Day 17: Aire de Bivouac of Refuge d'Ilhéou to Wild Camp on cliffs of Tuc Arrouy above the Marcadau Valley

As can be seem from the stats, I didn't travel very far today! There are a couple of reasons why, one preplanned and one most definitely not preplanned!

During the night the area was hit by an almighty storm, some of the lightning seemed to be right on top of the Lac d'Illieou bivouac area. I was definitely conscious of it, but fortunately my tiredness kept me half asleep. I had some deep sleep after the storm and on waking at about 6am it seemed very wet but at least it was calm. However, by 7am I had to reclassify what an almighty storm was! The one last night was degraded to really severe, and the morning storm was installed as almighty, and honestly quite outlandish! It started with heavy, driving rain accompanied by lightning and thunder. The rain became more and more intense until I felt the need to unzip the inner tent to check my shoes in the vestibule. To my surprise I was greeted by large hail stones battering the outer tent and laying all around it! The hail smashed down for a good quarter of an hour, and after the novelty of it wore off I began to wonder how big the ice balls needed to get before tent integrity would be compromised!

Eventually the hail balls abated, and severe rain storm status was resumed, before the thunder and lightning moved away a bit, and then it was just back to standard heavy rain! To my relief, by 08:30 it was down to light rain with the thunder distant for one rumble, then a flash and bang close, then a distant rumble again, and repeat!

And then, back came the storm in full fury, or maybe it was a different one?! Wow! However, by 09:30, it was thankfully just a very light pattering of rain on the outer tent, but I remained skeptical that this was it on the morning storm front! It was proving impossible to judge from my tent cocoon!

Thankfully the storms had moved away, and gradually the sun started to win through the cloud. I decided to emerge from my shelter, which I have to say was impressive in the circumstances despite it being the same brand as the devastatingly awful 'Megapack'! The tent was sturdy in the high winds and repelled all the rain and hail thrown at it, with no wet penetrating the inner. OLPRO seem more tent specialists than backpack specialists let's say!

I slowly sorted my pack, leaving the tent to hopefully dry a bit but to my surprise it dried very quickly and I was able to roll it up practically dry! Bonus! Now the only decision was to descend into Cauterets, or to go slightly 'off piste' from the GR10 and do the high level route over to Pont d'Espagne via Col de la Haugade, les Lacs de l'Embarrat and the Gave du Marcadau. I had been up to the peak opposite the Col (Pic de Nets - 2428m) and been up to les Lacs de l'Embarrat from the Marcadau side when I'd visited the area back in September 2018 or 2019?! I had pitched my tent in a nice campsite in Cauterets and explored sections of the GR10 and other trails as an exploratory trip for the GR10 attempt. The GR10 has been in my mind since about 2017 I think! It started as an interest, progessed to an ambition and eventually became a dream! I remember the first time I saw the red and white waymarker and set foot on the trail I nearly wee'd myself with excitement!! Anyway, back to the high level route!...I hadn't linked the two bits I'd day hiked years ago and desperately wanted to do this as part of my journey, plus I knew of a spectacular wild camp on a lovely, flat cliff ledge that I have honestly thought about all these years. The problem was, last night's weather was so severe it had put doubts in my mind as to what today had in store?!

I weighed things up - the weather looked good and I knew the route up to Col de la Haugade, just not across to les Lacs de l'Embarrat, but I knew it wasn't a great distance. So, with all that in mind I treated some lake water and set off up the boulder field to the Col. It had to be this route!

I had to keep looking back to look at Lac d'Ilhéou and give my gratitude for the opportunity to camp there and enjoy it's sheer beauty!

The path that sets off from the camping area of Lac d'Illieou (1988m) is relatively clear, with cairns marking the slightly worn boulders and scree. With the visibility good, it was a pleasure to climb and see Lac d'Illieou become smaller and the stunning setting it's in take on a different dimension. There were frequent and large patches of the hails stones which didn't present a problem, as they were slippy, they actually provided good grip!

The path reached a grassy corrie from which I'd turned left and summited Pic de Nets (2428m) those years ago, but today it was a right turn and the final climb up to Col de la Haugade (2378m).

The view over the other side of the Col was stupendous! Spectacular jagged rocky mountains with big boulder scree fields from millennia of erosion breaking rock away from the mountain cliffs above. Pine trees, and other plants my botanical knowledge knew nothing of, were growing wherever they could take hold. It was so beautiful to amble slowly across the high path that cut across Pic Arrouy (2785m) towards les Lacs de l'Embarrat, with views ahead to La Cardinquère Ouest (2509m) and over the valley to Pic de Gaube (2377m). Simply stunning wilderness!

I had the stunning amble along the faint path to myself, and eventually I arrived at the upper lake of les Lacs de l'Embarrat, and followed the cascade that drains from it down the lower lake. I spent an incredibly peaceful hour on a rock overlooked the lower lake, with a family enjoying another large rock and two ladies who had appeared from the route I'd done enjoying the view from near the upper lake.

Les Lacs de l'Embarrat were nostalgically familiar to me from my visit years ago.

High cloud cover had hidden the warm sun and it was pretty chilly, so after that peaceful hour it was time to start moving. I knew the route down, and it's a much more trekked route to the lakes so is very clear. Not far into the descent from the lower lake the path enters lovely forest, and zig zags down the steep mountainside. I knew it wasn't far to the wild camp spot I'd had in my mind for years, but it was raining slightly! Ahhh! However, when I rounded a corner and saw my dream wild camp that was it, I was staying there for the night. It was just as I remembered it, actually slightly bigger so you could pitch a couple of metres from the sheer cliff faces that dropped away from two sides.

My much dreamed about wild camp spot became a reality!

The rain didn't come to anything so it was perfect, bit BROUILLARDY though! However, this was intermittent and when it cleared the views were magical with hanging cloud in the Marcadau Valley and wisps of mist rising and evaporating! I realised I was fulfilling a dream I'd had for years, it was strangely emotional. In fact, I'd had a strong nostalgic feeling all through this section since arriving at Lac d'Illieou probably due to that previous visit.