Sunday 1st September

Camping Rio d’Ara is nestled at the top of a valley surrounded by high peaks, just outside the pretty village of Torla on the banks of the river Ara. We are just on the edge of the Parque Nacional de Ordessa y Monte Perido from which vehicles are banned. If you want to go further into the park you have to walk or get one of the shuttle buses that take you into the heart of the park.

It’s a real mountain campsite here, full of walkers, climbers and trail runners. We’ve raised the average age by a couple of years!

Yesterday evening we climbed up the steep path into the village so that Andy could get photos of the sun on the giant rock face of Mondarruego that looks a lot like a prototype for El Capitan in California. On the way back, as we crossed the bridge, we thought what a good river the Ara will be for the dogs to swim in tomorrow. As we went to bed, we heard the first notes of what was going to be the mother and father of all thunderstorms that continued long into the night, and when the electrical team tired, the rain continued to have an after party until almost dawn! As a result, the gentle stream had been replaced by a roaring torrent. There would be no dogs in the water today.

Instead, we were walking up the valley, into the park to see what we could see. It was beautiful. This part of the Pyrenees is heavily wooded with pine forests and as we turned into the Ordessa Valley, we got more enticing glimpses of Mondarruego and his mates looming over us. As the gorge narrowed the sound of the river became louder and louder and the waterfalls became more and more impressive. On the way back we saw a flock of bearded vultures circling the cliff tops. I don’t think it was a reflection on our state of fitness after 700 metres of climbing in the hot, sticky weather?

After a quick shower there was time to climb back up to Torla to explore the many outdoor shops and a beer on the terrace as we watched the sunset on the mountains.