Catalan Pyrenees
Natural History of the Serra del Cadí & Aigüestortes
Saturday 21 – Saturday 28 June 2008 (8 days)
Once again we join one of Mike Lockwood’s popular Pyrenean tours, offering us the chance to experience the fabulous wealth of wildflowers, butterflies and birds of these mountains in high summer.
© Andy Bradley/Nature Portfolio
Shepherd's Fritillary
Mike has been leading tours to the massive limestone ridge of El Cadí in the eastern Pyrenees for many years to coincide with the peak flowering period of many high-altitude plants and the greatest variety of butterflies. However, aware that we were missing many of the ‘classic’ Pyrenean specialities that flower on the granite rocks of the central Pyrenees, we’ve decided to add an extra centre, such that the second half of the tour will be spent exploring the dramatic mountain scenery of the Aigüestortes National Park, renowned for housing the greatest concentration of glacial lakes in the whole of the Iberian Peninsula.
Throughout the trip we will be visiting a range of contrasting habitats, including both acid and calcareous bedrock, north- and south-facing slopes, and from relative ‘lowlands’ at just 900 m. to altitudes over 2,500 m. The emphasis is on general natural history, with wildflowers, butterflies and birds all superb at this time of year, and there will be ample time for photography. Some excursions will involve some degree of walking – maximum around 4km per day – at times on some rough tracks and with short uphill stretches.
Price: £ 1,145
Single supp.: £ 110
Deposit: £ 300 per person
The price is per person, and is fully inclusive of 7 nights' accommodation as detailed above, meals, return scheduled flight London-Barcelona, transport, and leadership.
The price excludes holiday insurance, drinks, and other personal expenses.
Leaders:
Mike Lockwood and Francisco Trabalón
Itinerary:
Day 1
We take a scheduled flight from London to Barcelona, then drive for around two hours to reach our first base in the quiet village of Prullans, often referred to as the ‘Balcón de la Cerdanya’ boasting stunning views southwards across the broad valley of the River Segre to the sheer limestone buttresses of the Serra del Cadí beyond.
Overnight Prullans
Days 2 - 4
During our stay in the Cerdanya we will visit the limestone of the Serra del Cadí (which peaks at 2,647 m) to the south of the river Segre by driving the road to Coll de Pal to 2,100 m. Up high on the limestone we will be looking for a wealth of specialist plants, including rock stork’s-bill, trumpet and Pyrenean gentians, reddish and Pyrenean saxifrages and Ramonda myconi, with butterflies as varied as Apollo, Moroccan Orange-tip, Escher’s and Turquoise blues, and Piedmont and Spanish Brassy Ringlets. Birdwise, this is a good site for raptors such as Lammergeier, Golden Eagle and Honey Buzzard, as well as Rock Thrush and Citril Finch.
In complete contrast, we will also be exploring the acid rocks to the north of the river Segre, where we will walk up through the mountain pine forest to Estanys de la Pera, two delightful glacial lakes. Here, we will find the tiny pin-cushions of Androsace vandellii on the cliffs, as well as starry and water saxifrages, moss campion, Pyrenean buttercup, the beautiful yellow form of the alpine pasque flower and entire-leaved primrose. We’ll be looking out for the marmots that call from the entrance to their sets, while in the meadows at lower altitudes bog fritillary and a variety of ‘blues’ will be our afternoon targets.
Lower down amongst the colourful meadows of the main Segre Valley literally ‘clouds’ of blues are on the wing, often 'mud-puddling' together by the hundred in mixed groups of Escher’s, Idas, Amanda’s, Turquoise, Adonis and Chapman’s Blues, along with numerous fritillaries, skippers and whites. Among the more characteristic birds at these altitudes are Tawny Pipit, Woodlark, Western Bonelli’s, Subalpine and Dartford Warblers, Red-backed Shrike, Rock Sparrow and Ortolan and Cirl Buntings, with Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper and Golden Oriole breeding along the rivers. We will also make an evening visit to a nearby gravel pit for the Bee-eater colony, and the local Crested Larks, Corn Buntings, Quails, Stone Curlews and Montagu’s Harriers in the arable fields.
