Bm092 has been in a horizontal position since years, close to a bordercross. See this webpage. But on april 24th 2013 bm-explorer Javier Martínez Ruiz (see this page) discovered that it was reinstalled. And he kindly sent this picture.
Javier Martínez Ruiz is an expert on the Basque bordermarkers, his knowledge brought together in his encyclopedic article “Los mojones internacionales desde Biriatou hasta Arneguy” (see my literature-list). Recently he re-visited bm141 to 148, primarily to visit bm145 because of the amazing discovery of Jacques Koleck (see previous post).
But he also remembered that there’s a number 146, engraved in a rock close to bm146.
And he sent me two pictures from which I made this compilation. This rock is ± 15 meters west of bm416 and it seems if only the number is engraved, no cross.
Jacques Koleck (see this previous post) makes me jealous: he lives close to the Pyrenees, is retired but still physically fit and has plenty of time to search for esfr-bordermarkers. His latest discovery: the original bm145!
We know bm145 as an atypical borderstone with its number vertically engraved.
Thanks to Robert Darrieumerlou, I learned that there’s a cross engraved in the rock at its foot. See this webpage on my website. Apparently – I thought – an older delimitation-cross from a pre-numbering-era. But: ‘the Treaty’ stated that bm145 was a bordercross.
Jacques got the brillant idea to undig that rock and discovered an engraved number on it:
So this rock is the original bm145!!! For Jacques, this discovery was understandably “un très grand plaisir “.
We know that there are several crosses engraved close to bm002 and bm007. See this webpage on my website. They are older than the current bordermarkers and marked the border when there were not yet numbered markers. Close to bm002 there are two crosses engraved in the rocks but Robert Darrieumerlou recently found a third one on the rock 2 meters behind bm002.
He shows that third one on my compilation of the pictures of the Darrieu’s. But you can see this third cross far better on his own picture on this webpage. It seems so visible that one wonders how other searchers could miss it (but I didn’t find any of them).
And Robert found another unnumbered cross, between bm001 and 002 and the altitude of 245 meters: see this page
We only recently know that there is a bordercross 310bis although it wasn’t mentioned in the original “Traité” (=delimitation-treaty). See this previous post.
We don’t know when of why it was engraved. But it exists.
And this picture is another proof. Robert Darrieumerlou (thank you, Robert) found this picture on this website.
More and more I encounter names of Basques, keen on finding and photographing their share of the bordermarkers of the Pyrenees. And that’s the range from bm001 to bm272 and that amounts to 40% of all esfr-bordermarkers!
Carlos Sanz and Iñaki Vigor have even described a 206km-trail along those range in their “Travesía de los Mugarris”. And Javier Martínez Ruiz from Irún has visited the 1-235 range for many years and wrote a large article on them (see for both publications my literature-page). And there are several photo-sites, focussing on the Basque bordermarkers: see my links-page.
But other searchers have hardly left their trace on the internet, often you can’t even find an email adress to ask a question. Apparently they have stored their pictures and information in paper albums, understandable in the pre-internet era but now perhaps gathering dust forever. Sharing is fun & enrichment and so easy on the internet.
I’d love to get into contact with for example: Carlos Bardeci from Bilbao and Jesús Murueta, also from Bilbao but currently living in Toronto and known as “El canadiense”. Both names mentioned by Sanz & Vigor as being sources for their book, having found nearly all the Basque bordermarkers.
Jacques Koleck (see previous post) surprised me by his pictures of bordercross 251, taken in 2008. We know that in the 19th century a cross 251 was engraved but – being replaced by the current borderstone 251 – I assumed that this cross was lost. Charles and Josette Darrieu searched for it but couldn’t find it. See this page on my website.
But Jacques shows that it still existed in 2008 and Charles Darrieu sent a picture of Javier Sancho, dating from june 2012. And I will gladly return to make my own pictures. But where is this cross located? Comparing the various pictures with Google Earth and my own footage results in a most likely spot. But first the pictures of Jacques:
We’re looking to the west to the Port de Belhay where bm250 is located. Note the small darkgreen hilltop to the right which is visible at Google Earth. That makes it easy to determine a straight line (approx. west-east) from Port de Belhay to this cross somewhere in the rockslide.
And on this second picture, we are necessarily looking south-east because of the other angle we see the cross but the picture gives no other clue. But the picture Charles sent me, made it possible to draw another line.
And where those two lines intersect ……
But first an overview from Google Earth (note: compass direction reversed -> South is up). Remarkable: the yellow borderline (according to GE) is south of the actual bm251. A question for later: where is the official border?
As said before, the crossing of the two straight lines should be the spot of cross 251. According to Google Earth it’s ± 50m to the SE (which is “NW” on this picture) of bm251. Jacques Koleck remembered that the cross was close to the old trail (not the red/white waymarked trail higher up) and on a “considerable” distance from bm251.
And finally an overview, as seen from Port de Belhay. Having watched this overview, Jacques Koleck added this information: “I think the cross is in the lower part of the circle, above the “old trail” and 20 meters of a large rock well visible on my photo with the Port de Belhay in the background. The cross “looks” east and is probably on a straight line between the stone marker 251 and the cross 252.” The 252-cross is just behind the lower end of the ridge, directly behind the circle.
I was happy and surprised to receive an email of Jacques Koleck, followed by many pictures and detailed information. That provides plenty of fuel for new posts on this blog.
Jacques – living in Pau – started with photographing bordermarkes in 2007. Having begun with bm001, he has now reached the eastern Pyrenees. Having expressed my hope that I can still roam the Pyrenees at his age, he told me that there is also a couple from Biarritz, both 79 years old, still walking along the bordermarkers!
Read about Jacques and his passion in this article.
(Bibliographic data:
Chasseur de bornes en Pyrénées / André-Jaques Dereix
Journal Sud Ouest – Le Mag – 15 september 2012, pag 36-37)
I’m proud to announce that the first series of GRPdesBF-stages is ready: you can walk from Hendaye to Arnéguy (bm001-196) in 8 days.
Check the update-log
Found on the internet: a newspaper article on the yearly survey in 2012 of the bordermarkers near Coustouges in the eastern Pyrenees. I have fond memories of the rough and mediterranean landscape south of Coustouges. Dense forests, steep hills and deep canyons. Two of the most difficult bordermarkers to find are located in this area: bm536 and bm542.
I was grafeful to meet the friendly and hospitable Jean Iglesias of Coustouges, a local expert on the bordermarkers. Without his help, I wouldn’t have found those bordermarkers.
And he’s still ‘live & kicking’ as the bordermarker-guide for these surveys. I immediately recognized him in the party of surveyors.
