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Cirque de Gavarnie & the Ordesa canyon
Special guided walking holiday

A special guided walking week, taking in two of the most famous sites of the Pyrenees - the Cirque de Gavarnie, in the French Pyrenees National Park, and the Ordesa canyon in the Spanish Pyrenees National Park. This is an intermediate-adventurous level week, including two introductory day walks and a three-day (two night) mini trek between Gavarnie and Ordesa.

The week will be guided by Robert Mason, a qualified International Mountain Leader (Accompagnateur en Montagne), living and working full-time in the Pyrenees. Accommodation is at our own lovely 3* guesthouse in the mountain village of Bareges. During the trek we will spend the nights at the Refuge Goriz, at the head of the Ordesa canyon, and at a comfortable trekkers lodge in the Bujaruelo valley.

Dates for 2010:

Example itinerary – Cirque de Gavarnie & Ordesa canyon week

Saturday – free afternoon
Arrive in the afternoon. We suggest a leisurely stroll to the creperie at St Justin where you can enjoy a traditional French snack in the sunshine. The restaurant is on an isolated promontory looking out onto the lovely Bastan valley, the village of Barèges and the towering mountains on every side - it can only be accessed on foot.

Sunday - Montagne Fleuri circuit (m)
An interesting introductory walk from the village, giving us a chance to get to know the area and view the week’s destinations from on high.

Leaving from the house (1250m), we cross the Bastan river and attack the horizon which dominates the view from our patio. A nice warm-up through the ancient valley farms takes us to the meadows of the Transarrious plateau. From here we take the Montagne Fleuri path, zig zagging up through mixed woodland before traversing around above Bareges. Lunch at the top, with spectacular views looking right across to the Spanish frontier, the Cirque de Gavarnie and the famous Brèche de Roland. We descend along a rounded ridge, looking down into a hidden cirque, strewn with ancient cabins and bergers’ paths, then again take a zig zag path down to the plateau. From here we have an optional detour (well worthwhile!) for a cheeky crepe at St. Justin.

Monday – Col de Tracens/Pic de Madamète (2657m)
We hike into the unspoilt wilderness of the Néouvielle nature reserve – a dramatic contrast to yesterday, in this wild landscape of scattered granite boulders and miniature pine trees.

Starting from our own valley, we drive for five minutes to the Pont de la Gaubie (1538m). Our morning’s climb follows the GR10 and ascends the beautiful Aygues-Cluses valley. The path goes up gently under gnarled pine trees, then climbs steeply to a huge, tranquil lake - the perfect spot for lunch and a refreshing feet-dip (watch out for toe-nibbling baby trout!). After lunch we climb steadily to the Col de Tracens, where we are rewarded by spectacular views across the Neouvielle in both directions. For those who are feeling keen, there is a chance here to ascend the Pic de Madamete (2657m) - an unparalled look-out point. We descend on the other side of the ridge, past a series of lakes and crossing fields of rounded granite boulders. The landscape here in the Néouvielle Natural Park is very wild and rugged, with few signs of human passage. From the Lac dets Coubous (2041m) we make our descent back to the Pont de La Gaubie on a good path, keeping an eye out for marmots on our way down. This is our favourite place for marmot-spotting.

Tuesday - DAY OFF Your free day to use as you please. We suggest you try out the thermal spa in the village of Bareges, visit the Pic du Midi observatory or take the bus to the pretty towns of Luz St Sauveur or Argelès-Gazost. Here you can stock up on the delicious local sheep’ cheeses and ‘saucissons sec’ (knobbly French salamis). The pilgrimage town of Lourdes is also accessible by public transport (about 1hr by bus). For those who can’t get enough exercise, there are plenty of trails to be explored on foot from Barèges, and we can arrange activities including paragliding, white water rafting, pony trekking, mountain biking, canyoning etc.

Wednesday – Trek Day 1: Col des Tentes (Gavarnie) to Refuge Goriz (Ordesa)
We trek into the spectacular Pyrenees National Park, crossing the eternal snows beneath the Breche de Roland where we stand with one foot in France and one in Spain! Then down through limestone karst to the refuge Goriz - sitting dwarfed at the head of the Ordesa canyon and overlooked by Mont Perdu.

Starting at the Col des Tentes at 2200m, we walk towards and through the Breche de Roland, passing over the remains of the Glacier du Breche on the way. From the breche, a natural slash in the frontier cliffs, we have incredible views down into the Cirque de Gavarnie – an 1000m high wall of cliffs forming a crucible into which falls Europes highest freehanging waterfall; the "Grande Cascade". Descending into Spain from the breche, we follow the path over limestone scree and onto high Alpine meadows, where there is a good chance of spotting groups of grazing isards (Pyrenean Chamois). The trail meanders through a strange karst landscape of limestone pavement, all the while surrounded by dramatic rock formations. At the end of a long day, we reach the Goriz refuge and some well-earned, tasty Spanish cuisine.

