Category Archives: News 2012

New update of www.grpdesbf.nl

It took a lot of work but now it’s ready: see for the update-details and direct links: this webpage

They comprise:
– my trips undertaken in august/september 2012
– one highlight: discovering the exact location of the buried bm196 and trying to excavate it
– another highlight: visiting the recently re-installed bm087
– third highlight: exploring a route from bm271 to 272
– Miguel supplied pictures of the original bm481fr and 482fr
– and an amazing discovery by Jean-Paul Laborie of the original bm330 on the original Port de Clarabide!
– and another discovery: there is a bm310bis bordercross, not yet documented by anyone
– I started a news-blog and set up an email-group

 

The discovery of bm310bis, unknown before

August 2012. This bordercross on Col de Peyrelue was unknown to the ‘bordermarkers-scene’. The official treaties do not mention this bm. But this bm was accidentally mentioned in 2 newspaper articles. A local historian – Jean-Pierre Dugène – is an expert on the crosses (other than official bordercrosses), used by shepherds as bordermarkers around Col de Pourtalet. He confirmed the existence of bm310bis and kindly sent this picture.

Amazing: the original bm330 rediscovered

September 14, 2012. Jean-Paul Laborie climbed to Port d’Aygues Tortes in freezing weather. He had a mission: finding the original bm330. We know that this bordercross was engraved in the 19th century at Port de Clarabide and nowadays  there is still a cross 330 at this col. But that cross was engraved in 2003, the previous one was unfindable.
Jean-Paul Laborie is a member of the Pyrenean bordercommittee. Apparently bm330 puzzled him and at some point he got a brilliant idea. Could it be that the toponomy of the borderpasses as shown on the maps have changed in the course of years? And that the original Port de Clarabide was somewhere else? He compared old and contemporary maps. And his hypothesis was confirmed! The contemporary Port d’Aygues Tortes used to be Port de Clarabide. And that’s where Jean-Paul found the original bm330.

Excavating bm196: who will finish the job?

August 25, 2012. Bm196 has been buried since ±40 years. In august 2012 I tried to excavate it. First I gave it a try at the left post of the former gate to the former meadow. One source stated that bm196 stood at the left post.
While I’m digging, a farmer passes by in his car and stops. He knows – the meadow was their property – that the bm stood at the right post of the gate and he points me that spot, say 2-2,5 meters to the right and ± 1 meter from the tarmac

Old air-picture from the SITNA-site

So I start digging at this second location. Fifteen minutes later his father passes and confirms his son’s story and points out the very same spot as he did. The buried bordermarker is a large square one and he shows the width with his hands: 50-75 cm square. And that is accordance with Jean Sermet’s account.
But digging here is tough because of stones and the dense, pressed soil. It became more difficult as I got deeper which is stil not quite deep. I gave up after 2 hours, Better tools – e.g. a pickaxe – are needed. Who – strong and daring – will finish my job?

Why this blog?

My website www.grpdesbf.nl is too ‘slow’ to catch up with the latest news on the bordermarkers of the Pyrenees. A blog makes quick communication of news much easier.

For example about articles found in the press or a new discovery of a bordermarker or any other novelty concerning the Pyrenean bordermarkers. The www.grpdesbf.nl – website will remain the overall container of information. The news on this blog will eventually be incorporated in the website.