A jolly jaunt up high - storm dodging

Well, the weather has been pretty dire recently, but there appeared to be a bit of a 'weather window' today. We headed up to the Col de la Core at 1400m from where we picked up the GR10 which meandered its way up the hillside before traversing through the woodland and then up towards the Col d'Auédole (1700m). The Cabane d'Eliet was like an isolated beacon amongst the approaching cloudsWe popped over the Col and picked up the well worn track which would take us to the Etang d'AyesThis section provided some great running and fantastic views back down the wild, unspoilt valleyWe quickly reached the Etang d'Ayes and started the uphill section that would eventually lead us to the Etang de Bellonguere. The Etang d'Ayes was a beautiful emerald green colour but the approaching clouds were a worry

We soon left the GR10 and headed off to up the Etang de Bellonguere (1900m) - it was a fantastically wild and unspoilt environment where it would have been lovely to linger a while, but the rumble of thunder spurred us to get a move on! The route from the Etang was a steep uphill to a height of 2000m in the direction of the Sommet de Peyre Blanque from where we traversed along a faint path before descending back down to the Col d'Auédole.
From there, a gentle careful run back along the way we had come to Col de la Core. Looking back down the valley to Castillon, I could see the route that I hope to cycle up to the Col when we get a proper clear, dry spell - hopefully soon! We had been out for 3 1/2 hrs and managed to avoid a torrential downpour although the storm was not far away! It was good to explore new areas up in the mountains and to discover more of what there is to offer within such a short drive of Pissou.