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Pyrénées

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Pyrenees-Atlantiques | Gers | Hautes-Pyrenees | Haute-Garonne | Ariege

Pyrenees-Atlantiques

From ocean-swept beaches to the fierce foothills of the great mountain range, the Pyrénées-Atlantiques are in tune with the elements. When the constituent parts of the Basque Country went their separate ways, on the French side was left a pocket handkerchief country known as Béarn. It remained fiercely independent until 1620, was the birthplace of the first Bourbon king of France, Henry IV, and spawned the Three Musketeers. Athos, Aramis and Porthos were not figments of Alexandre Dumas’s imagination but real-life members of the royal bodyguard, who came from villages in the foothills and went to Paris to seek their fortune.

The Béarnaise Pyrénées reach a height of 2,885 metres at the Pic du Midi d'Ossau, a safe ascent in good summer weather with one experienced climber in the party, provided that all are roped together and wearing helmets. The breathtaking view from the top includes the three Béarnaise valleys of Aspe, Barétous and Ossau, and its historic capital, Pau. In the 19th century, one third of the inhabitants of this elegant summer and winter resort were British, attracted by its pure air. Close to King Henry’s castle and palace lies the boulevard des Pyrénées, a lovely paved and balustraded terrace looking back at the mountains.

Many of the surrounding towns and villages are rewarding places to visit. Sauveterre-de-Béarn has an imposing medieval drawbridge; Navarrenx and its fortifications dominate the fierce Gave d’Oloron; Orthez has the best-preserved inns and dovecotes in the region; and the spa town of Saliès-de-Béarn, loveliest of all, is proud of its steep-gabled houses built above the Saleys River.

Gers

The Béarnais were not Gascons, who came from the adjacent fertile département of the Gers, although they spoke a similar language, and together they had an unsurpassed reputation for embroidering the truth, so much so that gasconner became a French word meaning to boast, and a gasconnade was the tallest of tall tales. Their most famous son, d’Artagnan, who really did become Captain of the King’s Musketeers, was born at Château Castelmore, near Lupiac. His statue stands proudly at the Gascon capital, Auch, halfway up a formidable staircase that climbs from the River Gers to the central square to the late Gothic cathedral. Auch is also the centre of Armagnac production.

The green and fertile gers is characterised by large numbers of bastides built by local churchmen and nobles to establish power bases. Some of the most curious and most attractive of these are Fourcès, Lombez and Simorre.

Hautes-Pyrenees

The Hautes-Pyrénées group together three very distinct territories: majestic mountains and their valleys, rolling hills and peaceful plains. Almost two-thirds of the Hautes-Pyrénées is covered in mountains with summits more than 3,000 metres above sea level. Many, such as Cirque de Troumouse, Gave de Pau, Val d'Auzun, Cirque de Gavarnie (an extraordinary mountain amphitheatre that looks as if it must be man-made but is an entirely natural phenomenon) and Pic du Midi de Bigorre, are within easy reach on foot without either climbing equipment or expertise. Those who reach the top are rewarded by truly magnificent views. Fierce rivers, called gaves, flow from prehistoric caves into ice-cold mountain lakes, a wonderful environment protected by a national park and the Neovieille nature reserve.

At the foot of the park lies Tarbes, the capital of the département, with its privileged position overlooking the Pyrénées, at the foot of the National Park, and its extraordinary botanical garden, mixing rare plants with contemporary art.

And at the end of a hard day’s hiking, visitors can relax in the hot springs of Cauterets’s thermal spa. Its gastronomy is well-known: white beans, "porc noir gascon" (saved from extinction in 1981), "gâteau à la broche" (delicious cake cooked in wood-fired oven).

Haute-Garonne

The foothills of the mountain range have several fine old bastides, including Montréjeau, improbably located on the edge of a plateau; and St-Bernard-de-Comminges. Under the Romans, this was a huge town with a population of no fewer than 60,000: today, it is at the opposite extreme, just 200. The cathedral, 12th century, has incomparable cloisters overlooking the Garonne valley and intricate choir stalls.

Its capital, Toulouse, "la ville rose", is a beautiful red-brick city set against the spectacular high mountains on the border with Spain.

Ariege

The Ariège was once the heart of Cathar country. The Cathars were a religious sect persecuted as heretics by the Catholic church. Mirepoix was one of their fortified settlements, a 13th century walled town with many of its original houses preserved around a captivating main square. Foix, the administrative capital, is dominated by its 12th century château with three great towers, perched on a natural rock above the river. East of Foix is the starting point for the Path of the Cathars, a walking tour not for the footsore or faint-hearted that meanders along a chain of ruined castles all the way to the sea.

One of the cradles of humanity, there are prehistoric sites scattered in its mazes of underground caves. On its surface there are over 50 Romanesque churches and chapels and remains of its rich Cathar history. It boasts some extraordinary medieval villages - Saint-Martin-d'Oyde, Foix, Mirepoix, Mazères, Saint-Lisier.

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