LAVEDAN VALLEYS & VILLAGES
Hotel-to-Hotel Trek : between Lourdes to Gavarnie in the High Pyrenees
Explore the charming valleys and villages of the Lavedan. Discover the cultural richness and historical significance of the region while enjoying its scenic landscapes.
Tour details
Walk between hotels through dramatic scenery with comfortable beds and gourmet food each night. We transfer your bags so you walk only with day packs. We provide a personal briefing, marked maps and notes (full of historial and geographical information), and all the support you require along the way.
The valleys you pass through present a fascinating complexity of twists and turns, tumbling streams, flat glaciated valley bottoms and high peaks. The views are superb and the landscape changes constantly as you move: 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 will find small stone built farming villages typical of this part of the Pyrenees.
Covering a large part of the old province of Lavedan the walk follows parts of an old high route back into France from Santiago de Compostella in Spain over the Pyrenees. The passes of the Central Pyrenees are often snow covered at the beginning of summer when pilgrims set out for their grand adventure to Santiago, but by the end of summer they could pass through these valleys on their way home, converging on the monastery in St Savin.
We’ve chosen a route challenging enough for strong walkers and flexible enough for those who like shorter days. Walks can often be varied from four to seven hours depending on the routes chosen.
Budget
1095€ (5 nights, 2 hotels) - 1295€ (7 nights, 3 hotels) per person
1595€ (10 nights, 4 hotels) - 1795€ (13 nights, 4 hotels) per person
This price includes :
- accommodation in 3* hotels
- breakfast & dinner each day
- collection at Lourdes train station and transfer to your first hotel
- all bag transfers between hotels
- full briefing at the start of your trip
- marked maps and walking notes including information about the history, geography and geology of the areas you walk through
- GPS tracking
- general assistance during your stay
Options :
- ask us about the shorter or longer itineraries.
- transfer to Lourdes at then end of your trip (75€-110€)
Extras :
- shuttle buses (Pont d'Espagne & Gavarnie)
Itinerary
Day 1
Visit Lourdes, the second largest Roman Catholic pilgrimage destination after Rome. From the sometimes garish religious paraphernalia to the quiet calm of the sanctuaries themselves, the town is full of colours and contrasts. We collect you from the train station or your hotel and drive you to your hotel in the heart of the spa town of Argeles-Gazost. Dinner in the hotel or a nearby restaurant.
Day 2
Set out for your first day straight from the hotel door and up the Mont de Gez, a great foothill summit with views into the valleys to be explored over the week to come. The charming villages and pastoral landscapes give way to both cultivated and natural forests before the peak is reached. Return via Arras en Lavedan, an impossibly picturesque village dotted with sculptures and an excellent bookshop café. Ascent/Descent: 650m, ~12kms.
Day 3
Leaving Argeles (460m) you head to Arcizans through the hidden wonderland of the Arrieulat, down through St Savin, and up to the tiny village of Uz to the Pouey-Aspé chapel (956m), where St Savin had his hermitage. Descending through the forest almost into the village of Pierrefitte before diverting off onto the path along the old railway line you leave the foothills and transition from gently rolling hills to the steep slopes of the dramatic Cauterets valley. Shorter walking options with a bus to Cauterets from Pierrefitte are possible, as is the possibility of riding part or all of the way with the luggage and then taking advantage of Cauterets’ spa facilities offering thermal water swimming and treatments. Ascent/Descent: 1115m/640m, ~20kms.
Day 4
Cauterets and the surrounding valleys are too good to leave after just one night! Above the town the spectacular Pont d’Espagne (1500m) gives access to the Gaube and Marcadau Valleys, famous for their walking. There is a pretty walk over granite slabs and through pine trees to the very blue Lac de Gaube (1700m). Grand Site of the Occitanie Region. Walk higher to the Oulettes Refuge for a view on to the north face of the Vignemale and the Oulettes glacier. Excursion into the Clot and Marcadau Valleys. This is a great place to add a night, or two, and a walk into the Lutour Valley. Ascent/Descent: variable with multiple options.
Day 5
Follow the zig-zagging GR10 path. The route climbs steeply out the back of Cauterets up to the Col de Riou with its huge views over Luz St Sauveur and the Barèges Valley. Option of tackling the triangular Viscos peak (2141m) you surely spotted from the Mont de Gez. Descent through the ski station of Luz Ardiden and down the GR10 eastwards into Luz. Option to be collected at the ski station or any of the villages on the way down. Ascent/Descent: 950m/350-1250m, ~10-24kms.
Day 6
From Luz there are multiple day walking options. A nice one is to head up the valley to another thermal village, Barèges via one or other of the GR10 variants. Here you will really see how 2000 years of grazing by domestic animals has sculpted the mountain ecosystems and created the mosaic pastoral landscape of the Pyrenees. Option either via three small villages and the fields around them, or forests and high pastures. Can be a round trip if you are up for a bigger day Ascent/Descent: 730m/210m, ~10kms, or +890m/-385m, 12.5kms. Return bus from Barèges to Luz.
Day 7
Gavarnie and its impressive Grand Cascade, a continuous drop of 423m are spectacular. The balcony paths we suggest are far less travelled than the main valley path, even in the height of summer. Outside July and August you can almost feel you have this marvel of nature to yourself. If you would like a rest from walking it is possible to take in the full view of the cirque from the terrace of one of the many cafés, or simply have a gentle stroll up to a grassy meadow for a picnic. Ascent/Descent: 250-750m, option + 200m extra to the foot of the waterfall, ~5-13kms. Bus access to and from Luz.
Day 8
Either catch the bus from Luz to Lourdes or steal a last walk, perhaps around the villages of the Luz Valley, or up one of the summits beckoning from the square in front of the hotel before catching a later bus or taxi to Lourdes.
Gavarnie is an option for adding a couple of nights to your trip. There is plenty of extra walking if you choose this. Ask us for an itinerary.