Thursday – Trek Day 2: Refuge Goriz to the Valle de Bujaruelo
An exciting morning descending the Ordesa canyon along the Faja de Pelay - a cliffside route with a good path, but stunning, airy views across the canyon and up to the French border. In the afternoon we follow the GR11 beside a tumbling river, to reach the typical Spanish mountain village of Torla in time for a beer and tapas.

An early start to see the peaks turn pink as the sun rises behind Monte Perdido - the second highest mountain in the Pyrenees. This morning we descend gently to the mouth of the Ordesa canyon, where we have spectacular views along the gorge. Again, we often meet families of isard here - scampering effortlessly between precarious ledges. The path splits, to give the option to walk down the canyon bottom, but we choose to stay high on the Faja de Pelay - a cliffside trail following the canyon wall, with dizzying views into the canyon below and across back to the Breche de Roland. The path is good, and not at all technical, but the vista is awe-inspiring! At the end of the trail, we descend steeply on steady zig-zags to the valley bottom, for a shady picnic. After lunch, the GR11 continues to descend in the forest, this time following close to the river as it races and tumbles over a series of waterfalls. We emerge at Torla (a great swimming spot in the river here!), for a look-around this pretty Spanish village, before a short taxi ride up the 4x4 trail to Bujaruelo hostel.

Friday – Trek Day 3: Valle de Bujaruelo to Col des Tentes
A steady climb today takes us along the beautiful Bujaruelo valley, over the ancient pilgrim's bridge and back up to the Col des Tentes to complete our circuit. We have great views across the arid peaks of the Spanish Pyrenees along the way.

We begin the day at a leisurely pace, working our way upstream beside a rushing mountain stream. The path meanders through mixed woodland and box scrub, before the valley opens out at the hump-backed pilgrim's bridge - a great spot for a group photo! From here the path climbs steadily, with ever-expanding views across a bizarrely grey and orange-striped wilderness of rocky Spanish peaks. At the Col des Tentes, we find ourselves again on familiar ground, and just a short walk back to our awaiting minibus. There is time in the afternoon for a stroll into the Cirque de Gavarnie itself, if legs and minds are willing!

Accommodation

The week is based from our own lovely guesthouse in the high mountain village of Bareges. The house has been fully renovated to a 3* standard, and has spacious en-suite bedrooms, a heated equipment room, sauna, dining room, comfortable lounge with bar, and a sunny patio garden. Please visit our "chalet" page for more details and photos.

During the trek, we will be staying at a mountain refuge and a walkers' lodge. The Goriz refuge, situated at 2200m altitude, is very remote, and surrounded by spectacular scenery. The facilities are basic, but the food is generous and tasty. The bathroom is an exterior wash room with flushing toilets and basins with cold running water. We spend the night in a shared, mixed dormitory with communal sleeping platforms. Blankets are provided, but we recommend bringing a sheet sleeping bag liner. The Bujaruelo walkers' lodge is very comfortable, with small (4-6 man) shared dormitories and bunk beds. Again, blankets are provided. There are hot showers, and a good bar and restaurant.

Refuge Goriz, above Ordesa	Sleeping platforms, Goriz	Refuge & campsite, Bujaruelo	Comfortable dorm with bunks

Walk category: intermediate-adventurous

This is a fairly challenging week, classified at the upper end of our intermediate-level walking holidays. You need to be able to walk comfortably for 6-8 hours a day, sometimes on boulders or stony ground, and wearing a medium-sized day bag (30-45l maximum). Meals and blankets are provided at the refuges, so you DO NOT need to carry a large, heavy trekking rucksack. A typical day will include 700-1000m of ascending, which is comparable to tackling one of the bigger peaks in the UK (Snowdonia or the Lake District).

The walk is aimed at people of all ages, preferably with previous upland walking experience and/or a reasonable level of fitness. Parts of the route have a feeling of exposure but, unlike some of the paths in the Ordesa canyon, there are no technical difficulties. There is a short snow crossing beneath the Breche de Roland (no crampons or axes required). You will be accompanied by a qualified International Mountain Leader at all times, and we walk at a steady pace that is comfortable for the group.

Please visit the walking holidays page of our website for more details about our walk classifications.

Other guided walking weeks

Please visit the walking holidays page of our website for more ideas, dates and prices, or contact us if you have your own itinerary in mind. We are happy to schedule tailored weeks for groups.

KIT LIST FOR PYRENEES WALKING & TREKKING HOLIDAYS