Recommendations for Val d'Aran?

[JKT]

It seems I'll be headed to Val d'Aran in June. Are there any recommendations for walking trips and places to stay? I'd prefer butterflies and SO demands good hiking trips. So what would be the walks that combine those best?

[Padfield]

I used to go to the Val every July, though I haven't been since 2011 for various reasons. I always camped, at the Artigané camp site in Arrós (or rather, on the river, below Arrós). I believe this doesn't open until July, though it might be worth contacting them through their website if camping is your thing. Otherwise, there are plenty of habitaciónes along that same road. If you go for more luxury accommodation I can't help, but there are of course plenty of hotels in and around Vielha and east to Salardú. Until very recently, I never booked before arriving at a place and the Val d'Aran is certainly somewhere you can turn up, look around and find somewhere to stay.

As for walks and butterflies, you will be too early for the stuff I especially went for - namely, the endemic, high-mountain Erebia, like gorgone, sthennyo and lefebvrei. In any case, my netting permit for the Val (you need a permit to carry a net in Spain) was granted on the understanding I would not reveal the location of endemics (and, I should add, that I only used the net for hand-identification purposes, not for killing!). If you do go up high, you shouldn't miss out on the hike to the Tuc de Picado, which you can climb up to from Artiga de Lin. I also enjoy the views from the Tuc d'Uishera. For lower walks, the high contour track between Moncorbau and Vila, with two Stream crossings, is good, as is the track between the Ermita de San Joan and Vilamòs. I have another regular walk above Bagergue and one following the river up near Canejan, though that is all tarmac road, not mountain hiking.

As I've never visited in June I'll be interested to know what is flying then. I think Roger Gibbons went once before the high mountain season and was a little disappointed.

Guy

[JKT]

Thanks!

Camping is not something I do, but neither do I prefer luxury hotels. Albergues along Camino Frances have worked just fine.

I figured I'd be early for the really special ones, but I'll be delighted by many species you and Roger see all the time. July would have been nice, but that is reserved for Northern Finland this year. Too bad I will be too early there as well - I'd really like to get a picture of B. improba.

It should be interesting to translate your route tips into Garmin tracks. Last year I did that to most official Picos de Europa hiking routes.

I knew about the netting, but it is good to warn others as well.

[Roger Gibbons]

Hi Juha,

I was in the Val last year for a couple of days 19-20 July re-visiting some places I last went to ten years ago. I was hugely disappointed – at the Port de Bonaigua it was almost completely over-grazed and virtually nothing flew, very much in contrast to my previous visit there.

It was the same in the higher reaches above Baquiera, similarly at the higher reaches of Superbagnères. The Vallée du Lys was a little better, with the highlight being several iris on the ground at the far end of the car park. There may well be some good locations in the Val but they weren’t the places I went to.

I did find some very good spots in the Pyrénées, around the Col de Puymorens, Néouvielle, and Gavarnie and the Vall d’Ossoue.

Roger

[JKT]

It would seem I'm hopelessly late then. I can always try to find new places, though. If the outside places you listed are reachable with car during a day, I'll pay a visit.

Thanks!

[Roger Gibbons]

Juha,

My post was really to comment that the Val itself was rather poor due to the curse of current times, over-grazing - "surpaturage") - mid July should be the optimal time at the higher reaches. I don't think June would be a problem (obviously late June would be better than early June but it sounds like you don't have much choice) except at 2000m and above, but I would think that 1500m in mid-June should be reasonably good especially as it seems to be an early year.

It may be a little too far for a day trip but I found the N320, south of Col du Puymorens to be quite good - map attached. There are a number of stopping places and many tracks leading off the road. The best spot I found was at 1820m.

Roger

[JKT]

Yes, I understood. I meant that I should have been there years ago.

The time is actually after mid-June, so that should not be a problem.

I'll keep that place in mind - over 3h drive one way is indeed a bit much. I could do it, but SO would definitely complain.

[JKT]

OK - the trip is done.

The first day was a circle Aubert-Montcorbau-Vila-Aubert and it was unbelievable. Thanks for the tip Guy! The personal highlite was A. euphenoides, which had apparently just started. A. cardamines was more common, but worn. The Blues were dominated by C. minimus, but there were others as well. P. bellargus was in good condition, but G. alexis worn. Some trips had plenty of P. amandus and others P. semiargus, but I don't recall which trips had which. The Erebias on this trip seemed to be of one species in good condition. Plenty of E. tages and a couple of S. sertorius. M. diamina was common and there were also a few M. cinxia, but not other confirmed ones. A single pristine L. alciphron.

