AboutVíctor Díaz Expertise I live in Madrid,and travel frequently to Valencia. I have also travelled to many places all over spain, if haven't been there i'd try to help anyway providing my knowledge and links.
I enjoy trekking in the mountains, and know pyrinees, Picos de Europa and mountains in the center.
Expert: Víctor Díaz Date: 7/18/2008 Subject: Is there any mobile phone reception in Picos de Europa and Pyrenees? And what if a refugi is full?
Question Hi,
Below are my two questions:-
1. Do you know whether I can use mobile phone in the Picos de Europa and the Pyrenees (mainly within or around Parc Nacional d' Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici) in Spain? I am plannig to do long hikes in these two places soon and I wonder if there would be any reception on the mobile phone for me to book for a place in the refugi (mountain huts) as I hike along. I don't want to book ahead in the town/city as I want to keep my itinerary/routes flexible, and I certainly do not want to feel time-pressed that I have to arrive at a particular refugi on a particular day once I have booked for a place,. And so I am thinking of booking for a place only one day before my arrival at a particular refugi when I am on the trail. I know of course in doing this I'll risk that the refugi might be full on my arrival, but I am willing to take this risk.
2. I would imagine from time to time there are one or two hikers who have not booked beforehand for a place, find the refugi full when they turn up. What would these hikers do when they are turned away? Can they bivouac or pitch a tent near the refugi? Is camping forbidden in a national park in Spain?
Would appreciate if anyone would throw a light on the questions above.
Answer Hello Francis
You can use the mobile phone. it will have signal near towns and main valleys, i can't assure the same in remote non habited areas between high peaks, for example in the middle of the national parks. It's now four years since i went for the last time to pyrynees and can't remember if i have reception or not. Las time i went to Picos i even hadn't mobile!.
If you don't mind having the risk of finding the refuge full booked, which is a normal situation in summer, probably you wouldn't mind adding more risk by finding you have no reception to call them... ;-)
About finding refuges full booked, they can just do "bivouac ". Normally the refuges are not close to any other place so arriving late to a refuge means that you can't just turn or seek for another one. You just stay there and do bivouac .
I hadn't any experience in this as all my routes in the mountains where for one day and hadn't to use refuges.
Also for vivac sometimes means putting up an small tent before night and taking it down very early in the morning, i have read somehwere that's allowed in areas over 1500m of altitude, have to put no sooner than one hour before night and take it down one hour after dawn.
