Day 1: Celebrations in Argeles Gazost
On the track to Eglise de Gez
Autumn colours around Argeles Gazost. Ancient walking paths were often utilised.
Views from Mont de Gez above the village of Argeles Gazost
Day 2: Walking the streets of Arcizanes-Avant on the way to Pierrefitte (17km)
War Memorial in Arcizanes-Avant
A beautiful manor house going to ruin, Ouzous
The Abbey of Saint-Savin-en-Lavedan in the village of St Savin. It is a beautiful building which dates back to 945.
Walking route through an abandoned railway tunnel nearing the village of Pierrefitte
Day 3: An unusual clock tower in the village of Soulom between Pierrefitte and LuzSt Sauveur (17km)
Autumn colours on the way from Pierrefitte to Luz St Sauveur
Luz in the distance
Heading for Luz but still a lot of elevation to lose
Luz St Sauveur: Perched at the top of a rocky outcrop, the Château Sainte-Marie has, over the centuries been a location of strategic importance for the valley and also a place of refuge for the population. It was built in the 10th century by the Counts of Bigorre. In the 14th century, it was the occupied by the Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem. The castle and valley were in the possession of the English Crown from 1360 until 1404, when an army of the Comte de Clermont, assisted by the inhabitants of the valley and commanded by Aougé de Coufitte, took the castle and drove the English from the valley (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luz-Saint-Sauveur)
The barn adjacent to the Chateau is for sale if anyone is interested. A renovators delight which comes with 2000 sq m of land.
Called "the Templars" (actually Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem), the church of St. Andrew was built in the 12th and 13th centuries. In the 14th century, the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem built walls around the church to protect the inhabitants of Luz from attacks by Spanish bandits called 'irregulars' (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luz-Saint-Sauveur)
Our digs for the night. The Hotel Les Templiers is across the square from the Hospitallers of St John of Jerusalem.
Day 4: Huts on the high route. A short bus ride took us from Luz to the winter resort of Bareges where we began a 15km walk back to our departure point.
I can see a rainbow. The rain had stopped which was a positive.
Now just need to walk down this slope to get back to our bed in Luz
Day 5: Starting out on our walk from Gedre to Gavarnie (19km). Beautiful autumn colours as we climbed out of the valley. While we were supposed to have magnificant alpine views for most of the distance this did not eventuate until we were almost at our destination, instead we were provided short teasers of the mountains before the clouds closed in again. Such is life.
Misty forests
Beautiful plants
The locals
Alpine farm huts
The first views of the Cirque de Gavarnie
Magnificant Cirque de Gavarnie in the distance
Gavarnie mountains
Day 6: Heading along the valley to Curque de Gavarnie (12km)
The Gavarnie Falls. At 422 m it is the highest falls in mainland France.
River de Gavarnie, Cirque de Gavarnie
Mountain stream, Cirque de Gavarnie
Hotel le Marbore. Our room overlooked the River de Gavarnie immediately below. We were its only guests due to the lateness of the season, however the hospitality was exemplary. We left and the hotel closed the next day.
River Gavarnie