The second day was on the hills NW from Plan de Beret. The warnings about over-grazing were right on spot. The hillsides looked like Golf greens. There was a a steady flux of P. brassicae and C. croceus, but not much else. At the top of Cap des Closos the highlite was P. callidice with a couple of hilltopping P. machaon. The top is likely better later, though. Some Pyrgus (don't ask me what ) along the track above Rio Noguera.

The third day was from Vilamos to Sant Joan and back. Another victory for Guy. The best part was near Vilamos before the track went into the forest. Another pristine L. alciphron - a female this time. Again plenty of Melitae, Erebia, Blues and some Pyrgus, but the ID:s... I think P. amandus was the main Blue here. The Erebias seemed to be the same again. I tried to separate either P. mannii or P. ergane from the crowd, but no such luck. That doesn't mean there wasn't any, though.

The fourth day was up from Artiga de Lin. This one is worth it for the views alone. We didn't quite make it to the pass, though. There was a 4 m snow wall some 50 m before the saddle point and it was too steep to climb. The first thing flying on the parking place was P. mnemosyne. Those were on wing for the first half of the climb. Besides that some Blues and Erebias (apparently the same again) with the ever-present C. croceus and P. brassicae. The real highlite was this blue female. It may be P. icarus (or P. celina - I'd love to have a better suggestion for it, but no). Its a beauty anyway.

It was definitely too early for this walk. The upper parts would be great in a week or two.

The fifth day we walked the valley to SE from Bagueira (track on SW side). It was quite nice ... for a few km until the grazed areas started. Then it went dead. Actually the start was pretty good with a number of Erebia and Pyrgus species, E. eumedon (faded), P. escheri (fresh), P. dorylas (pristine - and the only one we saw) and a few more blues as well. I wish I was better with these species, but I have too little practice. Some additional IDs may follow. Once more the Erebias in good condition seemed to be the same species. However, this time there were definitely a couple of other species as well. One was E. eruyale and another was smaller and both were worn. I'll try to get the ID:s eventually... The dominant Blue here (beyond the ever present C. minimus) was P. semiargus. Some Pyrgus as well and the first Zygaenas on this trip. One could have been Z. ostrodensis.

The first five days the weather was perfect ... or even too hot as everything just kept on flying. The last day was half foggy/cloudy and the temperature was only 15 C or so. The walk was in the Lagos de Colomers area and this one was crowded. Not much was flying, but I'm pretty sure I saw one E. pandrose (lousy picture of pristine male) and a seriously worn C. phicomone - at least I think so. What is left of the outer margin of wings seems to suggest so. I have a feeling this area would have been very good, had the weather been better. The area was at slightly over 2000 m, and there was no snow left anywhere. Not a likely area for high altitude Erebias, though.


The bonus was on the drive back to Barcelona. We stopped twice on the C-1311 (from Puente de Montana to Tremps) and both were wild for me. I suspect the following:
Iphiclides feisthameli
Colias alfacariensis
Scolitantides panoptes
Polyommatus coridon/hispanus/albicans (worn)
Coenonympha dorus (somewhat worn)
Pyronia bathseba (worn)
Pyronia cecilia (good)
Zygaena occitanica
and a bunch of same species as in Val d'Aran

All in all it was a quite a good trip even though much of the area has been destroyed by over-grazing. Good location tips are essential there.

[Padfield]

I'm delighted you had a good time.

That female blue is very striking. To the best of my knowledge celina doesn't fly in the Pyrenees but its range is poorly understood and it's not impossible. The shade of blue on the ups suggests eros but nothing else does. Eros is common in the Val d'Aran and given that it flies at the very beginning of July in Switzerland the date is not impossible. Unfortunately, I just can't see it in this butterfly. I'd go for icarus, with an outside possibility of celina given the uncertainty in the known distribution of this species.

Worn coridon or albicans would be unusual at this date, though both do fly on the route between the Val and Barcelona. I would think hispanus would be more likely for the Lysandra you describe seeing.

Guy

[JKT]

The distribution issue was the reason I didn't list the P. celina as the first choice.

You are likely right about the P. hispanus. I don't have any experience with the group so better ID without further study was impossible.