La Mer, le Canal & les Pyrénées

[VPS]

Next we were heading to Jaca on the Spanish side of the Pyrenees and there are basically two mountain passes that could be considered: the Col de Bessata and the Col du Pourtalet. The Bessata route goes from Pau via Oloron-Sainte-Marie and Canfranc and is the route that the railway line used until it was closed in 1970 after a major derailment destroyed one of the bridges. More here: Pau–Canfranc railway - Wikipedia

Canfranc is reached from the french side through the 7.8km Somport tunnel. The station at Canfranc was featured in one of Michael Portillo's Great Continental Railway Journeys and is said to be where Hitler met Franco in 1940 (see https://glintoflight.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Canfranc-_-What_Stories_It_Could_Tell.pdf).

Note that there are other reports that state that Hitler and Franco met at the station in Hendaye in 1940. I'm not able to confirm whether they met at both stations or whether one of these "meetings" has been misreported. Either way, the station at Canfranc is quite spectacular and has a lot of history. After the line closed, the Somport tunnel was modified to take road traffic but the station was left to deteriorate. However, recently it has been renovated into a luxury hotel Canfranc Estación, a Royal Hideaway Hotel - Huesca - o Guia MICHELIN

Currently there are public consultations about reopening the line: SNCF Réseau begins public consultations to reopen strategic France-Spain rail line

With all this history and proposals I wanted to travel via this route and check it all out for myself however, I was disappointed to find that the road was impassable following heavy rain in early September that washed away large sections of the road: Pyrénées road connecting France and Spain will be closed for months

So it was the route over the Col du Pourtalet for us...

That’s a shame. It looks fascinating

 

[drron]

We enjoyed our couple of hours plus lunch in Canfranc. We got there from the Spanish side. Good scenery on the drive up.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Col du Pourtalet



This mountain pass has only been crossed by Le Tour de France once so it is not as well known as some of the other mountain passes. The climb starts just south of Laruns and continues virtually non-stop for the next 29km. The gradients do not get above 9% but it is the length of the climb and the magnificent scenery that are the significant features of the Pourtalet. Perhaps Le Tour prefers shorter and steeper climbs, perhaps it is difficult terrain for the TV coverage or perhaps closing this road for Le Tour causes too much disruption to traffic between France and Spain.

It's a great drive although the road is quite narrow and perhaps a bit dangerous in poor weather.




Getting past these guys can be interesting and there are quite a few of them, including some that look like they haven't been on a bike for many years. You need a lot of patience when following a bike uphill at around 10kmh and waiting for an opportunity to overtake...




And these are an even bigger challenge:
















The customs house...







A hydro-electric reservoir...

 

[Jacques Vert]

Col du Pourtalet 2

Of course, on the other side of the dam wall there is a lake and a ski resort...








Continuing up the Pourtalet...


















After 28km we are approaching the summit...