A WW2 Escape route crossing into Andorra featured in Claude Benet’s book Passeurs, Fugitives and Spies.
During this period it was a very dark where young people who had been shot down in an airplane over Belgium or Holland spent weeks in a house maybe injured often traumatised before coming to Toulouse and this region by train.
Escorted often by young girls on trains with the right documentation, they sat on the train, appearing to be deaf and mute to then go through security checks in Toulouse. Hidden in Toulouse and then hidden again in a town such as Tarascon Sur Ariege or Ussat les Bains, afterwards they would be guided to a barn or remote village and wait again in the cold and darkness for a mysterious person to come along in the middle of the night to take them on the walk.
Some of these young boys had been trying to escape in over 332 days to find a way across to get back. They escaped to Barcelona to the Consulate. British, Americans and Canadians spent thousands to get people back into the bomber squadrons. To find out more about these professionally organised escape lines come and join us!
-
Refuge, apartment or hotel
-
Toulouse
-
Toulouse or Andorra
-
Medium
-
2-30
-
Summer
Overview
Follow the historic Andorra freedom trail from France via the spectacular ports of Fontargente or Juclar (2400m). This trail over the Pyrenees was a key escape route during both the Spanish civil war and World War II. The Pat O’Leary, Dutch-Paris, Francois and the Marie-Claire Lines all used Andorran routes. Having been compromised in the lower and coastal regions the lines had moved inand to take on the high-level routes where, it was rightly thought, they were less likely to encounter enemy patrols as the dangerous and difficult terrain was a deterrent to their pursuers.
This trek has one night in a high mountain refuge and the rest is hotel or auberge based though we can offer an extention over the col de Juclar (a used escape route) for an extra night in the high mountains or in Toulouse to experience the resistance Museum.
Four days of trekking will take you past high mountain lakes, waterfalls, and Europe’s largest health spa. A final section of the Andorran Way leads to Andorra la Vella, where you can admire romanesque art and enjoy tax free shopping! We can usually run this throughout the summer so please enquire if our dates are not suitable.
If you would like to know more contact us to enquire about alternative dates.
