HRP Chalet-Ref Bouillouses to Eyne - Sep 2, 2013

For details see ebook on 
http://www.blurb.co.uk/b/4998902-a-walk-on-the-haute-route-pyrenees which can be purchased for £2.49 with the proceeds going to maintenance of mountain refuges.

I was up at 07.15 and a good night’s sleep in my private room.  I washed, packed and was down at breakfast at about 07.50, orange juice, bread, butter and raspberry jam and a café au lait.  I talked to a nice French couple who spoke good English at breakfast.

I left the refuge at 08.30 and a pleasant walk past the lakes: Etang Llong, Etang Noir and Etang de Pradeille – for some reason the GR10 goes a slightly different way although I re-joined the GR10 having passed the three lakes. Thereafter along a pleasant enough path which became a little boring after it became a wider track before reaching a rather ugly area of chalets of the Pyrénées 2000 resort and entering Bolquère (1620m).  I found a small hotel and had a beer and then an omelette au lardin with a very poor green salad for lunch with a glass of vin rosé and a coffee (€16).

I then headed off back to the road towards Col de la Perche (1579m) where I met up with the seven Belgians before turning off the GR10 towards Eyne.  I continued on the road (D33) towards Eyne and noticed a sign to Eyne to the right.  The guide book said keep on the road whilst the map in the guide book showed the path turning right.  I turned right as even if longer, I preferred not to walk on the road.

I turned back towards the road when the path started to go downhill and reached the Gite Calpai in Eyne (1560m) at about 15.00.  There was no one in the gite but a message on a blackboard advised me that I was sleeping in the Gite du Presbytère beneath the bell tower.  I made myself at home, showered, washed some clothes and then had a walk around Eyne to see if I could find a beer but I couldn’t find anything nearby so headed back to Calpai to await Yolande who was returning at around 18.00, sitting in the sun and reading. 

Yolande returned about 18.00 and I ordered a beer and sat chatting to a German couple who spoke good English.  She bred Arab horses for endurance racing.  We had another beer together and I then went and changed for dinner.  Dinner was at 20.00 in a lovely timbered room and was almost as good as that on the previous evening; mixed salad (mainly cucumber) but an excellent dressing, chicken with tomatoes, onions and honey, large selection of cheeses, sponge cake with a kind of raspberry coulis, all with a litre of wine between the German couple, me and a strange Belgian sitting opposite me who only drank water.  After dinner, we went for a coffee in the sitting room in front of rather a poor fire chatting with some of the other guests.  

Then to bed, read and charged my mobile batteries before going to sleep.  Total cost for dinner, bed and breakfast including drinks was €66.