N41.79075 W1.81743 ( 1606m). I chose to stop at the penultimate carpark at N41.79591 W1.82284  ( 1566m) because the unpaved road seemed to deteriorate further at that point; I intuited, correctly that there would be no shade in the santuario car park; and, although I did not intuit this, there was a sign saying autocaravanes are not allowed to park there. It only adds about 750 metres to the journey each way.

Sanctuary

Sanctuary from above

Off we go then, into the trees

. 

From the santuario there is a clearly marked trail – the AG1 – that zigzags all the way to the summit ridge and then onwards to the summit itself. At first the zigzags are in the shade of mainly pine trees and then the shade is replaced by breeze at N41.78870 W1.82579 (1826m) and a proper view of a wide corrie with the summit on the western end of the rim

Coming out of the trees

On the way up

The path goes up the eastern end – not sure why there isn't a path on the western end, although it does have rather more craggy looking outcrops on it. 

Warning about the snow

Path around the rim

Eventually the trail passes a warning sign about snow at N41.78348 W1.82944 (2144m) before reaching the rim at N41.78137 W1.83008 (2244m). The ridge path goes over an intervening summit at N41.78185 W1.83405 (2262m) before the final push to the summit past remains of last winter’s snow.

Moncayo trigpoint

The summit is dotted with various bits of religious nonsense as well as the trig at the highest point at N41.78719 W1.83967. I assume on a clear day there is a view of the Pyrenees – but this day the haze was quite restricting. And, it wasn’t thin air that that made breathing difficult it was the heavy scent of the broom blossom that was obvious throughout the journey up and down the mountain.

Religious nonsense - good name, though

Alto del Corralejo

On my return I bagged the top on the east end of the rim – Alto del Corralejo at N41.77898 W1.82661 (2267m) before returning by the same route as the ascent. As I descended from the rim, I met a young couple  that I had overtaken about 90 minutes earlier on the way up, who were still heading upwards. I was back in the trees before they reached the snow patches below the summit. Maybe I am getting fitter than I thought.

Moncayo man

The Moncayo business took 11.24km with 1119m ascent

Overnight in the Camping Fuente de la Teja, Soria, Soria province (1030m)

That's why I'm easy. Easy like Sunday morning

Sunday 07-07-2013 

Penaroyya

Spain is a big country – getting from the mountains in the south to those in the north involves a lot of driving – especially in a motorhome that guzzles the gasoleo if you put your foot down. Still, I managed to find a couple of drive-ups or near drive-ups on the way.

The first was Penarroya 2028m high, a P1023 Major, the Iberian prominence number 27  in the middle of an extensive ski area on Sierra de Gudar in the province of Teruel. From the Vf-Te-01 road at Collado Gitano N4038792 W064701 (1905m) it is possible to drive for about 3km on an unpaved road to within 50m of the summit which has a trigpoint on top of a tall tower – presumably so that it is visible above the trees – at N40.39012 W0.66509. 

The tower is the only excitement to be found with a  balcony part way up and then rungs going up to the top – via ferrata kit useful, to touch the trig itself. There is another column and a mirador to look at more trees below.

I walked 310m and ascended 20m, including the trigpoint tower.

Mirador 

It was difficult to tell whether the general atmosphere of abandonment in the ski resorts in the area is because it was summer or whether it is more deep-seated because of the Euro crisis.`

Cloudy view from Collado Gitano

El Caimodorro from Oriheula del Tremedol

That’s why I’m easy, easy like Sunday morning.

It was more like Sunday afternoon before I got to visit El Caimodorro – but you know me, I cannot resist a pun.* At least I wasn’t trying to do it on the nightshift.

Danger wild animals - lions, tigers and bears? Lionel Ritchie?

El Caimodorro is much lower down the Iberian prominence list at number 71 with a ‘mere’ prominence of P720, which still makes a Major and an absolute height of 1920m. It is in the Sierra del Tremedel near a pretty little cobbled street village of Orihuela del Tremedal. Although, I could not work out how to find the start point in the JMH book, I managed to drive a long up the hill on an unpaved road to park by a sign for a ‘wild animal grid’ at N40.51041 W1.67614 (1730m).

I followed the fence on an ATV track until it met a steeper loose stoned slope which was easily avoided on the right to find a faint but cairned path that lead all the way to the summit. 

The summit was a bit of a mess with a trigpoint on a pedestal at N40.51199 W1.68486.

However, it does have a logbook. After I made my entry, I had a flick through other people’s entries to see if there were any in English – there weren’t – however the word ‘prominente’ jumped out of the page at me. You will see from the photo, there is a couple, Christian and Maria, who are clearly working through the list in the JMH book – the first evidence I have seen that I am not the only one. The entry has an email address that I have not reproduced here – it will be interesting to see if I get any response.

2.17km, 249m ascent

* For those of you who are not hip to the groovy beat, and you wouldn’t know the Downliner’s Sect from Alberto y Los Trios Paranoias or the Levellers, the song ‘Easy’ was a smash hit for a group of popsters, the Commodores in 1977. I hadn’t realised until I checked the lyrics on the interweb that there is a line in the song that says ‘I want to get high’ – so appropriate in more ways than one, then.

Overnight in yet another free motorhome site in the lively and friendly town of Calatayud, Zaragoza province (605m).