A Classic Pyrenéean Day Walk
Whilst thinking about my previous post on the Pyreneés, I recalled my first walk with my brother in law, David in these mountains back in 2006. At the time we were enjoying a family holiday near St Girons in a fab house with a pool and all the usual little luxuries. Thus we judged it safe to leave our wives and David’s son, Robert, to their own devices for a day whilst we set off for a day up in the mountains.
This was possibly unwise as, unbeknownst to us, while we were slogging our way up to the Port de Venasque, Miss W had commandeered my brand new BMW 330 and with David’s wife Debbie spent the day careering up and down mountain passes, eventually joining a TVR owner’s club rally at a hilltop bar.
Oh my tyres and gearbox!
We spent the day blissfully unaware of the activities of our other halves, and drove up via Bagneres de Luchon to the parking area at the then derelict Hospice de France (it has since been renovated, and there is an auberge and mountain refuge cum hotel there now).
This circular walk from The Hospice de France is one of those that often pops up in guide books, and as such will no doubt be pretty popular in the summer season. However, it is not a casual tourist’s wander from the car park; this is a proper mountain walk and it will assuredly occupy a full day. The views into Spain are spectacular, not least for being hidden until the last moment, when you pop your head over the Port de Venasque to see the glacier topped Maladeta massif, reaching 3,404m at Aneto, the highest peak in the Pyrenees.
As you can see from the map, the ascent to the little refuge and the lakes of the Boums du Port is steep, but eased by the zig-zags, so taken steadily it really isn’t as demanding as the ascent figure implies.
Ah, yes, the all important stats! The distance is a tad difficult to judge accurately, what with all the zig-zags, but I’ll go along with the general consensus that it’s about 13.5km. Our guide book put the total ascent at 1,120m, but with the benefit of digital mapping I reckon it at nearer 1,400m. Even so, by Pyrenéean standards, this is a relatively undemanding walk, within the capability of any reasonably fit walker.
One thing that struck me was the grassy pasture on the spanish side of the border, which offers some fabulous spots for a wild camp. Should you decide to climb up to the Port, and then take in the ascent of the Pic de Sauvegarde, just to the west, this would make a great place to spend the night. I would advise getting water from the refuge on the way up, though, as apart from a few small pools it seemed pretty dry on the spanish side.
I’ll say no more, and let a few snapshots do the talking!
The views on the Spanish side are quite stunning, and amply reward the effort of getting up there!
We headed east from the Port de Venasque, over a saddle that is called Port de la Picade. This is a fine viewpoint, and on this clear day we could see mountain after mountain stretching off into the far distance. Being a weekday in the first week of September, the french holidays were over and the schoolkids all preparing for the “Rentrée”. We had the place entirely to ourselves, so we paused to sit in the sun and take it all in. A wonderful place for our picnic.
From the Pas d’Escallette the route takes you down along the Crête de Crabides before steadily settling in to the very long descent back to the Hospice de France. The cool woodland was very welcome at the end! All the way down the views of the Vallée de la Frèche far below are quite outstanding – if only I had taken a photo or two – but by this stage of the day my thoughts were focussed on getting back to the swimming pool and a couple of well earned beers.
We undertook this walk in early September – my favourite time in the Pyrenées, when the crowds have dispersed and children are preparing for the return to school – the Rentrée. When we passed the refuge at the Boums du Port it was open with welcome refreshments on offer – details of seasonal opening are HERE.
Regarding the start point, the Hospice de France is no longer the lonely ruin of 2006. Now fully renovated and largely rebuilt, it offers both a restaurant and accommodation. Full details HERE There is a large public car park, but be warned – in high season I am told that it fills up very quickly from 8am, so either get up early or do as I do – go in the autumn!