Member Since: 02 Dec 2005
Location: A fun place
Posts: 485
Back from holiday
A small report of our trip to the Spanish Pyrenees:
Started Thursday morning for a first stop at Land Rover Island.
Arrived at Remoulins the search to find the place to cross the river Gard started.
Where the place was where we crossed it last time was hard to find, due to the change of the vegetation.
The co-pi and I agreed for a place to cross, and as a good co-pi should be, she first went by foot.
I start to drive into the river, at ease since the side of the river is steep.
Everything goes well.... until I reach the middle of the river. I feel the D3 slowing down, rpm goes down.
I try to accelerate but to late. Wheels spin, D3 stays where he is, but goes deeper into the river.
Ok, so we use the winch.
In front of us a small tree and a bush.
We try the bush. The D3 moves, and a the point I thought we where there, the bush gets loose (Should have know you can't do a thing with bush )
According to my friend the tree is also to small to pull both the D3 and sankey out at the same time, so we let the sankey stay in the river, and winch the D3 out. No problemmo.
Getting back to the other side was no problem, and very easy. (Hmmmm are we packed heavier or did I gain weight?)
Winched out the sankey and stayed on that side of the river till the next morning.
Next morning we found a better place to cross the river.
This time we used our brains and let the Santana go first.
If he gets stuck, I can winch him back, if I get stuck, I can winch me over with his Santana as my anchor.
The Santana made it without problems.
My turn now...
Crossing the river no problem, getting out of the river now.
I felt it was getting harder, but kept moving. The sankey got out of the water, and then stuck.
After making the Santana a bit longer, we made it to LR-Island
After a few days we decided to go on and drive to the Spanish Pyrenees via the French coast.
As it was getting late, we had to make a stop at a camping.
Brrrr not our thing at all, all those beach tourists.
A woman who had a small shop a the camping came over to us, and asked us what our plans where.
She told us she and her husband spent lots of off-road time in the mountains with there Discovery TD5, and she gave us some tips
and a place where to get free off-road track.
So next morning following her tips, of to Banyuls-sur-mer, and get in to the mountains direction col de Banyuls and the monastery of St. Quirze de Colera
There we did found tracks that lead us closer to our goal: The lake of Boadella
The maps where all but detailed, and so from start we where wrong.
The digital topographic maps I had on the pc where wring calibrated and so useless.
Luckily I could use the track drawn by oziexplorer to get back to the start.
With the map it didn't take long or we where lost again.
While the other tried to find out where we were, I tried to recalibrate the digital maps.
Bingo, I used a wrong date to calibrate.
As now we saw directly where we were. The weather was changing and it started to rain.
So we decided to find the shorted way to the first refuge to eat and spend the night.
That night we had the worst wind I ever had. Nobody slept, fearing our tents would rip open any minute.
Luckily it didn't, and by morning the wind was gone.
Instead of following the track of the map we got I made a new route to get us to Espolla, and get to Boadella quickly.
Arrived at the lake, we quickly found a good spot, and to our suprise we where all alone.
After a night or 3 we wanted to move on, and get to a beach I spotted via Google.
It was near Roses.
Hmmm Bummer, lots of people every where, close to each other so they could smell one others sweat.
brrrrrr. We decided to get back to the lake, but the trip was not useless, the views where great.
We tried to find an other spot near the lake, but at the end, our first one was the best
There we decided to stay for 2 nights and then cross the mountains direction Ceret (France)
The highest point I could find to cross without a deadend road was 1200m (Pic de les salines).
From there we had a great view over Spain and France and the lake where we slept.
Leaving Pic de les salines we took a wrong road and climbed up to more than 1400m, to stop at a deadend next to the antennas of the Spanish television.
But the sight was awesome.
Managed to turn, we found the route again, and had to cross the iron wire, what was the border between Spain and France
Halfway Ceret I noticed something was wrong with the tent fitted on the sankey
Temporally solved, we continued downwards until a waterfall and pick-nick spot.
Here we could fix things, eat and maybe sleep.
The tent was fixed quickly, and while the ladies prepared dinner, we did some work in the river
As we slept next to the water, under trees, we got awaken at night by falling dawn.
Non of us except the kids slept again.
Good to know in the future.
Arrived at Ceret we decided to take the small roads to get to the beginning of the Cevennes, and cross them via Pont de Montvert direction lake of Naussac.
The road was amazing great.
At the lake we stayed for one day so we could rest and drive home.
Member Since: 03 Jan 2006
Location: Romiley
Posts: 13710
Looks like an excellent trip - there's some good photos for the 2008 calendar in thereSteve N | 21MY Defender | 08MY Discovery 3 (history) | 06MY Discovery 3 (ancient history)
That night we had the worst wind I ever had. Nobody slept, fearing our tents would rip open any minute. Luckily it didn't, and by morning the wind was gone.
No more curry for you then
Seriously though, sounds like great fun was had by all Penguin, and many thanks for the great pictures. I think we all want to go on a holiday like that now, don't we?Now an ex-D3 owner after 7 happy years. Miss the car but not the big bills
24th Jul 2007 1:10 pm
Penguin
Member Since: 02 Dec 2005
Location: A fun place
Posts: 485
I knew someone would abuse that
well if I had the chance to leave again tomorrow, I'll sure be gone....
for sure if you see the weather hereIn a time of chimpanzees, I was a penguin. www.m-release.com
24th Jul 2007 1:16 pm
sideview
Member Since: 02 Dec 2006
Location: in the valley
Posts: 1663
What a great trip, the views are breathtaking! Excellent reporting Penguin, thanks so much for sharing I'm not so good at giving advice...may I offer you a sarcastic comment instead?
Member Since: 16 Jan 2007
Location: Hornchurch Essex
Posts: 1789
Wow what a great adventure.
Just for a moment I was there with you. Fantastic Penguin, well done mate. FFRR 2017 4.4SDV8 Autobiography. Cost so much I must be mad!
D4 HSE 2012 Like a second wife, more expensive but goes better! I almost cried this time!
D3 HSE 2006 (Almost 8 years together, true love)
Land Cruiser VX 1994 11 years together, wife cried when I p/ex'd for my D3
24th Jul 2007 2:58 pm
nobbyclark
Member Since: 03 May 2005
Location: Perth, Scotland
Posts: 1268
That river looks like the North Circ on the friday I left to go on holiday, 3 weeks ago.No longer a D3 owner but still subscribed to multiple threads!
10th Aug 2007 3:15 pm
ronp
Member Since: 29 Nov 2006
Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 15213
Nice turquoise bikini I was a normal heterosexual chap, but in these new woke awakenings I now identify as a Wardrobe.
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