Paint stroke markers info please

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Kate
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Paint stroke markers info please

Post by Kate »

Can anybody tell me the meaning of the blue triangle marker on trees, paths etc. I (think I) know that....
Yellow paint stroke - short walk (petite randonnée)
Red and yellow paint stroke - cross country (Tour de Pays)
Red and white paint stroke - long walks (grande randonnée)
orange circle - horse-riding
Two yellow circles and a triangle - indicate direction for mountain biking but havent been able find anything about the blue markings so far
Merci
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Roger O
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Post by Roger O »

Abattage prevu dans les prochaines heures?

Actually, I always assumed they were GR10 where there is a forest path junction - but not sure.

It's incredible but I wasted 1/2 hour googling.fr randonnée signs in French using every combination I could think of - ZERO!
marquages des randonnées en France
signes
catégories
etc etc... NADA!

Seems to be a very obscure "highway" code on the net!

Probably Chris would know - he's good at that kind of thing.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3293/299 ... eb.jpg?v=0
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/28/40026 ... 87.jpg?v=0
http://www.rimaye.info/rando/images/cha ... _small.jpg
Help!!!!!
I deal in Logic!
"Magic" is applied science far in advance of our current technology.
Chris
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Post by Chris »

The ones which are red and white are the markings of a Grand Randonée eg the GR10 which climbs out of Banyuls, up into the Alberes, down to Le Perthus and then across the southernmost edge of France to the Atlantic. These are reliable, and kept in good condition by the local walking clubs. Where there are no rocks or trees to paint them on eg across the summit plateau of the Pic Sailfort, posts are driven into the ground. They are sometimes obscured by snow and so in full on winter conditions a GPS and / or map and compass is essential. These trails are marked on the 1:25000 (TOP25) maps as eg GR10 (thick solid red line, or dashes on difficult sections) and are usually very accurate, so that with a GPS you can accurately follow these trails even in the dark or thick fog.

BEWARE!!

The ones which are yellow are usually more local rambles following routes which are often marked on leaflets available from the local tourist office. They are sometimes in good condition, sometimes weathered off, and sometimes in the wrong place entirely. These routes are often marked on the TOP25 maps by a thin red line although on the ground they vary from easy to follow, to non-existant.

BEWARE EVEN MORE!!!......... You may also encounter apparent trail markings made by cans of (frequently orange, sometimes yellow) spray paint. These should not be trusted at all. Some of these are markings made by forestry workers and refer to boundaries of an area of forest which is to be felled; or access routes for machinery. Some of them (I strongly suspect) are made by sanglier hunters and indicate where the line of beaters or guns should stand.

THESE MARKINGS MAY LEAD NOWHERE, OR ONTO VERY DANGEROUS GROUND.

For example, last thursday I was blessed with perfect weather so I walked out of PV and up into the hills, joining the GR10 at the Col de Vallauria and following it to the Refuge de la Tanyareda (Club Alpin Francais, always open, no guardian) which is at 1052m just below and SE of the Puig Neulos. So far so good, excellent markings , easy to follow, even without a map.
(Incidentally the various fonts along the way were all running copiously and as long as sterilising tablets are carried it would not have been essential to carry a lot of water.)
I met some friendly locals who were staying there that night and who had made a lovely roaring log fire in the grate (it had clouded over by then.) After chatting for a while and drinking a nice cup of instant capuccino I started the descent to Laroque des Alberes.
On the TOP25 map of the area (sheet 2549OT) there are two tracks marked as descending from the summit, one coming out at Mas del Ca and the other near the church in Laroque. Initially the markings were good but then things rapidly took a turn for the worse; it is obvious that a great many trees blew down in the storm of the 24 Jan (?) and works are in progress to harvest them. The yellow marks disappeared and instead there were orange paint marks everywhere, presumably made by the forestry workers. I am an experienced hill walker and was equipped with map and compass (but no GPS.) I followed the compass bearing down, through some very difficult and dangerous terrain in parts (steep rocky sections dotted with old olive trees, deep "snow drifts" of dead leaves concealing deep ankle twisting holes between boulders.)
Lower down I picked up the markings again but between the Coll de la Voca Vela and the Dolmen de Bolma del Moro things were very, very tough and without a compass (or GPS) I would have been very completely lost.

Never, ever try and follow a local trail through the forest unless you have checked that it is easy to follow on the ground, or you are experienced at navigating and have the gadgets (map and compass or GPS) to do it.

Hope this helps.
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Kate
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Post by Kate »

Not really cos I still dont know what the blue paint strokes represent but very interesting nevetheless. we have often had problems in following or interpreting the yellow markings so I'm glad that I am not the only one. Thanks Chris and Roger.
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