Anne, Andy, Anthony, Karl, Annabel and Robert are this week our guests for a new edition of our Riglos and Alquezar holiday. It is the second year we run this holiday and, after a first group in April, this week our new guests are enjoying the atmosphere of several small and untouched villages of the Pre-Pirenees as well as beautiful hikes under a rather warm and sun shining weather.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to be with the group for their 3rd hikes in the area of “la Foz de Salinas”, where Phil guided us on some very pleasant and quiet paths.

As well as as the remarkable typical flora and fauna of the area, this 600m ascent walk offered us many outstanding elements, among them the beautiful vertical walls of the Foz de Salinas, a specially peaceful spot with a beautiful waterfall and a very well preserved medieval bridge, the abandon village of Salinas and the ruins of its church, a pass called “la osqueta” that has an uncommon W shape.

Our guests and I with the Foz de Salinas on the background

The weather was perfect and the sky very clear so that we were also able to enjoy some beautiful views to the still snowy peaks of the Pyrenees. The most panoramic views offered us the possibility to see from the first high mountain in Navarra  on the West, the highest peaks of the Aragones Pyrenees on the Centre and the beginning of the Catalan Pyrenees on the East.

The word “foz” in Spanish refer to a huge cut in some vertical limestone rocks as the result of the erosion process leaded by a stream or river along thousands of years.

Vertical walls of the Foz de Salinas

La Foz de Salinas is a perfect example of this geological process and our hike gave us the possibility to discover it from many different angles as the path leaded us first from the village of Villalangua up to the foz, then cross it and carry on further up south to the abandon village of Salinas and to la Osqueta pass.

Following a natural path on the rock after crossing la Osqueta pass.

We didn’t cross any other hikers during the whole day, so the only company we had was the one of the many type of birds we could hear and see, especially the imposing vultures that are the guardians of these lands. We could see also many pine processionary caterpillars that represent unfortunately a very destructive species for the pine trees in the Pyrenees.

After a rest day including an interesting visit of the Sommos winery today,  the group will finish the week with 2 more hikes in Guara Natural Park, where they will discover its beautiful limestone canyons. I am pretty sure that while I am writing this blog, Phil is taking the best care of our guests!