The Griffon vultures soar over the town circling up from their nests on the cliffs on the far side of the valley; through a telescope from our balcony we can see one downy young at the front of a small cave with an adult in constant attendance. The local pair of ravens have a nest…
Tag: Griffon vulture
San Marco d’Alunzio
The small but perfectly formed town of San Marco d’Alunzio perches precariously on a high hill above the north coast of Sicily; at its peak is a remnant wall of the old Norman castle; below is a maze of medieval streets and steep alleyways that create a confusing lattice of routes up and down and…
Around Mijanès
Col de Pailhères at an elevation 2,001 m is an arduous but popular 20km cycle ride from Ax-les Thermes or a shorter but more strenuous one, with some remarkable hairpin bends, from Mijanès on the other side. At the summit, the support vans wait for the groups of exhausted riders with a table of refreshments….
Griffon Vultures in the Ariège
Vultures seem to appear out of the blue; they are entirely silent and move remarkably quickly across the deep valleys and along the high slopes. Each bird watches everyone else and when one arrives there are soon more in train. At Col de la Core, the gateway to Mont Valier a group of upto 15…
Gorges du Rébenty
The gorges du Rébenty near Joucou is a wild section of river that loses altitude with remarkable rapidity through the limestone. The gorge is surrounded by forests and meadows. The forest edges are rich in butterfly and lady orchids; the meadows are littered with burnt-tip orchids amongst an array of calcareous grassland flowers. Overhead there are…
Le Quié
Some mountain’s in the Pyrenees comprised of sheer, smoothed limestone are stunning; my local one is known as Le Quié de Lujat or Quié de Sinsat or more simply Le Quié. The best view is from the winding road up to the Plateau de Beille on the opposite side of the Ariège valley, especially when the sun comes out…