Valleys of the Lavedan

This hotel to hotel walk starts in the foothills of the Pyrenees just outside Lourdes and ends in Gavarnie where you are surrounded by 3000m summits forming the French-Spanish border, covering a large part of the old province of Lavedan.  The walk follows parts of one of the more interesting return routes from Santiago de Compostella over the Pyrenees.  The passes to Spain were too high to take at the beginning of summer but pilgrims looking for an alternative return route over the Pyrenees often passed through these valleys on their way home, converging on the monastery in St Savin. 

The valleys of the Lavedan present a fascinating complexity of twists and turns, tumbling streams, flat glaciated valley bottoms and high peaks. The views are superb and the landscape adapts constantly as you move from valley to valley, from sparse mountain tops above the tree line to wild and steep river valleys lined with pines and beech and on down to the level of human habitation where you’ll find attractive small stone built farming villages typical of this part of the Pyrenees. 

We wanted to choose a route that was challenging enough for good walkers and flexible enough for those who like shorter days. Walks can often be varied from seven hours walking to four depending on the routes chosen. We also wanted to make sure that at the end of each day there was a comfortable bed and good food, so the trek links a series of good quality B&Bs and hotels in small towns and villages. We move your bags for you to your next destination.  We supply all the marked maps and notes (full of historical and geographical points of interest) and transport your bags each day.  The route takes you from town to valley to hill to mountain along little known pathways, well away from the paths that most tourists take.

Price: 795€ (7 days), 995€ (10 days), 1275€ (13 days). Contact: Sian

HOLIDAY ITINERARY for 10 day trip

DAY 1 – Arrive in Lourdes

If you can organise it, aim to arrive in Lourdes on a Friday, although any day is possible. If you arrive early in the day take the chance to look around at this interesting pilgrimage town.  From the garish religious paraphernalia to the quiet calm of the sanctuaries themselves the town is full of colours and contrasts.  We will pick you up late afternoon and drive to your accommodation at a lovely B&B in Ouzous. Before dinner we will sit down with maps and route notes and explain how the week works and each days’ routes. We live just a few miles away and you will have all our contact numbers in case you need to call.

DAY 2 – The Pibeste Nature Reserve

A beautiful day walk up through the Pibeste Nature Reserve, home to 25 species of predatory birds, isards and mouflons, to the Pic du Pibeste.   The peak is a great vantage point for looking over the province of Lavedan and appreciating the valleys that you will be exploring in the days to come.  The width of the Vallee d’Argeles, so smoothly carved out by glaciers during successive ice ages contrasts with the narrower, steeper gorges of the Val d’Azun, the Cauterets Valley to the south-west and the Luz Valley direction south.  Back to your B&B in Ouzous.

DAY 3 – The Col d’Andorre and Soum de Leiz

Another lovely walk up to a foothill summit for a view back over the plains of Gascony and up onto the high summits of the Pyrenees.  Back to your B&B in Ouzous.

DAY 4 – The Mont de Gez

There is a choice on this day between a longer and a shorter route. Both mean that you leave the limestone massif of the Pibeste at your back and head across a complex, largely agricultural, landscape. At times the valley town of Argeles Gazost is visible below, at others it is shielded by low hills. Argeles is a traditional farmers’ market town but it turned itself into a fashionable spa in the 18th century by rerouting the thermal waters from the other side of the valley which you can also see across the flat plain that lies below. On the shorter route you head in a wavy line over the low rounded hill of the Mont de Gez before arriving in the town of Arras from where you head on to St Savin. This is an interesting route for those who enjoy looking at village architecture and life. You pass through or near a number of very typical Lavedan villages with their substantial houses, protecting against cold in the winter and sun in the summer.

For the longer walk you start the descent from Salles and turn upwards and southwards through beech and pine forest tracks until you emerge through the rocky Col de Liar. The Argeles valley is laid out flat below you. From the pass there is a steep meander down the hill, naked of trees on this side. Once in the valley, you will head for your accommodation in St Savin.

DAY 5 – Rest day in St Savin or gentle walk around Argeles

Today is the perfect day to rest your legs and explore in and around the village of St Savin.  It is a very beautiful little village with an impressive old Benedictine abbey. The museum attached to the church has 12th century wooden sculptures and a range of other religious items. Take a wander down into Argeles for the market, which, local legend says, has been held every Tuesday since the 12th century.

DAY 6 – The Pouey-Aspé Plateau

From St Savin you head up through the village of Uz to the Pouey-Aspé plateau where St Savin had his hermitage for 13 years.  This spot is today marked by a small chapel and the views from the top are spectacular over the Argeles Valley.  You then descend almost into the village of Pierrefitte through old forest to connect with the cycling and walking path that runs along the old railway line up to Cauteret. You will quickly realise that you are leaving the foothills and the transition from the gently rolling hills to the steep slopes of the Cauteret valley is dramatic.

