Boyfriend of Esther Dingley says mountain pass where bones were found was ‘within her capabilities’ 

The boyfriend of missing British hiker Esther Dingley said the mountain pass where bones have been found was an ‘easy’ route that was ‘well within her capabilities’, as her family appealed for ‘urgent’ answers after the discovery.

Dan Colegate said Puerto de la Glera, Port de la Glere in French, was part of the route he had expected her to take and insisted it would have been ‘well within’ her capabilities in a dossier he released in January through support charity LBT Global.

He wrote in the 23-page dossier, referring to key locations in France by their French name, about Esther’s plans to do a circular hike between Spain and France which involved sleeping at a mountain refuge.

Meanwhile Esther’s family said in a statement they are ‘urgently seeking clarification’ after bones believed to be human were found on Friday near where the hiker was last seen. 

Dan said in his dossier: ‘An individual that Esther met on November 19 came forward to say he had specifically suggested this route through France, between Port de Venasque and Port de la Glere, to Esther when he met her. 

‘There is no reason to think that Esther did not stick to this plan.’ 

In a section titled ‘Esther’s Planned Onward Route’, he suggested she reached the mountain refuge in France and slept there overnight before continuing a hike to return to her initial starting point in Spain.

The boyfriend of missing British hiker Esther Dingley said the mountain pass where bones have been found was an ‘easy’ route that was ‘well within her capabilities’

He said: ‘Her onward route would have involved a descent northwards towards the Hospice de France, a flat traverse westwards around the Imperatrice Way, and a climb southwards to the border at Port de la Glere. 

‘From the border the route descends back towards Hospital de Benasque. 

‘This route would have been well within Esther’s capabilities for a day hike, in addition to the fact she had a tent, camping equipment and significant experience using it. 

‘Distance was 16km with 1100 metres of ascent, five to seven hours of hiking time. 

‘The weather remained excellent that Monday. 

The route is very obvious on the ground and also from the terrain when starting from Refuge de Venasque. 

British hiker Esther Dingley  (pictured with her boyfriend Daniel Colegate) went missing November 22

British hiker Esther Dingley  (pictured with her boyfriend Daniel Colegate) went missing November 22 

A mountain runner raised the alarm around 2pm on Friday after discovering what he believed could be the remains of a body near the spot where missing hiker Esther Dingley went missing late last year.

A mountain runner raised the alarm around 2pm on Friday after discovering what he believed could be the remains of a body near the spot where missing hiker Esther Dingley went missing late last year.

‘It’s basically impossible to get lost in good visibility here. 

‘The entire route is a well-made and easy to follow path. 

‘Although Esther believed and had warned family that there was poor signal in the area, in fact the signal is very good on the French side. 

‘Within half an hour of leaving the refuge, Esther should have been able to use her phone for most of the rest of the day.’ 

A mountain runner alerted Spanish police around 2pm yesterday after discovering bones at the pass Esther, 37, told her partner she would take to return to her camper van after crossing into France briefly during their last conversation eight months ago. 

Officers from the Civil Guard went to the spot but alerted their French counterparts after confirming it was on the other side of the border. 

One unconfirmed local report said the unnamed runner had come across a human skull. 

Specialist officers from Spain and France have carried out several searches of the area around the Puerto de la Glera hiking trail, where Esther was hiking before she went missing

 Specialist officers from Spain and France have carried out several searches of the area around the Puerto de la Glera hiking trail, where Esther was hiking before she went missing

A Spanish radio station covering the province of Huesca which includes the town of Benasque where Esther began the hike she vanished on, said: ‘Sources close to the investigation have indicated that the skull could correspond to Esther Dingley’s because of the colour and length of the hair.’ 

French and Spanish police have both confirmed bones have been found but have not gone into any more details. 

Civil Guard sources said yesterday officers were ’90 per cent certain’ they were human remains but insisted the job of analysing them for confirmation and more clues was now a French task. 

LBT Global, the charity supporting Esther’s family, said in its first written statement overnight: ‘LBT Global is aware of the discovery of what may be human remains close to the last known location of Esther Dingley. 

Esther's partner claimed in a recent BBC interview he 'could no longer agree' with the idea she had suffered an accident

Esther’s partner claimed in a recent BBC interview he ‘could no longer agree’ with the idea she had suffered an accident

Missing Esther Dingley's camper van was spotted parked up in Benasque . Witness Lucie was walking her dog Tipo when she spotted the camper van with the light on and someone inside on December 2

Missing Esther Dingley’s camper van was spotted parked up in Benasque . Witness Lucie was walking her dog Tipo when she spotted the camper van with the light on and someone inside on December 2 

‘We are urgently seeking clarification. The family have been informed of the discovery and we are supporting them now. 

‘Until anything is confirmed there will be no statement or interviews with any family members. 

‘Please be aware this may take days or even weeks.’  

Puerto de la Glera is close to the to the 8,796ft Pico Salvaguardia summit where Oxford graduate Esther last made contact with Dan around 4pm on November 22 last year. 

Specialist officers from Spain and France have carried out several searches of the area. 

A co-ordinated air and land search by police mountain rescue experts from both countries took place on July 1. 

Civil Guard sergeant Jorge Lopez Ramos, whose Greim elite mountain search and rescue team led an eight-day search for Esther on the Spanish side of the border before it was halted last December because of bad weather, confirmed late last year Puerto de la Glera was on the route Esther told her boyfriend she was planning to take before she disappeared. 

Referring to the mountain pass by its Spanish name, he said at the time: ‘Esther told her partner she was planning to spend the night in a nearby refuge on the French side of the border called Venasque before doing a long half-circle to re-enter Spain through a mountain pass called Puerto de la Glera and heading back down to Llanos del Hospital. 

‘It would have been a long day’s walk or she could have spent the night somewhere and finished the following day. 

British hiker Esther Dingley was seen at Eroski supermartket in Benasque, Spain, on Novermber 19, days before her sudden disappearance

British hiker Esther Dingley was seen at Eroski supermartket in Benasque, Spain, on Novermber 19, days before her sudden disappearance

‘We don’t know if she reached Venasque that night. It’s shut at the moment and only an emergency part of it is open for people to sleep in and consume any food they have with them.’ 

French police chief Jean Marc Bordinaro said yesterday: ‘We cannot say anything at the moment because the discovery of the bones is too recent and they must be properly analysed. 

‘We will not have a result for several days and possibly several weeks.’ 

A prosecutor based in Saint-Gaudens is expected to make an official statement if there are any changes to the current situation. 

Spanish Civil Guard said the discovery was a matter for the French police to comment on as the bones had been found on their side of the border. 

Esther’s partner of 20 years claimed in a recent BBC interview he ‘could no longer agree’ with the idea she had suffered an accident. 

He said: ‘The search has been so prolonged and so intense, that as far as I’m concerned the probability of an accident is now less than the probability of a criminal act.’