Troll Trek, Series 1 Episode 3: Into The Hills.

Day 3

We awoke this morning in the middle of a ski station. Strangely, we were on our own.

The aim to set off at a reasonable hour was thwarted by the usual difficulties involved in herding cats.

Only this time the herd seamed bigger than usual.

We had a rendezvous to keep with a large hole in the ground. 

Numerous toilet stops and the occasional filling of a vomit bag meant missing out on a lazy lunch, arriving just in time for our guided tour of the Grottes de Lombrives. Just in time to wait while they tried to figure out why the train to the top wouldn't run without fuel...

We finally arrived at the cave entrance.

This is a very large cave system, one of the biggest in Europe. There's not a lot of light in caves, thus testing my ability to take hand held photos at less than ⅛ second...

It's not just a long walk, there is also a huge and unnerving stairway leading up and, in the other direction, down. We are told that there are 174 steps, some of which should be more accurately described as trips, winding up around the side of an enormous cathedral cavern. This number of steps is certainly an underestimate, as our specialist counter (Kaïly) counted seventeen thousand and eighty eleven in all.

Reaching the top we finally encountered an enchanted lake.

Instead of swimming the lake, we turned and walked all the way back again. The steps of doom tested my vertigo, which was kept in check by my fear of the kids plunging headlong to their own doom. 

Their mum might be upset.

We were finally freed from terminal claustrophobia with its subtle change of ambient temperature from 10℃ to 30℃. Clearly a great relief to some.

The decent from the caves was without train, which was presumably still without fuel. At least we could catch a glimpse of distant Andorra, where we will head tomorrow...

...but only after going back in time. Deep time.

(Next episode here)