Another option is to start your day the easy way – in the car with the luggage to your hotel in Cauteret! There is some great walking starting from this elegant town. Our proposed route for a day loop takes you from your hotel to the Pont d’Espagne along an easy rising footpath we call ‘the waterfall path’. The falls are dramatic, especially when the snow in the higher mountains is melting. You hear them before you see them thundering down next to your path. The Pont d’Espagne has a pleasant, very French, café-restaurant for lunch or you can continue up an old donkey track into the higher mountains. Alternatively you might want to head downhill earlier (shuttle to Cauteret every two hours) and take advantage of the fact that Cauterets is a spa town with an lovely old baths offering thermal water swimming and treatments.

DAY 7 – Walking in and around Cauterets

Cauterets and the surrounding valleys are too good to leave after just one night! The town is interesting in itself with long streets of high buildings and elegant statues crammed tightly into the narrow valley bottom. It’s a lovely place to sit, have a coffee and watch the world go by. Above the town the spectacular Lac de Gaube and the Marcadau Valley, famous for its walking, open up. ‘Marcadau’ is the ancient dialect word for market, and it is here that Spanish and French traders gathered to exchange goods, not in any one place but wherever they crossed paths. It’s a great place for spotting isard (Pyrenean chamois) which are protected in this National Park. There is a pretty walk over granite slabs and through pine trees to the very blue Lac de Gaube. Fit people can then continue onwards to reach a full on view of the Vignemale mountain – the highest in the French Pyrenees – at the Oulettes Refuge.

DAY 8 – Over to Luz

This day is really a matter of going up one side of the mountain and down the other, in this case along the steep zig-zag path that is the GR10 footpath. The route climbs steeply out of the back of Cauterets up to the winter ski station of Luz Ardiden and then crosses the mountain down and eastwards into Luz.  There are alternative routes for the descent but from all paths you have huge views over Luz St Sauveur and the  Bareges Valley (ascent 1050 m. descent 1100 on this day). Whichever route you choose, on a clear day you will see why this valley has earned the name ‘Light of the Saviour’. The town of Luz itself is a delightful old mass of stone buildings huddled around the 12th Century fortified Eglise des Templiers. For those of you who love peaks there is a two hour deviation to climb to the top of Pic du Viscos – a classic triangular pointy ‘Toblerone’ peak with a cross at the top.  If the walk down is too much we will come to collect you from one of the villages on the Luz side of the pass.

DAY 9 – On and up to Bareges

Today you are heading for another thermal village – one whose waters are famous for healing broken bones. (This is fortunate since in winter there is a ski resort higher up the mountain!) To arrive at this small village you follow the GR10 again as it climbs out of the wide valley funnel above Luz, heading up through four mountain villages on its way to Barèges.  Here you will really see how 2000 years of animal grazing has sculpted the landscape and created the high pastures of the Pyrenees.  The valleys of Luz, Barèges and Gavarnie carry an AOC mark for the sheep grazed on the slopes below and above you. In this tranquil scene it’s hard to imagine the power of the huge 1939 avalanche which poured down this valley wiping out most of the population of Barèges. If you look up you will see the modern protection put in to prevent this re-occurring.

DAY 10 – Gavarnie

To miss Gavarnie on a trip to the Pyrenees, and in particular to this valley, seems a great shame.  The Grand Cascade is the waterfall with the highest vertical drop in Europe (426m) and the cirque is spectacular.  The balcony path we suggest to our clients can be quite deserted, even in the height of summer.  Outside July and August you can almost feel you have this marvel of nature to yourself.  If you want a rest from walking it is possible to get a full view of the cirque from the terrace of one of the many cafés, or simply have a small stroll up to a grassy meadow for a picnic.

DAY 11 – Head for home, or onwards to Torla and Santiago

If you are catching the night train you have an extra day to use as you please.  We can provide you with some independent walk notes and you can leave your bags in the hotel until the evening. You could head to the thermal baths, wander around town, take a picnic to the castle or Solferino or use the day to explore the mysteries in Lourdes.  Otherwise catch the SNCF bus out of Luz to Lourdes in time for your connecting train.

Price: 995€ per person twin share, includes 10 nights in B&Bs, 2* and 3* hotels, all breakfasts and dinners, collection from Lourdes station and briefing, bag transfers, walk notes and maps. Single supp. 17-20€ per day. Contact: Sian.

Dates: May – October 2012

Options: 7 day (795€pp) and 13 day (1,275€ pp) options of this walk are possible.  The 7 day has 2 nights in Salles, 1 night in St Savin, 2 nights Cauteret and 2 nights in Luz.  The 13 day itinerary has 3 nights in Salles, 2 nights in St Savin, 3 nights in Cauteret, 3 nights in Luz and 2 nights in Gavarnie.  Carry your own bags – less 75€pp for the 7 and 10 day trips and less 100€ for the 13 day trip.

See Equipment and Packing Ideas