Trip: 2022

Pico de Aneto

Pyrenees
2022-09-08
hike
3404m
P2881m
i507.49km

Top of the Pyrenees and Spain’s third-highest mountain, and also the birthplace of what were once the largest glaciers in the Pyrenees. Today, the glacier looked like a big patch of old snow in the summer. I was concerned about how we would avoid crevasses when we were planning the peak, but after watching a…

Pico Almanzor

Castile Ranges
2022-09-07
hike
2591m
P1686m
i326.89km

After successfully climbing five ultrapeaks in Morocco, we arrive in Madrid, get in the car, and a couple of hours later, we stay in the village of Hoyos del Espino, which is reasonably close to the trail. Pico Almanzor is the first of three planned peaks in mainland Spain. Good, we have a plan; we…

Atlas Mountains 2022

2022-09-05
trip

The main objective of this trip is to climb five Moroccan ultrapeaks. This trip worked well in combination with a Iberian Peninsula trip. The easiest and most reasonable flights were from Madrid. We took one of them and arrived at Marrakech airport in the afternoon. After a few hours of driving that evening, we slept…

Morocco

2022-09-05
region

We did a lot of travelling between the mountains by car. We started our journey in Marrakesh, then drove towards the Atlas Mountains towards the Atlantic Ocean, then along the entire length of the High Atlas Mountains towards Algeria, and then north towards the Mediterranean Sea. Finally, we finished our journey in Casablanca. As a…

Jebel Tidirhine

Northwestern Atlas
2022-09-04
hike
2456m
P1901m
i130.82km

The last of five planned Moroccan ultrapeaks is located right next to the Mediterranean Sea. So it feels like a resort: warm, dry, with lots of pine and cedar trees. It is likely that this climate is also very suitable for hashish, with practically all the fields planted with lush vegetation. The fields are irrigated…

Adrar Bou Nasser

Northwestern Atlas
2022-09-03
hike
3340m
P1642m
i147.59km

Three planned Moroccan ultrapeaks have been climbed, leaving two to go. So, we’re doing a big Northeasterly loop along the Atlas Mountains, and Adrar Bou Nasser is the most suitable mountain for the next climb. We get up early, drive to the trailhead, and leave the car at the end of the unpaved road. The…

Irhil M’Goun

High Atlas
2022-09-02
hike
4071m
P1904m
i148.49km

We start in Said’s home valley, in the village of Arousse. Said, his brother, and a helper with two mules, John and myself, all walk up a rough road next to a river. The road is rising gradually and passing through a few farms. The valley turns into a canyon, and at some point we…

Aghouri

High Atlas
2022-09-01
hike
3565m
P624m
i4.40km

Our main objective today is the Irhil M’Goun ultra summit. But this is a long hike, and we will be staying overnight in the refuge de Tarkeddite. Before arriving at the refuge, Said and I will take a 2-hour detour to climb bonus p600 peak Aghouri.  In front of the village, there is a large…

Jebel Toubkal

High Atlas
2022-08-30
hike
4167m
P3755m
i2078.23km

The world’s 36th most prominent mountain is Morocco’s highest mountain, the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains, and the nearest higher mountain is more than 2,078 kilometres away. There’s definitely more than one reason to climb it. A guide is compulsory, but it is not very clear why it is needed. Everywhere there are wide,…

Tinmal Mosque

2022-08-29
sight

We’re on our way down from Jebel Igdet, our first trip ultrapeak, and it might not even be lunchtime. Jebel Toubkal is not too far away, so we have spare time. Said offers us a tour of one of Morocco’s older and more important mosques. It is not operating as a mosque at the moment,…

Jebel Igdet

High Atlas
2022-08-29
hike
3619m
P1613m
i45.02km

The westernmost ultra-peak of the Atlas Mountains. There are certainly enough reasons to climb it. We get up early in the morning and drive to the village of Arg. We leave the car there, quickly prepare, and start the walk. For a couple of kilometres, we follow a trail trod by locals and mules. On…

Lobo

Castile Ranges
2022-08-27
hike
2274m
P828m
i54.55km

The main goal for the next few weeks is to target ultras in Morocco and the Spanish mainland. I stop in Madrid on the way; it’s only 2 p.m., and my next flight is tomorrow morning. The plan is clear: find the mountain. Of course, I found it. There is one more P600 mountain, just…

Frida Kahlo

2022-08-18
sight

During our walk through Brussels, we visit the Horta Gallery (covered passageway), where we see the exhibition “Frida Kahlo – The Life Of an Icon”. We enjoy original films, video projections and digital installations on the walls, ceiling and floor. It smells a bit commercial, especially the ticket price, but in the end it was…

Saint-Sauveur Station

2022-08-15
sight

Lille-Saint-Sauveur is a former freight station in Lille that was converted into a leisure and exhibition space in 2009. Since then, the station has been managed by the City of Lille to host cultural and leisure activities throughout the year. We had an interesting time exploring the ecology related art installations.

Lille

2022-08-15
region

Lille is a city in northern France, close to the Belgian border. It is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region and the prefecture of the Nord department. With a population of 1.5 million, it is the fourth most populous city in France. Nicknamed the “Capital of Flanders’, Lille has a turbulent history from the Middle…

Kemmelberg

North France-West Rhine Area
2022-04-15
hike
154m
P92m
i23.36km

The Kemmelberg is a hill near the village of Kemmel in the Belgian province of West Flanders. It is the highest point in the province. About 2,500 years ago, a Celtic community of the Hallstatt culture settled on the Kemmelberg and had trade relations with the Romans. I left my car at the monument to…

Hotondberg

North France-West Rhine Area
2022-04-15
hike
150m
P108m
i8.74km

The hill has a nature reserve at the top and is the highest point in the province of East Flanders It has been included in various cycling events such as the Tour of Flanders, Omloop Het Volk, E3 Prijs Harelbeke and the World Championships. I park my car in the hotel/cafeteria car park and walk…

Kortrijk

2022-04-13
region

Kortrijk is an old and beautiful Belgian city in the province of West Flanders. With a population of almost 80,000, it is the capital and largest city of the judicial and administrative district. Historically, Kortrijk has always been an important industrial centre, with its flax and wool industry linking it to France and England in…

Beerzelberg

North France-West Rhine Area
2022-04-13
hike
51m
P31m
i35.33km

The Beerzelberg is a remarkable natural feature in the Putse sub-municipality of Beerzel in the province of Antwerp. At 51.60 metres, it used to be the highest point in the province. However, as of 2010, the Beerzelberg is no longer officially the highest point in Antwerp due to the remediation of the Hooge Maey landfill,…

Groot-Valkenisse

North France-West Rhine Area
2022-04-13
hike
54m
P54m
i56.42km

Groot Valkenisse is a beautiful hamlet in the Dutch province of Zeeland, between Zoutelande and Klein Valkenisse. It was formed from two centres called Valkenisse, Groot being larger than Klein. The dunes in Groot Valkenisse are the highest point in Zeeland, with the highest dune top being 54 metres high – making it the second…