Team-Cat Actif | Hiking | What's on the Menu?
Frequently Asked Questions...
Where will we hike? In the eastern Pyrenees which form the border with Spain, a coastal and mountain area of spectacular scenery and diverse culture. It is also one of the least populated areas in Europe, and is a nature lovers paradise. There are dozens of trails in the mountains where you are unlikely to see other hikers, and there are also fascinating coastal walks along parts of the Costa Brava.
What will I need to bring? The vegetation and temperature can change markedly at different altitudes, and while we enjoy an amazing 300 days of sunshine a year, sudden storms can occur and fierce winds can suddenly erupt. Please bring your own clothing for sudden weather changes and hiking boots. We can provide everything else. You will not need compasses, maps, GPS receivers or any survival gear unless you wish to bring it, as you will be in the care of an experienced ‘mountain man’ at all times.
How fit will I need to be? This is a corporate break for healthy, physically active people, so a reasonable level of fitness is required, but you don’t need to be super fit and it’s certainly not a competition. It’s more a kind of low-key team building process as company members get to know each other better.
What time of day do we walk, and for how long? The length of the walks is variable and depends upon weather conditions and how much folks want to do, which might be anything from 1-10 hours. Three or four hours at is about the average duration, and the pace is dictated by the party itself and varies considerably, so there are no hard and fast rules. You will not, however, be left behind or expected to do more than you want, and the day after a long walk we will probably do a short one, and vice versa. For mountain walks we usually depart fairly early in the morning. We may halt at lunchtime for a big meal , or we may picnic in the mountains on a longer walk and have the main meal at dinner. If we are doing a coastal walk we may have a lazy start to the day, have ‘brunch’ and then head down to the coast for an evening walk and dinner in a selected restaurant. A summit attempt of Mount Canigou may take two full days. The peak of the massif is two and a half thousand metres higher than the lodge so there's a lot of climbing. You'll need to be in good shape for this one, but it's glorious if the weather's fine. We have to make the mountain refuge on the first day in order to attempt the summit the following day and we carry picnic lunches in our day packs.
What size will the group of walkers be? Our groups are limited to 25 people not counting Team-Cat personnel, to ensure that everyone gets the care and attention they deserve, and everyone has an opportunity to really get to know the others.
