Tom Girondel
Photographer

"Being on the road is an exhilarating feeling. I think it comes from the unexpected and the lack of organization that we want to preserve over the years." marvels Farid, 31

Larry does a stunt from a bridge overlooking the Boadella dam lake. Darnius, Catalonia/Spain - 29/06/2020

In the middle of the Los Monegros semi-desertic area stands the ghost town of Cardiel near the municipality of Fraga in Aragon. Like many villages, the province faced a massive rural exodus from the 1950s under Franco’s regime. Expropriated, the inhabitants migrated to the cities to become workers. Cardiel/Fraga, Spain - 29/06/2020

"Tonight we set our camp in the village of Cardiel, in the Aragon province, which has been abandoned since the 1950s (...) Let’s imagine that Europe collapsed due to Covid-19 virus, and that our future world will look like these old ruins.What are we going to do here ?" wonders Tom 35

View of the Yesa dam lake in the early morning. Nicknamed the "Pyrenees’Sea", this wild lake has no shops nearby, no tourist activities and no access road. Not without dangers, some bivouacs can be dangerous when the water rises suddenly. Yesa, Spain - 01/07/2020

"The need to go outside was felt specifically this year because of the Covid-19. We had to take into account the post-lockdown measures (...) in fact we realised that our conception of holidays was surely the most adapted in a context where a disease circulates !" appreciates Larry, 31

42°C. Lost in the Bardenas desert, we have to find our way to visit this area while respecting the closing hours. The bivouac is forbidden there. Forgotten by mass tourism, this European badland stretching over 42,000 hectares is home to a few sheepfolds and a Spanish air force base. Bardenas Reales, Spain - 02/07/2020.

"It's hard to believe that this natural beauty isn’t being overrun by mass tourism. It looks like we’re in a Western movie! And yet it feels like you’re thousands of kilometres away (...) Whereas it’s only an hour drive from the French Pyrenees... We didn't need to cross several continents!" Thomas, 35

Farid, Larry, Jérôme and Amaury enjoy the view over the Bardenas Desert from a panoramic viewpoint. Bardenas Reales, Spain - 02/07/2020

After driving more than fifty kilometres we finally find a place to set our camp, sheltered from a sharp breeze, in the agricultural plains of Aragon. Moonlight lunch on a field just harvested. Ejea de los Caballeros, Spain - 02/07/2020

"We lost more than twenty degrees between Spain and our arrival in Cauterets located in the French Pyrenees mountains. We've been waiting for this trek since we left Paris. As the weather was not good we have adapted our journey.

At nightfall, Jérôme draws on a map the upcoming trek around the Mount Vignemale (Pique Longue), the highest point in the French Pyrenees at 3298 meters. Cauterets, France - 03/07/2020

View over the Marcadau torrent located in the Cauterets valley. France - 04/07/2020

1280 metres above sea level. Between Cauterets and Pont-d’Espagne, Amaury takes a break on the first day of the trek around the Vignemale culminating at 3298 meters. Cauterets, France - 04/07/2020

8pm. 1820 meters. The sun sets on the Arratille peak. Exhausted by the steep incline and the weight of our hiking bags, we hurry to pitch the tents, the temperature has dropped by 15 degrees. Marcadau Valley, France - 04/07/2020

Second day of trek. We have to reach Les Mulets mountain pass through the Spanish border. About 1000 meters of steep incline awaits us. Cauterets, France - 05/04/2020

2528 metres above sea level. View of the Arratille lake, the Milieu mountain pass, and the West Cardinquère from the Spanish border. Arratille mountain pass, France/Spain - 05/07/2020

2151 metres above sea level. Larry inflates his air mattress before sunset at the bottom of Mount Vignemale. Oulettes’shelter, France - 05/07/2020

A thick cloud is heading towards the Oulettes’shelter and our camp site at 2151 meters. Hautes-Pyrénées, France - 05/07/2020

After bivouacking at the bottom of Mount Vignemale (Pique Longue), the highest point in the French Pyrenees, Amaury begins the descent towards the Cauterets valley. Oulettes’shelter, France - 06/07/2020

"The summer holidays have started and tourists are packed in Biarritz. We don’t find it reassuring to see so many people after these isolated days." admits Thomas, 35

Amaury, Farid, Larry and Jérôme climb the tallest European dune of Pilat before staring at the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Perret from the top. The dune measures 2,7 km in lenght, 500 metres wide and reaches a height of 106,60 metres. Arcachon, France - 10/07/2020

"The strong group cohesion’s feeling - despite a somewhat precarious community life in the car - is also an important aspect of our holidays." Amaury, 31

"We are looking for day-to-day "spots" for wild camping. The difficulty lies in finding a quality camp as close to nature as possible. A lake if we are lucky enough."