El Grand Tour

El Grand Tour is an annual walk in the Pyrenees and its foothills which I joined this August 2023. It was organised by Clara Garí (Nau Côclea), Beatriz Aisa (geographer), and colleagues.

Every day we do a stage of about 15 km with artists who have projects and proposals to share with the walkers.
On the way or at the destinations we will meet artists and other people from the territory every day, who often also accompany us. We look, feel, read, listen and participate in the proposals: poetry, dance, installations, performance, music. We also explore the territory through the hands of the people who live there.

Clara Garí

The route

The trek began on August 12 at Pont de Suert and ended, 20 days later, at Cellers Bridge on 31st on the full moon. Each year the walk begins where it ended, more or less, and continues through this magnificent mountainous area. We started not far from Andorra and France on the border with the Aragon region of Spain, circled west and south, through Graus and Benabarre, before returning to the River Ribagorza and crossing, in an eastwards direction back into Catalunya via the magnificent Montfalcó.

• Pont de Suert (camping Balliera)
• Laspaúles
• La Muria (to La Turbon (peak))
• Padarnieú
• La Puebla de Roda
• Molino near Centenera
• Graus
• Aguinaliu
• Benabarre
• Tolva
• Montfalco (Mont Rebei)
• Sant Esteve de la Sarga
• Cellers

Terrain

The first days were tough, with steep climbs and descents on paths which often consisted of a tumble of stones and rocks, so my fitness levels, particularly for climbing, had to improve rapidly, and frequent rest stops were vital. We climbed La Turbón (a massive rocky limestone outcrop standing on granite, horse-shoe shaped, which runs north-south for 6.3 kilometres and is just under 2500m high) in Huesca province on one memorable and very long day!

We also trekked through forests, up bare tracks, along a few roads, admired the best of views and visited fascinating places.

Who walked?

There was a core group of nine walkers who completed the tour, of which I was one, and around thirty others who joined us for two or more days. Dduring the period we were entertained by La Borda del Títere – Trapusteros (puppet) Theater in Aguinaliu, Javier Selva at his rennovated molino (water mill), and Eloy in Sant Esteve de la Sarga. Two artists travelled with us: Beatriz (see above) and Clara Nubiola who both gave workshops. There were also performances by Christina, Zoe, Anna, Quim and children, and others.

Sleeping and Eating

We usually stayed one night at each stop, but sometimes more, camping in fields and municipal sites, kindly housed by performers and those who had walked in previous years, as well as in an air BnB. Thankfully, our camping and other gear plus the Book Library were transported for us, and breakfast and delicious evening meals were prepared by Jordi Rallo, supplemented by others and the occasional cafe/restaurant.

Sing for water, dance for rain

The weather was hot for most of the time, with occasional rain and hail. Temperatures cooled in the final week, but we always carried a lot of water and sometimes needed to find extra supplies along the way. Despite the on-going drought which was evident all around us (there has been almost no snow on the mountains this year) and low or non-existent river levels due to climate changes, we were always lucky with various water sources appearing just as we were getting desperate. We bathed and swam in them, soaked our head cloths and clothes to keep cool, and of course drank it gratefully. Once we even came across a lawn of sprinklers at the top of a hill at midday and danced in their spray until we were soaked through. Bliss!

Separation and Unity

My on-going multi-media project, Separation and Unity, was symbolised by small tartan ribbons which I made for my fellow walkers, and I was happy to be able to offer some Shiatsu (one-to-one), chi gung and meditation (small groups), a silent walk (for the participants who was there that day), and a Scottish reel (all together) as a dance of celebration on the last night. My thanks go to Anna and Quim for their help with the sound.

Above images: Left – Both Catalunya and Scotland have vigorous independence movements and my ribbons aimed to signify both unity with the loop, and separation, with the two ends. I used tartan which is a traditional Scottish material in the colours of the Catalan flag. Independence supporters in Catalunya use a twisted ribbon to raise awareness of their cause. I added one of these to a shrine at the Ermita de Santa Quiteria y Sant Bonifacio, Montfalco. Right – The Scottish and Catalan flags hanging side-by-side in Girona.

Separation and Unity is an on-going, walking art project. It began as a link between Scotland’s political bid for independence from England, and Catalunya’s from Spain, looking at the two struggles and identifying similarities and differences in the impetus and on-going situation. It asks what it is in us that wants to be recognised as part of a smaller nation rather than be part of a larger entity. More generally, it looks at our individual need to belong and, at the same time, for individuality.

Usually I walk alone through the landscape – separated from others and from my home life, and at the same time seeking some sort of unification with the people, villages and countryside I’m travelling through by using touch and mindful attention. Then, more lately, I walked the Pilgrimage for COP26 as one of a group, have led community walks, and am doing El Grand Tour.

El Grand Tour was, for me, a part of the Separation and Unity project. As a group we were visitors in the places we walked to, separate from them and united with each other, identified as a company. When we stayed somewhere, we became temporarily unified with our hosts as performers and residents. Within the ever-changing collection of people who walked El Grand Tour, we were individuals and at times formed small groups within the larger one. We brought our own interests to the Tour, and we also had a group identity. All of these roles and identities impacted differently on us and the way we behaved together.

I knew in advance that the predominant language spoken on the walk would be Catalan, and meant to learn it better before I went. I understood some, but it wasn’t enough to engage in deeper conversations as I had hoped. This meant that I often walked on my own, and although this is something I am used to, I focused on really feeling what it’s like to be separate from a group, to be a foreigner and not to understand, not to know what was making them laugh.

Sometimes it was a relief: I had space and time to immerse myself in the landscape without being rude and ignoring conversation, a valuable opportunity for reflection; at other times, I felt inevitably left out and lonely. My fellow trekkers were all friendly and generous, and many spoke English very well and were happy to translate for me. I am really grateful to Igor, Bea, Cristina, Oriol, Pau, Nuria and others for that – thank you.

Links

Igor’s website, musician and composer

Magazine article about Javier Selva’s molino / water mill. In Spanish.

Christina Shultz Visual Artist and Performer

Zoe Belasch Movement Artist and Teacher

Pau Cata Writer, Collaborateur, Conversationalist