Tag Archives: Didier Roux

New update of grpdesbf.nl / my Pyrenees-project getting to an end

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I’m proud and  also a bit ashamed of my last update. It took me almost a year to update my website with the trips I did last year in august and september. My excuse: I am retired ergo busy. The update-page is a good starting point for checking this update.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Within two weeks I will be back in the Pyrenees. The main target is to assist Carlos and Conchta – my cheerful friends from Barcelona – with their last 10 bordermarkers. They are not the only ones finishing this year. Sebastien Marc has only 6 markers left and there is also Didier Roux who might complete his quest in october with his last 3 bordermarkers. See also this blog-post.

I have done all bordermarkers at least twice and half of them more than 2x. A sense of ‘enough is enough’ is seeping more and more in my mind. I long for other adventures like long-distance paths in Britain and bicycle backpacking trips to the horizon. There are still some targets for spring next year (sea my to-do-list) but overall there is the desire of moving on.

But will the Pyrenees let me part that easily? After all, we loved each other for many years, the Pyrenees meant so much for me. We will see, time will tell.

The current ‘competitors’ on the ESFR-border

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Well, it’s of course no competition but the drive to find all esfr-bordermarkers is something most of us share.

A list of those who did them all, can be found on this webpage.
Some have their own list of bordermarkers but the one I use is explained on this page and a excel-checklist to use is on this page

But who are still in the race at this moment? Let’s list them.

Didier Roux
I wrote about his quest in this post and he expected to complete in 2024. However he failed to reach bm424-425 and still couldn’t find bm85bis. He will try again in october 2025.

 

 

Carlos and Conchita Roca
My friends from Barcelona work steadily on their progress. They hope to finish in 2025 and have still 14 markers to do. These are not the easy ones and that is what I see a lot: the most difficult markers are left for the final stage.

 

 

 

Sébastien Marc (see this post)
This very sporty young man has also 14 bordermarkers  tp do (mostly in the central Pyrenees) and he expects to finish in 2025.

 

 

 

 

 

 


Pierre Gallart
His accidental meeting with Carlos and Conchita Roca in 2024 brought this extraordinary man to my attention. At the same time Jerôme Loubière informed me about him.
He is extraordinary because he is the first person – as far as I know – who tried to do all bordermarkers in one go! He undertook that project in 2022 in 74 days and describes it on his website
And there is this short article and you can listen to an interview (in Spanish).

He did photograph ± 95% of the bordermarkers which leaves 40 markers still to do. Missing those 40 markers had various reasons, including an attack from a wild boar (!). He intends to write a book about his adventure and publish it in 2025. Meanwhile he is working on doing the missed bordermarkers (I guess).

Jerome Loubière (see this post)
This is the cousin of Sébastien Marc and he reported me that he did 68€% of all markers which would mean 228 markers still to do, a lot of them in the Basque country. But he already sailed to bm602.

 

 

I wish them all good luck in 2025 and remember: it’s not a competition, it’s all about the joy of exploring the Pyrenees and the concern for bordermarkers as cultural-historical monuments.

Didier Roux almost completed all bordermarkers

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I came across this newspaper article (or see this pdf)

about Didier Roux (age 56 years, Bagnères-de-Luchon) and his wanderings around Coustouges to find the bordermarkers as part of his project to visit all esfr-bordermarkers. Indeed not an easy task over there.

We got into contact and he wrote me how it all began in 2018. After purchasing all IGN-maps, he started with only maps and compass to guide him. He thinks that using a gps diminishes the charm of searching the markers, he is not the only one of that opinion. Nevertheless, he used the websites of Robert Darrieumerlou and Alain Gillodes to help him.

There have been difficult bordermarkers to find, especially around Coustouges but also near Col de Banyuls. Walking alone can be risky as he experienced in 2023 when – trying to get to bm330bis – jumped on a large rock which started to tumble and he ended up caught between the rocks. He badly wounded his head and wrist. He managed to retreat to a cabane where first aid was provided by a doctor on a walking trip. His full walking equipment can be seen on this picture:

He hopes to finish in 2024, there are 22 bordermarkers still to do, mainly in the high mountains. These are the ones still missing:

Pyrénées Atlantiques: 85bis
Hautes Pyrénées: 326.327.328.329.330.330 bis
Haute Garonne: 408,408 I,40 8II,40 8III and 408 IV
Ariège: 424 and 425
Pyrénées Orientales: 432, 433, 434, 435, 436, 437, 437 I and 438

And Didier has his also his own logo he likes to show.

We wish him all the best with his last bordermarkers and hope that there will be some way of publication of his pictures.
Once completed all bordermarkers, he will be added to the honorary list of those who did them all.