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Pyrenean High Route 2010 - Costs

Posted by Mark Richardson on Aug 08, 2010

The total costs for the trip come out at £854, £257 was spent getting to the start of the walk - some of which could have been avoided, £327 was spent getting home. This leaves £270 spent during the walk, of which £110 was spent on the rest day (2nts hotel plus meals).

 

Costs prior to leaving

I decided that rather than tie myself down to dates I would book the outward journey and get myself back to the UK from wherever and whenever I decided to finish, pre-trip expenditure was therefore minimal. Also - having done the trip to Gavarnie in reverse last year I was happy not to book anything other than flights.

Easyjet flight (with hold luggage) from Newcastle to Stansted
 
£35.49, Room at 'Days Inn', services near to Stansted Airport
£39.00, Ryanair flight from Stansted to Pau
£69.99, Costs on the outward journey

 

A lot of the cost for the journey outward could be avoided by buying food rather than meals, however I've included everything I spent. I also chose to spend the first night in Gavarnie in a hotel rather than the campsite. The reasons for this were wanting to revisit the excellent hotel used last year, and it would give me a good early start whatever the weather on the first day.

 

£8.04, Meal at Stansted
£8.00, Shuttle bus to and from Stansted
€1.00, Bus to Pau railway station
€7.50, Rail ticket to Lourdes
€17.00, Lunch in Lourdes — 2 hrs to kill, so had a relaxed lunch in a Best Western!
€7.50, Bus ticket to Luis st Saveur
€2.20, Fuel for stove
€2.00, Bus to Gavarnie
€28.30, Evening meal in Gavarnie
€53.00, Accommodation in Gavarnie

Costs en route

I had brought food for Section 3 (9 days) with me from the UK, but not 100% of what was needed, I used the refuges and other places on route to supplement what I carried.

 

Section 3
30/07/10, Campsite — Sandwich, beer and campsite fees, e17.00
31/07/10, Refuge de Barroude, soup, omelette, drink, e16.00
01/08/10, Camping Forcalla, full evening meal, camp fees, drinks, e28.80
02/08/10, Refuge La Soula, meal, accommodation and breakfast, e37.00
03/08/10, Refuge Portillon, soup and coffee, e6.50
04/08/10, Hospital de Benasque, buffet breakfast! e9.00
05/08/10, No Expenditure
06/08/10, Refuge Vielha, breakfast, e6.00
Refuge Restanca, sandwich, coffee, orange juice, e14.00

07/08/10, Refuge Colomers, tuna salad, soup, coffee, orange juice, e20.00

 

Rest Day at Salardu
08/08/10, Supermarket — food for Section 4, e53.00
Accommodation — 2 nights, hotel, e84.00
Meals — 2 nights, 1 day, e51.00

09/08/10–11/08/10, No Expenditure

12/08/10, Refuge Certascan, breakfast, e8.70

13/08/10–17/08/10, No Expenditure

 

Costs to get home

I followed the guide's recommendation to take the night train to Paris, paid for a berth — a great way to travel and not much more than a Hotel for the night. As I was travelling on a Sunday though, there was no opportunity to buy food or a meal until the following morning. In fact when I bought my Eurostar ticket a First Class ticket (which included a meal) was actually cheaper than a standard ticket.

 

18/08/10, Night Train to Paris, e106.00
19/08/10, Eurostar to London, e149.00
19/08/10, British Rail fare to Darlington, £99.40

  
Mark Richardson
 

Mark was the founder of Ultralight Outdoor Gear back in 2006 and has completed long distance backpacking routes in some of the remotest parts of the world. His favourite hikes have been Torres del Paine (full circuit), the John Muir trail and the Markha Valley trail (Ladakh, India). Although semi-retired Mark has not lost any enthusiasm for minimalist backpacking and is tackling Scotland’s Munros choosing multi-day backpacking routes over the more usual guide book excursions.

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