Adventures and information on the Spanish Pyrenees
Adventures and information on the Spanish Pyrenees
The formation of the Pyrenees is a tale that stretches back over 600 million years, with the tiny Iberian plate being pushed and crushed by the massive African and Eurasian plates several times through the course of history. Our guests are always asking about how the mountains we are walking in are formed. For those of you who are lucky enough to have hiked with Juanma, you'll know he's our...
Yesterday evening I went climbing at a venue called Coll de Ladrones north of Jaca near the French border. There has been a fort there since 1751 and before climbing I went for a bit of an explore. The original fort was built to defend the pass from France and had a...
La Cuniacha animal park near Piedrafita welcomed 3 new Lynx cubs this spring. Apparently they were born very early and the park wardens are concerned that they won’t make it through any cold spells. Keeping my fingers crossed for them as they look incredibly...
Thanks to Len, Phil, Julian, Peter, Alan and Trevor – our first guests of the summer. They walked a new village to village itinerary staying each night in different villages in the Valle de Tena. Hope you had a great week guys. Bit unseasonly cold at the...
I find Blacks Nature Guides really useful. Good mix of an identification fieldguide with interesting information about each species too. Wild Flowers of Britain and Europe covers most of the species we find here in the Pyrenees although misses some of the Pyrenean...
The mountains of the Valle de Tena are looking beautiful and bursting into life. Spring gentians, trumpet gentians and elder flowered orchids are covering the sunnier meadows around Ibon de Piedrafita and above the village of Sandinies. Elder flowered orchids...
Saw this beautiful, huge moth on the pavement right outside our front door the other morning. Found out it was an Emperor moth. Really large – about 5cm across and fantastic colour around the eye spots and the bright red flashes near the wingtips. He kindly...
Saw my first Egyptian vulture of the year while out walking near the village of Piedrafita today. There very distictive with their black and white wings, yellow head a diamond shaped tail. These vultures migrate from northern Africa and the Middle East at the...
Ophyrs orchids attract male bees by imitating the shape, colour and scent of female bees. Each orchid is specialised to be pollinated by only one type of bee. Read an interesting article on the bbc today about bees cross pollinating different orchids creating hybrids....
Few signs of spring as I took a walk out from Biescas yesterday. First few primroses are coming out in sunny spots alongside the path and few hepatica have started to join them. The stinking hellebore have been out a few weeks – the flowers of these remain green...