The steep sided, and intensely green Ossau and Aspe Valleys (Valle d’Ossau and Valle d’Aspe), which lie at the western end of the French Pyrenees, are a land of mountain lakes glinting in the sun, shepherds living with their flocks in summertime pastures, vultures soaring up high above iced over summits, old smuggler trails crossing knife edge frontier ridges, elusive brown bears searching for autumn berries and apparently endless beech forests that explode in red and gold each October.

Much less trodden than more celebrated parts of the Pyrenees around Gavarnie and Ordesa, this is the place for the discerning hiker. For the moment, most of the people you will find in the trails of Ossau and Aspe are local French and Spanish. And, although the area is well set up for hiking tourism, the soul of the people who call these valleys home is one that is dedicated to an older way of life. A life dictated by passing seasons and the annual movement of livestock from the valley floor to the summer pastures.

These two valleys are the closest parts of the high Pyrenees to the Samgai Journeys office so we know the trails here inside out and are one of the few international tour companies to offer hiking holidays in this wonderful area. The one week itinerary we offer here comprises what we consider to be the best day hiking trails in the two nighbouring valleys. They’re not the easiest routes but neither are they too demanding and none require technical expertise or equipment. Any regular hiker would class most of them as moderate. They are all one day hikes rather than overnight hikes. We’ve designed it like this in order to allow you to see a greater range of landscapes in a short period of time and to enjoy the pleasures of a hot shower, comfy bed and delicious meal at the end of a hard days hiking. It also means that you only have to carry a miniumn of gear each day.

While hiking you will be accompanied by an experienced, English speaking (other languages available on request) and fully qualified local mountain guide. He or she will ensure your safety, entertain you with interesting stories about the area and check that you are comfortable. They will also assess the weather conditions each day and make changes to the routes if they deem it neccassary from a safety perspective. You will be staying in upmarket guesthouses or country hotels and be driven to and from the trail head for that days walk each day.