Chronicle of the long walk from Noves de Segre to the Aravell Gulf

1. At 10.30 in the morning we began to walk setting off at the crossing of Cal Pallarès and following a cattle path that goes parallel to the river Segre and continues later on to the north following the Aravell river. Therefore, we did the entire long walk following a cattle path.

2. We must say that this cattle path is somewhat neglected at a few sections. We have planned to carry out a workshop this summer to recover it. On the other hand, we will say that when passing along the lands of Borda del Riu, the forage fields have invaded the paths, what seems to us as totally inadmissible, since they have destroyed a cattle path. We will speak to the city council of Ribera d’Urgellet and to the Local Council of Alt Urgell, so that they solve this situation.

3. Once past Borda del Riu, we crossed without difficulty the river of Castellbò and shortly after, with certain difficulty, the first section of the Aravell river. We remind you that the Aravell River is crossed 5 times. When trying to cross the second pass we couldn’t, since there was a strong current and the water reached over our knees. Although we went equipped with water boots it was not possible to cross the river without getting wet.

4. We decided to return and to follow the variant that the book “Camino de Andorra” (“Passage of Andorra”) indicates (pages 46 and 50 and map number 15), and that anticipates that in case of not being able to cross the river, one should take the path that goes up to the road that is about 150 metres above the river, reaching, with a supplement of 45 minutes, the same point as crossing the river, next to the gulf of Aravell.

5. We spent 4 hours walking from Cal Pallarès to the Gulf of Aravell. It was a nice day, but cold and with a strong wind from the North. During all the previous night it had been snowing and the area of Cal Roger and Collada de la Torre was still snow-covered.

6. To summarize we will say that it was a very pleasant Long walk, that allows us to follow a cattle path and from which we drew the following conclusions:

a) To carry out a workshop in the summer to recover the totality of the cattle path.

b) To present a document to the city council of Ribera d’Urgellet and to the local council of Alt Urgell so that they preserve the cattle path on its section that goes past Borda del Riu.

c) It is recommended to walk this route during the summer, when less water flows down the river and one can cross it without water boots or at the start of the winter with water boots. It is not recommendable to cross the river during spring as it’s when the river current is stronger. However, we will try and build 5 wooden bridges at the 5 crossings of Aravell river.

d) The alternative option that passes about 150 meters above the Aravell river, even though it is longer, about 45 minutes more, allows one to have a wider vision of all the Route of Andorra: Coll d’Ares, Baridà, Creueta del Coll, the Pla de San Tirs, the Castellbó river and Aravell river.

7. We enclose a part of the diary of the expedition of 1937:

“After a short while of better walk, we arrived at a country house (1), in which the guides enter and from which a payés comes out and leads us to a barn, in which we rest for about 45 minutes. As always, the breaks at these stables feel like glory and they are left sadly.

In this house many people have joined the expedition; quite a few, with contraband bales and guns. For quite a while the walk is similar to the previous one: later on we descend to a river, where the path is very bad; we travel scattered along the bottom of the valley, the walk is annoying, because it’s crossed by trunks of trees and the winding river (2), that has to be jumped. The usual stumbles. The creak of fallen leaves spread out on the floor can be heard. We travel scattered, so that we d ? = ART_ID ART_TITULO_ES ? ÿ ART_TITULO_CA ? ÿ ART_TITULO_EN ? ÿ ART_ENTRADILLA0_ES ? ?? ART_ENTRADILLA0_CA ? ?? ART_ENTRADILLA0_EN ? ?? ART_ENTRADILLA1_ES ? ?? ART_ENTRADILLA1_CA ? ?? ART_ENTRADILLA1_EN ? ?? ART_ENTRADILLA2_ES ? ?? ART_ENTRADILLA2_CA ? ?? ART_ENTRADILLA2_EN ? ?? ART_TEXTO_ES ? ?? ART_TEXTO_EN ? ?? ART_TEXTO_CA on’t leave any traces behind.

The walking along this valley takes a long time and the river is crossed many times (3). Now we don’t take off our canvas shoes: we enter the river with them on. Indeed we crossed the river seven times (4); and all of them without taking our shoes off, calmly. The impression is very unpleasant.

This walk takes two hours long. We leave the Seu de Urgell to the south, and we began going up the spurs of the Pyrenees. It is very cold. We are very tired. It is twelve o’clock at night. The number of people in the expedition has increased, up to 40 or 46; and some of them – many- with contraband.

The guides, as now there are several guides with us, see fire at the top of the mountain as we are ascending, and they are a short while whispering and deliberating on if they are signals or not.”

(1) It must be Borda del Riu. This house was of those of Baridà and because these were very friends with the guide Josep Cirera, he must have entered there to rest for a while. Once the war of 1936-1939 had finished, the parents and the family of Josep Cirera went down from Cal Roger to live in Borda del Riu.

(2) The first that has to be crossed, after Borda del Riu, is the Castellbò river.

(3) Aravell River.

(4) Castellbò River is crossed 1 time and the Aravell River, 5 times.