We began our six day tour of the Carros de Foch on Tuesday morning in Espot, following a longjoumey up into the Pyrenees late on the previous evening. The Carros de Foch crosses the Aigues Tortes in the Aiguestortes I Estany de Sant Maurici National Park and is one of the most beautiful parts of the Spanish Pyrenees. The national park is over 140 sq km and is brimming with hundreds of mountain lakes, cascading streams, speckled with cool clear ponds and roaring waterfalls.(Aigüestortes means twisted waters in Catalan) The Carros de Foch, otherwise known as Chariots of Fire route, is over 55km and makes a total elevation gain of over 9km, which we truly felt at times. The trail was devised 15 years ago by Miguel Sanchez i Murcia the keeper of the Ventosa refuge as a test for super athletes or sky runners as they are called, who complete the route in one day.

Armed with our delicious lunch from the local deli we began our trek in Espot, on a cloudy Tuesday morning, looking up in trepidation at the peaks all around us. This first 11km leg took us up along gentle tracks and paths, in the shadow of the famous landmarks the Grand and Petit Encantat (Enchanted Mountains) to the Sant Maurici lake. Much of this time was spent adjusting our bags and getting used to the unaccustomed weight we were carrying. Following a tasty lunch we headed up through woodlands passing the Cascade de Ratera arriving mid afternoon at the Refugio d'Armitages, getting in just before one of the few rain showers of the week. Being newbies to the refugio routine our guide Miguel put us through our paces and showed us the ropes of hut etiquette! The first nights were a challenge as we coped with the first days of altitude discomfort and the interesting sleeping arrangements! By day 3 we had the strategy down to a fine art with the best beds bagged by early evening.

Day Two

An early start to get the best of the day we headed to the Port de Ratera where we picked up the GR 11, the high Pyrenean route which traverses the Pyrenees on the Spanish side. The walking was relatively easy taking in a wonderful vista of rocky peaks all around us. Snow was still very much in evidence and provided some slippery traverses in parts en route to our second refuge - the Colomers refuge. Many of the refuges were quiet at that time and it generally made for more comfort giving us time and space to catch up on our chores.

Day Three

The day started with a climb to the Porte de Caldes, with the sun high in the sky. We took in the spectacular views making our way down through the beautiful lakes. There are over 450 lakes in the national park area with the typical dark blue colour lending an almost tropical view to the area. The general silence, without birdsong is striking in this high Pyrenean terrain where there is very little vegetation and one has to look carefully to see animal life. We heard marmots frequently during the trek with the odd sighting of chamois. After a good day's hiking we arrived to the sunny sheltered Ventosa I Calvell refuge where we spent a pleasant few hours on the terrace outside relaxing and doing our chores. From here we had a lovely panoramic view down on Estany Negre and west over the Pyrenees. At this stage we were settling into the routine of lights out early and our bunks were a welcome place for weary bodies.

Day Four

Today was the big day that Miguel had been preparing us for all week - the traverse of the Col de Contraix at 2,749m. This was one of the most challenging days especially the long morning climb through the boulder fields. There was much scrambling to reach the top but we were well rewarded with the spectacular views of a moon-like world of sheer rock as far as the eye could see. Luckily there were good snow fields ahead which made the descent more interesting and easier. Walking down through the lower meadows and pastures we arrived at the refuge Estany Llong in the late afternoon where we sipped our coffee in the sunshine and relaxed into the rhythm of the evening refuge routine.

Day Five

We set out on one of the longest days through the spectacular tarn-sprinkled region. The sun was high and we had most beautiful views of dark pools and infinity lakes as we made our way along. At lunch we had an opportunity to swim in the refreshing water of Estany Tort one of the largest lakes we passed. This area is an important region for hydroelectricity and the Colomina refuge where we were heading to, had been built by one of hydroelectric companies to house employees. Franco visited the park in September 1955 to open a number of these hydroelectric power stations and later that year the region was declared a national park by decree. The route today takes one along the remains of the old narrow gauge train track left behind by the engineers. The walking was refreshing and relaxing in contrast to the earlier days of steep climbs and descents.

Day Six

We began our final leg from Colomina back to Espot, with an early start in the crisp morning air. The lakes glistened in the sun as we picked our way along the lakeshore paths and climbed to the Collada de Capdella. We passed many of the sky runners on this route as it is a popular weekend activity here. We stopped for lunch at the popular refugio J.M. Blanc to shelter from the mid-day heat. The afternoon heat built as we made our way down to Espot through trees which provided much-needed shelter from the developing heat wave. We spent our final night in Rialp where we enjoyed the luxuries of life.