Customer Reviews

Walks and Climbs in the Pyrenees (A Cicerone Guide)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Author Kev Reynolds is an experienced walker and climber in the French and Spanish Pyrenees. The book describes some of the most interesting parts of the Pyrenees, and includes some 20 pages of color and black/white photographs.

For everyone, new or already acustomed to the range, planning to make a day-trip walk or true hike in the Pyrenees this book can be of nice help for finding good ideas what areas to visit and what routes to take. Based on this book the detailed maps can be bought, and the details of the route further discovered.

For every massif there is a 2 page introduction, followed by route descriptions (usually at around 1 page length, sometimes including a photograph). Usually the routes are for experienced walkers no problem, however overweighted first time walkers can forget to follow the routes.

From extensive experience with the range, it must be said that Mr. Reynolds pretty well describes the tracks, without to big mistakes. Shure, you still need a French IGN map, or a less good) Spanish Editorial Alpina map, but this book gives a good impression in what to expect.

The book further includes a short description of the HRP (Haute Route Pyreneenne), a map desciption and a bibliography. Author Kev Reynolds has also written Classic Walks in the Pyrenees (larger sized, with more photograps, describing 24-classic walks) and The Pyrenees.

This book is beautiful. Even if I weren't interested in the subject matter, I would like the book just for the way it feels in my hands.

As other tour guides this book (2008 version) has sketch maps, but the routes are not drawn on the map! This makes it difficult or impossible to understand the descriptions. It is not clear where the trip starts or where it ends. I bought this book before a holiday to the Pyrenees and expected that it had the same standards as other books from this publisher. In the end I determined that the book was useless and left it at home. Luckily I managed to get a guide from another publisher (with routes on the maps).

I found the detail of each hike was excellent but I would have been happier if there had been a drawing of the route -- however rough. The maps show the ridges, the location of the refuges and the hike number showing roughly where its general location, but doesn't draw the actual route of the hike on the map. I didn't need to see where the ridges were; I'd rather the hike paths were shown. But, it is an excellent guide and everyone should have one if going to the Pyrenees.

Kev's work seems pretty thorough. I will field test the guide this july.