Walking holidays in the French Pyrenees

Enjoy the glorious scenery and the wonderful walking of the French Pyrenees, either at the rhythm of your own pace or join with others on our small group guided outings.

We have 25 years experience of walking holidays in the Pyrenees. A self-guided walking holiday with us includes a personal briefing, detailed route guides to the superb footpath network and the use of our own local transport service to reach the best walks, all you need for a great walking holiday!

You can also join in for a day or two on one of our wildlife walks, which we run throughout the summer, with all our local experience we know exactly where is best each month of the year, great scenery and great wildlife with the local experts!

Choose between either a 3-star hotel or a stay in our own quality apartments — hotel from £425 / €475 week half-board, apartments from £425 / €465/week (sleeping 4–6). Available all dates May to end September. For independent walkers the holiday cost includes a personal briefing, route guides, comprehensive local info pack and access to all our local services — transport drops, guided days etc. Go to our hotel and apartment pages for photos.

Wildlife Walks- An introduction to the birds, flowers and butterflies of the Hautes Pyrenees.

12 - 19 June 2010. €765 / £695. 5 days guided outings at our favourite wildlife spots, gentle guided walks with the emphasis on observation and photography, with spectacular scenery and a vibrant wildlife guaranteed! All local transport included. 7 nights half-board accommodation at the Hotel le Montaigu in Luz St Sauveur. Airport and train transfers arranged.

 

Exploring the very best of the Pyrenees… it's on your doorstep

On the evening of your arrival we explain the area and the local footpath network for brilliant walking from your doorstep, we will also offer suggestions for exploring further afield. Our local route guide has 20 main walks and as many variants, and offers something for all interests, from suggestions for the naturalist to whole-day expeditions into the high mountains for the experienced mountain walker. Wherever possible our walks are circuits, the shorter ones through the woods and meadows around the villages could be completed in two hours, the high mountain loops into the Neouvielle region and the National Park can take up to eight hours. Our route guide to walking further afield takes in the the most dramatic scenery of the range including Gavarnie, Troumouse, Estaube, Cauterets and Pont d'Espagne, all the classic sites of the Pyrenees National Park. We organise transport drops to all these sites — opening up great circuits, A–B walks, discovering the wildlife hot spots …

We will suggest a personalised programme for your stay to take in the very best the area has to offer.

Our suggestions for the classic sites…

A perfect week would be to divide your time between the fantastic walking on your doorstep in Bareges and Luz with some trips further afield. Having use of a hire car gives you complete independence and opens up hundreds of possibilities which are all covered on our route guides. If you prefer not to drive, we organise two to three transport drops per week to Gavarnie and other spectacular places.

The walking potential from Bareges and Luz St Sauveur is enormous …

Brilliant walks for all interests and abilities on an extensive and well-signposted footpath network, and all on your doorstep! At lower levels the paths take you through the meadows, mixed woodland and the picturesque villages of the Pays Toy, head to the south to enter the National Park and the superb Neouvielle region with its 100 lakes and 3000-metre peaks. The GR10 long distance footpath also passes through Bareges and Luz.

At the classic sites of the National Park

Our route guides includes walks at the Cirque de Gavarnie, the Neouvielle lakes, the Cirque de Troumouse, and cross border walks into Spain. We organise a weekly programme of transport drops at the most dramatic sites within the Parc National des Pyrenees. The experienced walker will want to see the Vignemale, climb a Pyrenean '3000' or take an unforgettable trip across the frontier into Spain through the Breche de Roland, enjoy our Cirque de Gavarnie circuit, or our 'Three Cirques' traverse. These routes are not technically difficult and are well within the scope of anybody who walks regularly. At each site we choose the routes by taking into account your interests, using as much as possible lesser known trails. Easy road access into the high mountains allows us to programme guided walks where one can appreciate the wildlife, savour the dramatic scenery, and enjoy that wonderfiul feeling of being on top of the world. There is too much to see and enjoy here for head down ascents!

Walks for the naturalist…

For the naturalist we will take you to some of our favourite places well of the beaten track with the walking led at an easy pace. We will seek out the resident wildlife including isard, marmot, the best places for the raptors, the best valleys for the flowers, the high alpines … always taking the time to appreciate the richness and diversity of the Pyrenean flora and fauna. See our wildlife walks on our wildlife pages.

Our local transport service

Each week we organise a number of trips so you can explore the wider area, we tend mainly to go towards Gavarnie and the border regions. We will personally explain the options at each destination and you will be given our leaflet explaining the walking options, mainly within the National Park. Included are some of our favourite places, lesser known and quieter, (particularly useful during August) with sites of particular interest to the naturalist. Return trip 5–20 euros, depending on distance.

 

 

 

 

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