Three nights Prullans
Day 5
Our transfer day will take us across the high pass of Coll de Cantó, where we will make a brief stop before continuing on to our second base in the village of Espot, at the gateway to the Aigüestortes National Park. Water is an ever-present feature of this protected area: the predominance of impermeable slates and granites, combined with the after-effects of at least four periods of glaciation, means that nowhere else in Spain is there such a concentration of lakes: 272 all told. We’ll make good use of the transfer day and spend the afternoon reconnoitering the damp meadows of the lower slopes of the park’s mountains looking for Purple-shot and Scarce Coppers, more Apollos and Lesser Purple Emperors. These lower slopes are good too for watching Griffon Vultures cruise the ridge tops, while elsewhere we may come across Booted and Short-toed Eagles, Egyptian Vulture, Lammergeier and Honey Buzzard.
Overnight Espot
Days 6 – 7
The daunting rock pinnacles and spires that litter the national park make Aigüestortes a paradise for hikers and climbers; however, we will ‘cheat’ by taking 4WD taxis up the Escrita valley to L’Estany de Sant Maurici. From here we will continue on foot to the less well-known L’Estany de Ratera, where, in the broad expanse of cliff-backed subalpine pastures, we should come across Isard (Pyrenean Chamois), Alpine Marmots and the high-level birds such as Ring Ouzel, Alpine Chough, Citril Finch and Crossbill. The forests and lakesides are decorated by a variety of alpines flowers, including numerous wintergreens, Pyrenean buttercup, bird’s-eye primrose, Pyrenean gentian and large-flowered butterwort. Boggy patches hold Geranium Argus and Sooty and Purple-edged Coppers, and Clouded Apollo, Amanda’s Blue and Duke of Burgundy Fritillary are by no means uncommon.
A little further afield, we’ll visit La Mata de València, the largest and best-preserved European silver-fir forest in the Pyrenees. This is an excellent place in which to track down Black Woodpecker, Eurasian Treecreeper, Crested Tit and Firecrest, with notable plants that include saprophytes such as Yellow Bird’s-nest and Bird’s-nest Orchid, and leafless-stemmed Globularia, alpine currant, and white-mossy and blue saxifrages. The clearings in the forest provoked by avalanches are wonderful for butterflies including Clouded Apollo, Camberwell Beauty, Small Blue, Sooty Copper, Shepherd’s and Pearl-bordered Fritillaries and Bright-eyed Ringlet.
Two nights Espot
Day 8
We drive to Barcelona for the return flight to London, stopping in the pre-Pyrenees for a quick look at Mediterranean butterflies on the way if time permits.
Accommodation: In Prullans de Cerdanya, a well-appointed, family-run hotel with all rooms en suite and both indoor and outdoor swimming pools. In Espot (1,340 m) we stay in a family-run mountain hotel located just 3 km from the Aigüestortes National Park in the centre of the village.
Numbers: Max. 12 clients
Day 1
We take a scheduled flight from London to Barcelona, then drive for around two hours to reach our first base in the quiet village of Prullans, often referred to as the ‘Balcón de la Cerdanya’ boasting stunning views southwards across the broad valley of the River Segre to the sheer limestone buttresses of the Serra del Cadí beyond.
Overnight Prullans
Days 2 - 4
During our stay in the Cerdanya we will visit the limestone of the Serra del Cadí (which peaks at 2,647 m) to the south of the river Segre by driving the road to Coll de Pal to 2,100 m. Up high on the limestone we will be looking for a wealth of specialist plants, including rock stork’s-bill, trumpet and Pyrenean gentians, reddish and Pyrenean saxifrages and Ramonda myconi, with butterflies as varied as Apollo, Moroccan Orange-tip, Escher’s and Turquoise blues, and Piedmont and Spanish Brassy Ringlets. Birdwise, this is a good site for raptors such as Lammergeier, Golden Eagle and Honey Buzzard, as well as Rock Thrush and Citril Finch.
