Welcome to hrpguide.org
Third edition of the guide
On 11 April 2019, the long-awaited 3rd edition of the HRP guide was published by Cicerone. I again assisted with the update. GPS tracks for each day are available on the publisher’s website. However, for reasons I do not fully understand, the new author (Tom Martens) has removed every single GPS waypoint reference from the guide text.
Although the GPS tracks are undoubtedly very useful, they will only enable you to identify your exact location in the guide if your GPS device is loaded with a map overlay and switched-on permanently. If you wish to continue to use Joosten’s 2nd edition, to use traditional GPS waypoints or you would prefer not to rely on GPS tracks alone, then this site remains the web resource of choice.
Through this site you can buy my unique
hrp.gpx file to help you navigate across the
Pyrenean Haute Route (HRP). With the file I also supply a free, just-revised in 2025, 29-page update report with tips, corrections, suggested re-routes saving up to 4 days, details of refuge closures (3 in 2025), gps device/map advice and much more.
This website is endorsed by Cicerone Press.
How is the .gpx file unique?
Please note that the file is not a continuous track. If you want continuous tracks then they are available in conjunction with the Cicerone
guide.
My .gpx file contains 45 gps routes, each
corresponding to a day’s walk along the HRP.
Within the routes, all the file’s 580 waypoints are cross-referenced to a key written direction instruction in Joosten’s guide. So, GPS device hrp.gpx file + guidebook means no real need
for maps and never get lost! NB. the 1:50,000 Rando maps for the entire HRP weigh 1.5kgs.
Better than Joosten
Ton’s guide is excellent in many ways but
does not contain anywhere near enough GPS waypoints: four days have no waypoints at all, two days have just 2 and on some days you can walk for hours with no waypoint assistance. My .gpx file corrects all these issues and also contains more waypoints than Ton’s guide on every single day of the walk
(580 in total vs. 500 in Joosten’s guide).
Who am I?
I’m Peter Forrest and I helped update both Joosten’s 2nd 2009 edition and Marten’s 3rd 2019 edition. Joosten name-checks me on p11 and Martens on pages 4 & 9. I have completed a number of long-distance walks: the ultra-
tough 180kms GR20 in Corsica (some sections twice), the 633kms GTA (Grande Traversata delle Alpi) in Italy and the 800kms Haute Route (HRP) in the Pyrenees (some sections twice).
Is a free sample .gpx file available?
Yes (for day 14. There are 11 waypoints
shown: Joosten has NIL for this day). Email hrpguide@btinternet.com for a copy.
Extras
If you would also like the gps waypoint data in tabular format, either to print out or to take digitally, a .pdf file can be supplied at no extra cost. I can also supply a .kml file which can be loaded into Google Earth. A reversed copy for
an East-West traverse is also available. I can also supply copies – only of maps no longer available – on DVD (small extra donation required).
How much does the .gpx file cost and why are you charging for it?
The .gpx file costs £15, €20 or $20 which you donate in advance direct to charity (I receive nothing). The file and 2025 report have taken hundreds of hours to research, input, cross-
check and update. I have spent many weeks on the HRP 2017-2024 re-visiting many key locations to ensure vital information remains up to date.
A small donation to charity (a Himalayan
Earthquake relief fund): https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/nepal-earthquake-emergency-appeal/) is surely not too much to ask for such an invaluable set of aids.
To get the .gpx file + associated 2025 free 29-page update report please contact me, attaching your charitable donation receipt, at
hrpguide@btinternet.com.