Refugi de la Restanca

Refugi de la Restanca is a guarded mountain refuge in the Spanish Pyrenees, located at an altitude of 2,010 metres beside the Restanca lake (2,007 m) in the Alt Aran comarca of the Province of Lleida, Catalonia. The lake has been dammed and forms part of the Val d'Aran lakes reservoir system, whose waters flow into the Ribera de Rius. The refuge sits west of the 2,837 m Montardo peak and northeast of the 2,260 m Lac de Mar, which drains into the Restanca lake near the refuge, gathering water from the Besiberri Nord peak (3,009 m) and the Tumeneia range (2,783 m). The refuge is owned and operated within the Catalan hiking ecosystem: it belongs to the FEEC (Federació d'Entitats Excursionistes de Catalunya) and to the Conselh Generau d'Aran. It is guarded, with a capacity of 80 beds distributed across 6 rooms, and offers showers, hot water, and food and drink service. It opens during the summer and holiday periods. Since 2005 its guardian or manager has been Josep Mohedano. Restanca occupies the northwestern end of the Carros de Foc route, a 55 km traverse that links all the refuges inside the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park. The route reaches the refuge from the south via two different cols from the Joan Ventosa i Calvell refuge: the Port de Rius to the east at 2,475 m and the Coll de Tumeneia to the west at 2,604 m. From the Port de Rius the Carros de Foc continues east, crossing the Colomers pass at 2,572 m with little descent, toward the Refugi de Colomers at 2,138 m, the next or previous stage of the traverse depending on direction. Access to the refuge is from Artiés. From that village one can drive up to the Prados de Sieja, from where a trail is walked for about two hours. The long-distance GR-11 trail passes by the refuge, from which a variant, the GR-11-18, climbs to the Port de Rius col, giving access to the Montardo, and continues to the Joan Ventosa i Calvell refuge or the Refugi de Colomers. Activities based at the refuge include ascents of the Montardo (2,837 m), les Monges (2,698 m), Tumeneia Nord (2,783 m), Pa de Sucre (2,682 m), Besiberri Nord (3,009 m) and the Tossal de Mar (2,745 m). As a branded mountain hospitality offering, Restanca is part of the Carros de Foc refuge network and is promoted through the lacentralderefugis.com booking platform alongside its sister refuges.

Refugi de la Restanca is a mountain refuge in the Pyrenees, in the Province of Lleida, Spain, in the Alt Aran comarca, at 2,010 m altitude, beside the Restanca lake at 2,007 m. The lake has been dammed and converted into the Val d'Aran lakes reservoir, whose waters pour into the Ribera de Rius. The refuge lies west of the 2,837 m Montardo peak and northeast of the 2,260 m Lac de Mar, which drains into the Restanca lake next to the refuge, together with waters from the Besiberri Nord peak (3,009 m) and the Tumeneia range (2,783 m). Restanca sits at the northwestern end of the Carros de Foc route, a 55 km traverse that visits all the refuges inside the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park. The route reaches the refuge from the south by two different cols from the Joan Ventosa i Calvell refuge: the Port de Rius to the east at 2,475 m and the Coll de Tumeneia to the west at 2,604 m. From the Port de Rius, however, the Carros de Foc continues east, crosses the Colomers pass at 2,572 m with hardly any descent, and heads for the Refugi de Colomers at 2,138 m, which is the next stage of the traverse, or the previous one, depending on the direction of travel. Access to the refuge is from Artiés. From that village one can drive up to the Prados de Sieja. From there one must walk about two hours along a trail. The long-distance GR-11 trail passes by the refuge, from which a variant, the GR-11-18, climbs to the Port de Rius col, from where the Montardo is accessed, and continues to the Joan Ventosa i Calvell refuge or the Refugi de Colomers. The refuge belongs to the FEEC (Federació d'Entitats Excursionistes de Catalunya) and to the Conselh Generau d'Aran. The guarded refuge has a capacity of 80 beds distributed in 6 rooms. It has shower and hot water service, and serves food and drinks. It opens during the summer and holidays. Since 2005, its manager has been Josep Mohedano. Activities include the ascent of the Montardo (2,837 m), les Monges (2,698 m), Tumeneia Nord (2,783 m), Pa de Sucre (2,682 m), Besiberri Nord (3,009 m) and the Tossal de Mar (2,745 m).

• Refuge recorded as a mountain refuge in the Pyrenees at 2,010 m beside the Restanca lake.

• Josep Mohedano becomes the refuge's manager (responsable) in 2005.

A high-mountain guarded refuge in the Aigüestortes national park area, positioned as a stage on the Carros de Foc circuit and a base for Pyrenean peak ascents.

• Guarded refuge accommodation

  80 beds in 6 rooms, with showers, hot water, and food and drink service.

• Carros de Foc stage

  Northwestern end of the 55 km Carros de Foc traverse through the national park refuges.

• GR-11 trail access

  The GR-11 passes the refuge; variant GR-11-18 climbs to Port de Rius and the Montardo.

1. 1refugi de la Restanca — Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Refugio de la Restanca — Wikipedia (es)es.wikipedia.org
3. 3Refugi de la Restanca — La Central de Refugislacentralderefugis.com
4. 4Carros de Foc refugescarrosdefoc.com