A Taste of the Pyrenees
Gentle guided walks in dramatic scenery— discover the superb wildlife, history and traditions of the Pays Toy, savour the local cuisine, relax in the spa baths…
During these guided weeks we will take you to our favourite places, often off the beaten the track, where you can savour the dramatic scenery and discover the rich natural history of the Hautes Pyrenees.
Two days will be devoted to the local history and traditions of our local area, the Pays Toy, with every opportunity to enjoy the local Pyrenean cuisine.
There will be time to relax each evening in the wonderful Bareges Spa Baths, in a magnificent C19th neo-classical building, the spa offers saunas, jacuzzis, Roman baths, oriental hammam and relaxation pools.
For the guided walking days much of the week will be spent within the Parc National des Pyrenees. We will visit the World Heritage site of the Cirque de Gavarnie, and Pont d'Espagne, both magical places of high peaks, crashing waterfalls and rushing streams, a grandiose landscapes carpeted with alpine flowers. Our itineraries will be arranged around the wishes of the participants.
All walking will be very gentle with plenty of time for observation and photography. Easy road access into the high mountains allows us to spend whole days at high altitudes without any climbing! We will explain the vibrant, abundant and incredibly diverse fauna and flora to be found locally.

Gavarnie

Luzea spa

Lac de Gaube
A real taste of the Pyrenees with a little local history and cuisine … a day will be spent discovering the lifestyle and traditions that accompany mountain sheep-farming and which have so shaped the local landscape. We will meet with a local farmer to understand the life of the bergers and why our famous AOC Bareges Gavarnie lamb (unique in Europe) is so good! We will then of course go on to taste this fabulous product at Chez Louisette in Bareges.

The Pays Toy lamb is unique

Easy high-level paths

There will be a visit to the famous Pic du Midi Observatory, at nearly ten thousand feet it offers an unforgettable panorama over the Pyrenees and a fifth of France! It has been a working observatory since the 1850s.

View from the Pic du Midi
Your holiday base is the historic village of Bareges in the Pays Toy. Accommodation is at the excellent 3-star Hotel Le Central, all rooms en-suite with superb mountain views. The hotel has a garden, spa, wi-fi, lounge bar and restaurant.
We have negotiated a discount weekly pass for entry to the Bareges spa.
All local transport is included.
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