Monthly Archives: December 2013

Jean and Simone announcing their book

Jean Hirschinger and his partner Simone Hondelatte have since 2010 searched and photographed the bordermarkers of the Basque country: no. 1 to 262. Jean is an experienced walker and used to be the vice-president of the “Fédération Européenne de Randonnée Pédestre

They will publish their pictures and information on itineraries, maps, details in a marvellous and inspiring lay-out. I was thrilled to see the brochure of their book and immediately ordered a copy. Well, look and judge for yourself:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click here to enlarge the brochure. Prices and how to order: it’s all in the brochure.

Gps-project in the western Pyrenees

I came across two Spanish newspaper-articles (this one and this one)  on a project in mid 2013 to establish with a gps the exact coordinates of the bordermarkers 1-272 and the borderline in between them. The same project should already have been undertaken at the Catalonian border with France (bm333-602).
As we know, the position of the borderline and bordermarkers and their representation on maps is not always clear and unambiguous. I have made my own list of Cartographic errors & omissions on this page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On this picture we can see how the measurement is undertaken with professional = highly accurate gps-devices. Ordinary gps-devices (like the one I use) loose their accurateness significantly in wooded and tilted places. That makes one possessive: where can I get these super-precise GPS-data? And very important: what did they do with the bordermarkers which have disappeared: bm236, 255 and 271bis?
By the way: my own coordinates of all bordermarkers are downloadable on this page.

Paint and support for bm545 and 546

Serge Poncet sent me some pictures in november 2013 of the maintenance work on bm545 and 546. The vandalized bm545 was neatly painted over in white. Bm546 – hanging dangerously at the steep roadside – got a sturdy fundament. Bravo for honoring these historic monuments. I’m curious who are the ‘actors’ and which are the rules in this proces of surveying and deciding and implementation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What we know is that each year a bordermarker-survey is done near Coustouges, involving the communicipalities at both side of the border. I found this picture in the newspaper “l’Independant” of 19 june 2013. Jean Iglesias is still ‘alive and kicking’ as the guide of the party.