A Week in the Western Valleys Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive in Lescun
Pick up from Tarbes or Biarritz airport (or a nearby train station). Drive to the beautiful mountain village of Lescun, which will be our base in the Aspe Valley (Valle d’Aspe) for the next couple of days. Our itinerary for the remainder of the day depends on what time your flight or train arrived. If time allows then after lunch we will do a quick walk ni order to warm up the muscles. The three hour, easy loop above the village is a favourite way to begin or, if you prefer, you can just take it easy enjoying the arty atmosphere of this farming village. We will be spending the night in a comfortable village guesthouse.
Day 2: Lac d’Ansabére (6hrs; moderate)
The Cirque de Lescun is one of the wonders of the French Pyrenees. Not as internationally well known as the Cirque de Gavarnie, there is never the less a lot of walking variety in this area. The cirque itself; a ragged sharks jaw of soaring rock spires, is very different in look and feel to the better known cirques to the east. In some ways it’s more like several cirques combined into one with different valleys leading to different sections of the cirque. We begin our hiking adventure with a locals favourite: the moderate hike to the Lac d’Ansabére (Ansabére lake).The trail carries us easily uphill through beech forest to a cluster of stone shepherd cabins at the base of a great shaft of two kilometre high rock needles. After a pause for lunch here we continue upwards through rolling sheep pastures to arrive at the small Lac d’Ansabére whose still waters beautifully reflect the surrounding peaks. If the energy levels are there then we can continue upwards a short way to a frontier ridge with views down to the much larger Acherito lake just below us on the Spanish side. We return by the way we came for a well earned dinner back in Lescun village.
Day 3: Dec de Lhurs (6hrs; moderate)
After a filling breakfast we set out on our second full day of hiking. This time to quiet Lac de Lhurs and, beyond that, the barely known summit of Dec de Lhurs, a stunning place to take in the view across the whole of the Cirque de Lescun. The first part of this walk, to the secluded Lac de Lhurs, offers a bit of everything. The wild beech forests that are so symbolic of the damper, western Pyrenees, airy drop-offs, postcard worthy farming scenes, abundant wildlife (griffon vultures and marmots are commonly seen) and the fish-filled lake itself with a backdrop of fearful rock spires and dark rocky mountain wastelands. After a rest by the lake we follow a faint trail upwards over heathery slopes to a ridge, which then leads up to the summit of Dec de Lhurs (2176m) for an unforgetable view across the Cirque de Lescun. Note that the very last part to the summit is steep and a little exposed. If you’re not comfortable with this then we will stop on the ridgeline that offers similar views. We return back to Lescun for dinner.
Day 4: Pic d’Anie (8hrs; hard)
It’s near perfect pyramid form is visible from miles around, the Pic d’Anie (2504m) is the unmistakable high point of the Cirque de Lescun and by the end of today, if all goes well, then we will have stood atop its summit. It’s a long and hard but endlessly entertaining ascent that challenges but requires no technical skills. Like so many walks around here we start out in beech forest, fade through livestock pastures (we pass a shepherd cabin where you can buy the famous local brebis cheese straight from the shepherd) before climbing up onto a vast karstic limestone plateau. This biggest such geological feature in Europe, this desert dry landscape is both fascinating and intimaditing in equal measure. The rock is torn through by crevasse like gaps and under our feet are some of the biggest cave systems in Europe. The last part of the hike steepens up considerably and you might have to use your hands to haul your way up the last part to the summit cone. The threesixty views from the top encompass virtually all of the western end of the Pyrenees and even over to the Atlantic coast simmering in the summer heat.
We return back to Lescun for the night.
Note, that Pic d’Anie is very suseptiable to weather changes and a bright clear day can quickly turn murky and cloudy. When the cloud descends and visibilty drops the karstic plateau off which Pic d’Anie rises can be a dangerous place to be. With that in mind, if the weather is uncertain then we will substitute this route for another one more appropiate to the conditions.
Day 5: Lacs d’Ayous (6hrs; moderate)
After an early breakfast we drive (one hour) to the Ossau Valley (Valle d’Ossau) just over the ridge to the east. Most people consider this one of the most beautiful and varied of the valleys in the western Pyrenees. We will drive straight to the trailhead for the circuit of the Lacs d’Ayous (Ayous lakes). On a sunny day in late May, when the spring flowers turn the Alpine meadows ablaze in colour and the last of the winter snow lingers in shady corners, it’s easy to see why this circular walk past a string of glittering lakes in the shadow of the distinctive Pic du Midi d’Ossau (2884m), is rightly considered one of the absolute classic walks of the western Pyrenees.
This walk might be popular but it’s is always throwing something of interest toward you: pastures filled with docile eyed cows and sheep, soaring fang-like pillars of rock, rocky moonscapes, mossy forests, streams filled with fat fish and so many lakes in a multitude of sizes that you’ll soon loose count of the number you’ve passed. But as the scenery around you changes by the minute one thing remains constant: the towering presence of the Pic du Midi d’Ossau just over the valley.
At the end of a wonderful day of hiking we head to the small village of Laruns and check into our comfortable guesthouse. This will be our base for the remainder of the holiday.
Day 6: Pic d’Anglas (8hrs; hard)
The area around the large ski resort of Gourette is often overlooked by hikers, but hidden away behind the chair lifts is a green and quiet valley dotted in mirror smooth lakes and imposing mountain peaks. This is a very varied loop that starts out following a cold and clear stream toward the head of a valley where we make a steep clamber up the cliff (the trail is perfectly safe and not normally a problem for vertigo sufferers) to an area of wide open meadows surrounding a couple of deep blue lakes. From here we haul our way ever higher to a pass and then the summit of the Pic d’Anglas (2459m) for memorable views. If energy levels allow we can climb a further steep half an hour to the summit of Arre Sourins (2614m) for even more remarkable views. We then drop down past a third lake, the Lac d’Anglas and back down toward Gourette. An unexpected point of interest on this hike are the remenants of 18th Century mining equipment that’s been left to slowly rust away that you’ll pass by at several occasions on this walk.
We return to Laruns for the night.
Day 7: Arremoulit Lake (7-8hrs; hard)
On a fine day in June, when wild flowers cover the meadows in an abundance of colour, snow lies across the high peaks and blocks of ice melt slowly in cobalt coloured lakes, then this hike is simply one of a kind. Yes, it’s a long and tiring day, but with every step of the way likely to leave you impressed you might well come to the conclusion that this is one of the very best day walks that you’ve ever done. The route begins from high in the Ossau valley, ducks through dense forest for a half hour before emerging into a huge flower meadow full of butterflies and plump marmots. After a heavy climb through the meadows you enter more Alpine territory to reach a pass with dramatic views. Here we have a choice, play it safe by dropping down to the massive Artouste lake and then climbing back up the other side to our final goal, or taking the more direct route via the Passage d’Orteig, a goat track-like notch in the cliff face that is absolutely not for the faint of heart. Either way, we eventually arrive at the stunning Arremoulit Lake backed by a wall of solid mountain rock.
We return by the same route and head back to Laruns for our final night.
Day 8: Departure
Our journey finishes after breakfast when we transfer you to your departure airport or train station in a nearby town. If your onward connection is not until later in the day then, for an additional payment, do a short half day hike from the Col d’Aubisque before late afternoon drop off. And if you’ve not yet got your fill of Pyrenean wonders then we can take you straight over to the central French Pyrenees for a week of hiking around the Gavarnie region or across into Spain to the maganificent Ordesa region.