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| MY RIDE FROM GATWICK |
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| YUP, I'VE GOT THE RIGHT PLACE |
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| TOULOUSE MATABIAU STATION |
It's the 11th of September, 2024, and I'm here in Toulouse again after flying over from Gatwick late yesterday
and, after a short shuttle journey from the airport, staying in the very basic
Ibis Budget Hotel. They did do a very reasonable continental breakfast though.
I'm back for another trek in the High Pyrenees. When I did my traverse from the
Atlantic to the Mediterranean in 2014 and 2018, there were various paths I
could have taken and, unless I did a lot of backtracking, I couldn't take them
all. The point of this trip is to revisit the most interesting and challenging
region of the Pyrenees and walk some of those alternative paths.
So, I am sitting outside Toulouse Matabiau railway station waiting for my
11.30am train to Lourdes, where I will stay the night before continuing onward
to the mountains. I used a big hold-all to carry my backpack, tent and all my
trekking equipment on the flight, so after extracting all that I need for the
trek, I have left the hold-all, along with some clean clothes, with the Hotel
d'Orsay where I will stay on my way back home. Thus, all I need for the next
two weeks is now carried on my back.
Let's hope the weather is kind to me and I have a great adventure.
