Mountaineering, 'Freedom Tiger', Pyrenees, France, Jul 2010, ID 1004

Bristol UOTC

Twenty-three personnel from Bristol UOTC took part in Freedom Tiger, following "Le Chemin de La Liberte" or the Freedom Trail, through the Pyrenees.

The convoy, consisting of two combivans and a minibus, left Bristol to catch the Portsmouth to Caen ferry, followed by a very long drive to St Girons in the South of France. Here we were delighted with our initial campsite the "Parc des Paletes" and even more happy to see the curry dinner that our chef quickly prepared, despite having spent a long time that day behind the wheel.

The four-day trek started with a never-ending 25km walk up and down through woodlands, avoiding main routes where, during the war, Germans would have tried to find evadés (escapees). We stopped at various points of interest on the route for John, our guide, to explain the history of the escapes. We passed a hut where a young passeur (the local guides who at their own risk guided escapees along the route) was found and executed. There was a plaque in his memory, and this highlighted the significance of the route during the war to both the evadés and passeurs. The weather started cool and drizzly but brightened up after lunch. It was quite harrowing to think that whilst we were fit, well fed and had excellent kit, those who undertook the route in earnest would have been quite the opposite, and they had no option of dropping out without sacrificing their lives.

The pace was fast to cover the distance. The group was riddled with injuries both old and new, which mostly surfaced on the first day. Everyone pulled together to help those in pain by carrying their packs and encouraging them until we reached suitable points where they could stop.

We were all very relieved to reach the Gite in the early evening, although no-one quite believed we were finally there. Initially the group was unsure how to respond to our guide’s unique sense of humour but he was invaluable. Part of the route had been blocked by trees which had fallen in a recent storm and as he knew about this in advance we were able to circumnavigate it. At the Gite d’Aunac we had an amazing four course dinner which was a rewarding finish for our first day.

The second day saw us cover 17km to La Cabane de Subera via Col de la Core. The first couple of hours saw us descending through woodland before leaving the shade for the harsh sunlight of the track up to the Col. We followed an undulating path up to La Cabane de Subera, passing a safe house which was used for sheltering passeurs. After arriving at half past two we set up camp then helped the farmer herd cows into the kraal.

The third day was one of the longest: trekking from La Cabane de Subera to Le Refuge des Estagnous. We climbed 900m up to the Col de Craberous. On the way we passed the wreckage of a crashed Halifax bomber and had a small memorial service with a minute’s silence. People struggled on the climb despite the cool of the morning, although the temperature increased as the sun got higher in the sky and we neared the summit of the Col. The terrain was difficult, with large rocks, prickly grass and scree covered in patches of ice and snow, resulting in a few slips and scraped legs. The view from the top of the Col was beautiful. We saw a French shepherd running down the hill herding a stampede of sheep and marvelled at her fitness as she then ran up it. As we descended down the Col into the valley we could see deep, clear lakes. Having walked down we then walked up again over tricky ground of gulleys, boulders and cliff edges.

The final day started in mist, but it lifted to reveal some beautiful and well-earned views, including our final escape into Spain. We could see down into the valley which was bathed with ethereal beams of sunlight shining through the mist. The descent initially was down a scree slope and then over steep grassy slopes and through wild-flower meadows.

The team met back up with the transport and headed up to the campsite, Camping Pradelongue, at Bagneres de Luchon, stopping for a celebratory meal of tapas on the way back.

We spent one day climbing at an outdoor crag at St Mamet in Luchon; some of us, for the first time. Some conquered some fears of heights and others discovered an innate ability, spurred on by competitiveness to get to the top of a route in the fastest time. On the R&R day most of us chose to go rafting, through the stunning gorge of the Noguera Palleresa. The cliffs looked like they might have been the inspiration for Wiley Coyote.

Everyone in the group had a fantastic time, and learned a lot about the history of the Chemin de la Liberté as well as experiencing the route first hand. We would all like to say a huge thank you to Lt Hanking-Evans for organising the trip, as well as everyone that supported her and in so doing allowed the trip to happen.

Account compiled by: OCdt Anderson, OCdt Doherty, OCdt Nimmo, OCdt Ogilvy-White, OCdt Pilditch, 2Lt Pinel.

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