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A Walk on the Wild Side

By Beth Ede

I recently spent a week in north-east Spain writing the walking notes for the Mountains of the Three Kings walk. While I loved the walk for many different reasons – the feeling of being in 'undiscovered' Spain, the rich culture and history, the varied and thoroughly enjoyable walking, and the friendliness of all the hoteliers and taxi drivers – the thing that will always spring to mind first when I think about the holiday was my close encounter with a griffon vulture. There were eight of them circling above as we tucked hungrily into our tortilla sandwiches; by the time we set off again after our picnic the number had risen to fourteen. Pretty impressive, we thought, but the best was yet to come. We climbed for ten minutes, the scent of wild herbs underfoot, and were just pausing for breath at the top of the ridge when my partner tapped me on the shoulder. Turning round, I was greeted by the sight of one of the griffon vultures gliding just beneath the ridge, barely fifteen metres away from us. Seeing it this close up (and from above), we could appreciate just how broad its wingspan was and clearly see the colouring of its upper body and wing feathers. Amazing!

Talk at length to any member of Inntravel staff about their experiences on our walking holidays and they will regale you with tales of other thrilling encounters with nature: an Egyptian vulture gliding lazily above the Pont du Gard, kingfishers fishing in millponds along the River Ouysse (a tributary of the Dordogne), and even a glimpse of a wolf bounding away up the mountainside in Umbria. Such experiences can really make your holiday special, and given that our walks take you off the beaten track, go on any of our holidays and you will be rewarded with sightings of various birds, animals and flowers. Nevertheless, some walks are better than others if you want the chance to see rare flora and fauna or spot species that you would never see in Britain.

For Naomi Skehan, the real highlight of her walk in the Corbières was the sighting of not one, but three golden eagles as she walked along the ridge above St Paul. There are in fact quite a few golden eagles in the area – the rocky terrain is ideal for nesting and the presence of so few humans provides added security.

In the Pyrenees themselves, you can spot other similarly majestic birds of prey. If you are lucky, a bearded vulture or a royal eagle may grace you with their presence as you walk in the Cerdagne. Other species that can be seen in the skies above the Cerdagne include the peregrine falcon, the harrier and the rare hibou grand duc owl. On the ground, of the area's fifty mammals, walkers are most likely to see isards and Pyrenean chamois, and there are also some imported Corsican mouflon and Sika deer. If you are very lucky (and quiet!), you may also spot a wild cat or pine marten – both are relatively abundant in the forests. The most remote parts of the park shelter a small population of lynxes and bears. If you are travelling in late June or early July, the walk to Nuria through the Eyne Valley will be a real highlight – in early summer flowers carpet the meadows, among them four protected species.

Choose the Catalan Pyrenees walk on the other side of the range and you could spot a whole host of birds and mammals during your holiday. Look out for the lammergeier, with its diamond-shaped tail, as well as the griffon vulture and golden, short-toed and booted eagles. Wheeling above the ground in acrobatic manoeuvres are red-billed choughs, while closer to the ground are the shy, solitary rock thrushes with their bluish plumage, and water pipits. Among the animal life you could spot are otters and beavers. Fire salamanders, with their distinctive yellow and black markings, emerge onto paths after rain; the upper Freser Valley is a particularly good place to see these colourful amphibians.

This part of the Pyrenees is also notable for its rich fauna. A characteristic shrub of the sub-alpine zone is the Alpenrose, which has clusters of bright red flowers against dark, glossy leaves. In damp places, look out for the beautiful tall, pink Martagon lily with its maroon spots. Higher up, on the scree and rocky pastures, grow clumps of pink-flowered moss campion, and the tiny, white-flowered Arenaria tetraquetra, a member of the pink family. In the meadows are several species of gentian, including Gentiana alpina, a sub-species of Trumpet Gentian; the Pyrenean Gentian, which grows in clumps in damp areas; and the especially bright, deep-blue Spring Gentian. Other gentians, snapdragons, wintergreens, and bellflowers of various species can be found, along with Pasque flowers, bog asphodel, Pyrenean and mountain avens, alpine toadflax, and wolfsbane. Orchids include the burnt and spotted orchids, fragrant, pyramidal and greater butterfly orchids. Naturally, such a diversity of flowers attracts a large number of butterflies: large and small tortoiseshells, red admirals, purple emperor, scarce coppers, painted ladies, swallowtails, the Camberwell beauty, and several different blues and fritillaries.

As you walk in Andalucia, you are likely to spot a variety of birds. In Andalucia's mountains, griffon vultures are a common sight in the skies – the Grazalema Natural Park shelters one of Europe's largest colonies as well as significant numbers of Bonelli's eagles, golden eagles, booted eagles, short-toed eagles and several other raptors. Also of interest in the park is the rich flora (including numerous endemic plant species) and the stands of pinsapo (Spanish fir), a relic of the forests that covered the earth during the Tertiary age. As you walk nearer to the Andalucian coast, a whole range of (often quite colourful birds) can be spotted, particularly during the major migrations of spring (mid-February to June) and autumn (late July to early November), as the Strait of Gibraltar is key point of passage for birds migrating between Europe and Africa. One of the most impressive sights is witnessing flocks of up to 3,000 storks crossing the Strait. In the Cabo de Gata Natural Park in the eastern Andalucian province of Almería, keep your eyes peeled for crested hoopoes, larks, black wheatears, gannets, puffins and razorbills. At the Las Salinas salt flats near the Cabo de Gata headland itself, flocks of flamingos can number up to 2,000 during migration, and waders such as plovers, black-winged stilts and avocets are usually seen in large numbers. You may see storks and egrets fishing in the shallower waters.

Another area that sees a wide variety of migrating birds is the Aiguamolls bird reserve in Catalonia, parts of which you walk through on the Around the Gulf of Roses walk. In fact two-thirds of the species that have been sighted in the park are visitors. Although we have never tried it ourselves, as the birds migrate in spring and autumn, you can apparently spot over a hundred species in a day! Among the most obvious are grey herons, flocks of lapwings and golden plovers, and occasional flamingos, cranes, black storks and spoonbills. Even if you do not travel during migration periods, spend just a little time in one of the park's numerous hides and you could spot ibis, herons, tufted ducks, pochard, snipe, redshank and sandpipers. If a raft of ducks suddenly takes fright for no apparent reason, look out for a marsh harrier flapping lazily over the reed beds.

Further north, in Green Spain, the Picos de Europa National Park is a haven for a wide variety of wildlife. A few bears and wolves inhabit the most remote parts of the park and sightings are extremely rare. Visitors are more likely to spot some of the park's birdlife: raptors such as golden eagles, griffon vultures, Egyptian vultures and peregrine falcons. We found the second day's walk between Arenas and Besnes particularly rewarding in terms of the number of sightings we made as we walked along mule tracks through the high mountain pastures.

Finally, the Swiss and Austrian Alps are a great choice if you are particularly interested in flowers. If you travel in late June or early July, you cannot fail to be impressed by the wonderful displays of flowers which light up the meadows. The high pastures are ablaze with the blue and purple of gentians, the purple heads of Pasque flowers, the gentle yellow of cowslips (larger than the one that grows in Britain) and the brighter yellow, fragrant flowers of arnica. In the shady woodlands you will find lily of the valley, the tall, dramatic pink flowers of the Martagon lily, and the occasional solitary stem of the maroon and yellow lady's slipper orchid.

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