In complete contrast, we will also be exploring the acid rocks to the north of the river Segre, where we will walk up through the mountain pine forest to Estanys de la Pera, two delightful glacial lakes. Here, we will find the tiny pin-cushions of Androsace vandellii on the cliffs, as well as starry and water saxifrages, moss campion, Pyrenean buttercup, the beautiful yellow form of the alpine pasque flower and entire-leaved primrose. We’ll be looking out for the marmots that call from the entrance to their sets, while in the meadows at lower altitudes bog fritillary and a variety of ‘blues’ will be our afternoon targets.
Lower down amongst the colourful meadows of the main Segre Valley literally ‘clouds’ of blues are on the wing, often 'mud-puddling' together by the hundred in mixed groups of Escher’s, Idas, Amanda’s, Turquoise, Adonis and Chapman’s Blues, along with numerous fritillaries, skippers and whites. Among the more characteristic birds at these altitudes are Tawny Pipit, Woodlark, Western Bonelli’s, Subalpine and Dartford Warblers, Red-backed Shrike, Rock Sparrow and Ortolan and Cirl Buntings, with Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper and Golden Oriole breeding along the rivers. We will also make an evening visit to a nearby gravel pit for the Bee-eater colony, and the local Crested Larks, Corn Buntings, Quails, Stone Curlews and Montagu’s Harriers in the arable fields.
Three nights Prullans
Day 5
Our transfer day will take us across the high pass of Coll de Cantó, where we will make a brief stop before continuing on to our second base in the village of Espot, at the gateway to the Aigüestortes National Park. Water is an ever-present feature of this protected area: the predominance of impermeable slates and granites, combined with the after-effects of at least four periods of glaciation, means that nowhere else in Spain is there such a concentration of lakes: 272 all told. We’ll make good use of the transfer day and spend the afternoon reconnoitering the damp meadows of the lower slopes of the park’s mountains looking for Purple-shot and Scarce Coppers, more Apollos and Lesser Purple Emperors. These lower slopes are good too for watching Griffon Vultures cruise the ridge tops, while elsewhere we may come across Booted and Short-toed Eagles, Egyptian Vulture, Lammergeier and Honey Buzzard.
Overnight Espot
Days 6 – 7
The daunting rock pinnacles and spires that litter the national park make Aigüestortes a paradise for hikers and climbers; however, we will ‘cheat’ by taking 4WD taxis up the Escrita valley to L’Estany de Sant Maurici. From here we will continue on foot to the less well-known L’Estany de Ratera, where, in the broad expanse of cliff-backed subalpine pastures, we should come across Isard (Pyrenean Chamois), Alpine Marmots and the high-level birds such as Ring Ouzel, Alpine Chough, Citril Finch and Crossbill. The forests and lakesides are decorated by a variety of alpines flowers, including numerous wintergreens, Pyrenean buttercup, bird’s-eye primrose, Pyrenean gentian and large-flowered butterwort. Boggy patches hold Geranium Argus and Sooty and Purple-edged Coppers, and Clouded Apollo, Amanda’s Blue and Duke of Burgundy Fritillary are by no means uncommon.
A little further afield, we’ll visit La Mata de València, the largest and best-preserved European silver-fir forest in the Pyrenees. This is an excellent place in which to track down Black Woodpecker, Eurasian Treecreeper, Crested Tit and Firecrest, with notable plants that include saprophytes such as Yellow Bird’s-nest and Bird’s-nest Orchid, and leafless-stemmed Globularia, alpine currant, and white-mossy and blue saxifrages. The clearings in the forest provoked by avalanches are wonderful for butterflies including Clouded Apollo, Camberwell Beauty, Small Blue, Sooty Copper, Shepherd’s and Pearl-bordered Fritillaries and Bright-eyed Ringlet.
Two nights Espot
Day 8
We drive to Barcelona for the return flight to London, stopping in the pre-Pyrenees for a quick look at Mediterranean butterflies on the way if time permits.
Accommodation: In Prullans de Cerdanya, a well-appointed, family-run hotel with all rooms en suite and both indoor and outdoor swimming pools. In Espot (1,340 m) we stay in a family-run mountain hotel located just 3 km from the Aigüestortes National Park in the centre of the village.
Numbers: Max. 12 clients