Serene Hike to the Lake Bouillouses Natural Site in PYRENEES-Orientales, France

It was the first day of our 2 day hike to the Pic Carlit (2921m). This bright sunny day started at the camping Pla de Barres and we planned to walk around 10 kms to the lake Pradeilles.

We were so excited to do this hike as it’s been a long time since we ascended the peak Puigmal last year.

All the first part of the trail was a very easy and relaxing walk along the banks of the river Tet. It is one of our favourite type of routes where you really get to enjoy the shadow of the forest and the water flowing nearby. It’s been really tempting to get in the water and to take the bath in the river as there were some deep places where the water could be quite warm.

The ground under our feet was very soft and bouncy to step at because of the amount of peat in it and it was such a nice feeling. Sometimes the trail was becoming very muddy and slippery but most of the time it was following the little forest paths.

We met lots of beautiful flowers and greenery on the way as well as cows and horse pastures. And this land is known to be one of the best pasture lands in the region. We guess it’s because of the abundance of water and thus lots of grass for the cattle. We tasted some wild strawberries and they were very sweet and delicious.

Then to our sight opened up the view of the mountain range in the distance and one of them was our goal -Pic Carlit.

The day was quite hot as it was the start of August and we were really glad to see the clouds coming out at one point. And we learnt throughout this year of hiking that the clouds are the blessing for a hiker and not necessarily mean the bad weather even though the footage can look less bright and cheerful.

Closer to an end we had to conquer a steep uphill and got out to the lake Pradeilles. There we found a very nice place to camp right at the lakeside and we were glad to see the signs of the camping allowed in this area. This way we felt more secure and not concerned about hiding our tent or anything. And we were lucky to get a very picturesque spot all to ourselves even though there were lots of people hiking around.

So we put up our tent, collected some water from the lake, cooked and ate our dinner and after watching the sun hiding behind the peaks we were out to sleep. And the next day was promising some new exciting adventures…

Here is the link to Google map to follow the hike: