4. Lescun to Luz-Saint-Sauveur

Lescun to Borce

A very lazy start today. We left the hotel at about 10.30, stopped to get brekkie at the shop (croissants, bananas) and then had our first break 50m down the road where we stopped for coffee at the restaurant where we had had our dinner the last 2 nights.

We were expecting an easier day of 16kms or so with a climb of 789m and descent of 1092m. Ah the best laid plans....

After crossing the valley and commencing a climb steeply up the other side, we came on to track that wound around the mountain towards a small village, Lhers, where we couldn't help ourselves: we stopped by the river to have some olives and fruit. It was just beautiful!

Then the day really began. We climbed steeply up the side of the hill on the opposite side through beech forest coming out on the col where the guidebook told us we could go 200m south to wonderful of the Aspe Valley. All true, except there was a huge French sheep dog (about the size of a small horse), that decided he needed to tell us who was boss. He bounded across the mountain towards us, barking all the way, but decided we weren't going to harm the sheep so finally left us to eat our lunch.

The dog then shadowed us down the hill for about a km until were clearly outside his territory and left us to continue the rather steep and tiring descent in to Borce.

We found a room in the local gite/bar/shop and ended up having a lovely meal of daub de maison washed down with a very respectable burgundy.

Borce to Lac Gentau

This was a truly spectacular day. The guidebook recommends going from Borce to Gabas, a distance of some 24.7km with a gain in height of 1588m and a descent of 1158m. Bloody hell! Not these Little Black Ducks. We decided we would camp after the major climb to the Col d'Ayous which left the 3 hour descent to the following day. So glad we did.

Not long after leaving Borce, we climbed up through the spectacular Sescoue Ravine to enter the National Park (Chemin de la Mature) continuing to climb to the col above Lac Gentau where we were presented with a spectacular view of the Pic du Midi d'Ossau, a giant limestone massif that rises to 2884m.

Stopping for lunch along the way, I couldn't resist the water.

And of course we had to chill the wine:

We descended to the Lac to have a look at the refuge, but being Saturday night, it was crawling with holiday makers, many Small Persons and, like everything else in the Pyrenees on a Saturday night, was "complet".

We bought a litre of vin "ordinaire", filled up the water bottles and found a beautiful campsite about half an hour further on where we had picnic in our tent of cheese, fruit, sausson and baguette. We both slept like the proverbial logs.

Lac Gentau to Cabanes de Cery

We were in no real hurry today but still got up to watch the sun-rise over Pic d'Midi at about 7.00. Had a cup of tea and some cheese and fruit for breakfast, packed and were on our way by a bit after 9.00.

Descending to Lac de Bious-Artigues, we met up with a mixed crew of space scientists we had met the previous day. They were a woman from Northern Ireland, a Dane and a Brit. Rach told me I should not refer to them as "Space Cadets" (I mean how many rocket scientists do you meet in life, much less while trekking in the Pyrenees?) Spent a lovely hour or two chatting as we walked and then they turned off to head straight up the side of the Pic d'Midi. Space Cadets was looking like a good label at that stage!

Rach and I continued on to Gabas through the happy throngs making their way up to the lakes. They all looked so happy and wholesome, we were expecting them to burst into song at any moment.
Got to Gabas about midday and made the wrong choice of venues for lunch. We went past a place with a couple of mountain sheep dogs taking their leisure and then continued in search of food.



We were greeted by Mr Grumpy who took our order but gave absolutely no indication that we could take off our packs or sit down. Bit odd really. Had a passable lunch (the grilled lamb I had WAS good) and decided to head on to see how far we could get to cut down the huge walk that the guidebook suggested for tomorrow.

The first part of this took us through a spectacular traverse around a gorge that culminated crossing a waterfall. This part of the trail was definitely not for the faint of heart.

About an hour after we left Gabas it started to rain. We were deep in a pine forest at the foot of the huge bluffs that overhang the valley. After a bit of discussion, not to mention some advice from a French version of Tom Bombadil who came whistling down the trail out of the growing murk in the forest, we decided to continue up the hill.

I was wishing I had had what Rach had for lunch as she was bounding up the rocks like the proverbial gazelle.

I was struggling to keep up. After about an hour of very steep climbing that saw us ascend 400m and passing beneath some really impressive limestone climbing walls, we emerged on a meadow at about 1600m to be greeted by a shepherd who showed us where the water source referred to in the book was and where we might find a suitable campsite.

By 8.30 we had set up camp and settled in for a picnic of cheese, sausage, dried apricots and almonds. Truly a grand feast and the end of a great day.

Haute cuisine a' la Cabanes de Cery:

Cabanes de Cery to Gourette

Awoke (once again) to the sound of bells (Quasimodo eat your heart out), as the cows and sheep in the meadows began to stir. Had a cup of tea and we were soon packed and on our way traversing high above the valley floor about 500m below.

We were fascinated to watch a helicopter bringing supplies to what turned out to be a work camp below the next ridge. It must have made a dozen trips ferrying large nets of supplies and materials slung about 5m below the fuselage.

The morning started out fine but as we approached the final climb to the col, the wind picked up and it started to rain.

I was surprised and not a little concerned to see how cold Rach got on this climb and when we came over the col were relieved to see a shepherds hut just below the lip of the col where we sheltered and tucked in to some sheeps cheese, nuts and fruit.

We then commenced a steep and arduous descent over very broken scree for about 3 hours. We had climbed to 2465m on the Hourquette d'Arre and now descended some 1100m, past a tarn (where because to time constraints I refrained from a swim) to Gourette, arriving at a bit after 4.30 where Rach managed to persuade a lady in cafe to part with a packet of Spanish cigarettes for the princely sum of 5 Euro.

We checked in to a delightful little hotel called Le Glacier where we greeted warmly by the hotelier and his wife who showed us to top floor room with a bath, where Rach disappeared for about 2 hours before dinner.

The only restaurant open was the kitchen in the gite which served a lovely meal of salad, canard with potatoes and a fresh apple pie. Over dinner, we met a delightful young French couple and a cyclist doing a traverse of the Pyrenees on (road) bike. Great fun.

Gourette to Arrens-Marsous

Today contained a very special surprise. After one of the best breakfasts so far, we were late in packing and leaving. We were finally ready at about 10.30 and as we were about to leave, a cheerful chappy arrived delivering bags for people who were coming from Gabas but who were having the luggage taken by van each day. Rach, charming as ever, was soon chatting with the guy who offered to take our packs to Arrens-Marsous for us. I insisted that we should carry our packs ourselves, but soon convinced of the error of my ways and we set off with one light day-pack containing only sandwiches and a litre of water!

We positively bounded over the two cols we had to cross that day. Going twice as fast up hill as usual and even running down the other side. At one stage I felt a bit like Daniel Day-Louis in "the Last of the Mohicans" dog-trotting across the steep mountain passes. Rach played the part of the independent English daughter rather well too!

We came in to Arrens Marsous, where we had the first afternoon off in ages. We demolished a bottle of orange juice, replenished our dwindling supplies and even managed to sit in a park sharing a punnet of Haagen Dazs Salted Caramel ice cream. "Sharing" may not be quite accurate though as Rach had control of the spoon. We listened and watched several flights of Mirages rocketing overhead as the French fly-boys prepared for their impending deployment to Iraq.

Here is a photo of our next home:

Dinner that night was particularly good: we had a fresh salad (with peeled tomotoes and smoked salmon), confit of canard with REALLY crisp pom frits followed by a creme caramel.

Quite a nice day in the office really.

Arrens-Marsous to Cauterets

Today promised to be a doozy: 27.1km with 1574m of up and 1539 of down. In anyones terms a big day that was expected to take 9hrs 15mins if we kept to the guidebook times.

Packed and ready and out the door at 8.00 to the sound of the church bells announcing the hour, we were sooner in "sherper gear" moving at a glacial (if inexorable) pace up the first hill.

After cresting the first col in less than the recommended time, we make our way up to the Lac d'Estaing, which is a beautiful feature of this part of the Pyrenees. It is a shallow mountain lake that early in the day mirrors the peaks that surround it.

After a stop for coffee we then commenced the serious climbing for the day. This consisted of a further 3 hour climb to Col d'Ilheou, which again, with a short stop below the summit climb to re-fuel, we completed comfortably in the time recommended.

OK, we had climbed this bloody great hill, all we had to do now was get down. Simple really. WRONG!

After descending to the refuge about 250m below, where we had a glass of wine and a chocolate crepe, we commenced a gruelling 3 hour descent to Cauterets about 1100m below.

The trail took us initially down a steep, but manageable 4-wheel drive track but soon took us off this on to steep, shingly goat tracks that "cut out the loops in the road". This was very difficult ground to traverse and soon found us picking our way, tentatively placing one foot after another. Rach found this particularly nerve wracking.

We finally got in to Cauterets, a beautiful mountain ski resort at about 8.00 absoluted knackered. We were lucky enough to find a nice hotel fairly quickly however and I went down to the restaurant and had the Menu de Terroir and a glass of red out of the bottle that I ordered. Rach opted to have wine and a salad in the bath.

Needless to say, we slept like the dead. We were happy though: we had completed the day's walking in just under 12 hours and taking out breaks, had completed the walking within the time suggested by the guidebook. We figured we must be getting match fit.

After a false start the following day, where we checked out of our hotel, we checked back in to the same hotel and decided to have a rest day. The bodies were not ready to move on yet. We had a great day eating and drinking ourselves silly and felt well prepared for the next leg of our trip.

Cauterets to Luz-Saint-Sauveur

What do they say about "the best laid plans"......
We were awake at 6.00, packed and fed and ready to go by a bit before 8.00 only to look out the window to find it was pouring. "Bugger that" (or something slightly more profane) said Rach "I am not walking in that!" I was in complete agreement. It is one thing to be in the mountains and it starts to rain. There is no choice but to don the rain jacket, tighten the pack cover and trudge on. It is quite another to leave a warm, dry room in a delightful town and willingly walk out in to the fog, mist and rain.

Rach went back to bed and I walked up to the centre of the village to find a coffee. Now, I always thought it was the power of a good coffee that can change your day, but I have now decided it is the power of a good croissant. My first coffee was good, but it was drunk under the awning of the little cafe with the rain drizzling away. However, my second coffee was accompanied by a great croissant and guess what? The sky turned blue and the sun came out. Voile! We were on our way.

We left Cauterets at 10.15 through the forest on the edge of town. It was a long steep climb, but some thoughtful trail-maker had thought to make this a singly pleasant experience by creating a smooth trail over the floor of the forest with lots of lovely switch-backs.

We were forced to take an unexpected break after about an hour as a herd of cows made its cumbersome (and rather noisome) way down the hill.



After about 10 minutes and dodging cow dung, we climbed up a smooth gradient for a couple of hours to have our first foddering stop of the day to eat one of the 15 sandwiches (well, lets not let facts get in the way of a good story) that Rach had made from the left-over poulet and pork that we had bought the day before. We had got a bit carried away the previous day in the supermarket and found ourselves carrying: saucisson, jambon, a kilo of nectarines and 3 baguettes made up in to sandwiches of the afore-mentioned chicken and pork. Oh, we also had the best part of a bottle of excellent Madiran (red wine) from the second bottle we could not finish the night before together with our Trail Rations of nuts, dried fruit, biscuits, tea, sugar, sheeps cheese etc.
Well, we WERE expecting a long hard day!

This day was basically one good UP followed by one good DOWN (which we were dreading after the last day's walking). 22km of walking with 1248m ascent and 1441m descent. Rach's new pack cover which we had bought meant she was never out of sight:



Although I haven't tested this yet, I suspect you could see the glow from over the horizon! No more stealth trekking for us!

We were soon at the top having competed the climb quite comfortably and found ourselves looking down an enormous snow field - sans snow. Over the pass was the top of a long grass covered bowl with chair-lifts and so on for the winter season frolickers.

Some of the "so-on" included these stairs from the car-park leading to the chair lifts:

We had a great afternoon walking down, avoiding the more treacherous parts of the trail by staying on the road and the final part of the trail served as down-hill mountain bike trail, which was steep but well graded and with lots of challenging turns. I wish I had had my Felt (mountain bike) with me! (Tony, you would have loved it - particularly as there was an open bar at the bottom when we got to town!)

Rach had booked a room in a 3 star hotel as we were planning a rest day when we got to Luz-Saint-Sauveur. Unfortunately it was on the other side of the town and uphill. We spent the last half hour trudging through the village asking where the hotel was. When we finally got there, we were rewarded with a lovely room overlooking the valley, with a stream running past and an ice-cold Grimbergen (as I said before: the Belgians really DO make a good beer). A perfect end to a great days walking.