Six or twelve days walking along the GR10 footpath

Stay in villages on some nights and mountain refuges on others

Hike in a small group with a professional mountain leader

Traverse some of the Pyrenees' most famous mountains

The GR10, or ‘Sentier Pyreneenne’ as it is sometimes called, follows the 430 kilometres from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean on the French side of the mountains. This mixed week of easier and more sustained walking follows a route which climbs from village level up through the middle mountains and then over the higher passes and summits as it heads due East.

We pick up the trail in Luz St. Sauveur and follow it for six days due east heading towards the lovely old spa town of Bagneres de Luchon. A substantial part of the trek traverses the Neouvielle Nature Reserve as the path weaves its way up through the Aygues Cluses valley and over the Col de Madamette. Aygues Cluses is a local Occitan name meaning ‘hidden waters’, although in fact one of the striking features of this walk is the presence of water in the form of lakes and streams on most days of the route. The map of the the Neouvielle is dotted with the blue of little rivers and (ex glacial) lakes and these valleys are also home to some of the Pyrenees’ most beautiful endemic flowers.

After the Neouveille Nature Reserve the GR10 continues Eastwards over the mountains and past the villages of St Lary Soulon, Germ, the lovely Lac d’Oo before finally reaching Bagneres de Luchon on the sixth day of our walk. The accommodation is a mixture of small hotels in villages and mountain huts.

Each day you walk with a rucksac including just some extra clothes, water and a picnic lunch. Breakfast, picnics and dinners are provided by the inns and refuges.

HOLIDAY ITINERARY
DAY 1 - Fly to Pau Pyrenees
The best way to get to the Pyrenees is on a Ryanair schedule to Pau. We pick you up in our minibus and drive you to Luz St. Sauveur, in the French Hautes Pyrenees. In the evening you meet up with your walk leader for a briefing in the bar about how the week will work.

DAY 2
Luz St Sauveur to Bareges
The first day on the GR10 is the easiest of the week and serves as a good warm up day. We set off from the town centre of Luz and head steeply up to the forests below the Letuis (‘avalanche’!) mountain. From here the GR10 climbs gently past the villages of Viella and Betpouey before reaching the spa town of Bareges. Take time to visit the thermal baths in the centre of the village (bring a swimming costume).

DAY 3
Bareges and the Neouvielle Nature Reserve
On day two we head up through the Neouvielle Nature Resreve which borders the Pyrenees National Park. The path takes us along the lovely Aygues Cluses valley and up to the Col des Madamette - there is an optional ascent to the summit for those who would like to do it. Then we walk down to the remote Chalet-Hotel at the lac d'Oule.

DAY 4
d'Oule to Vielle-Aure
We head away from the Neouvielle Nature Reserve and climb up to the small Cabane de Lude. A high level traverse above the St Lary Soulon valley takes us past the La Serre, Plas de Castillon and the Cap de Pede before we walk down steep hillsides to the village of Vielle-Aure and a small gite d'etape where we spend the night.

DAY 5
Vielle - Aure to Germ
Today we have to climb 1165m over about nine miles to reach our next stop at the little village called Germ. We start by heading due south towards the hamlet of Azet then through forests and across mountain sides to the Couret de Latuhe at 1586m. Then we descend to the town of Loudenville before climbing a further 400 - 500 metres up to the little village of Germ and a small auberge.


DAY 6
The Lac d'Oo
The penultimate day of our hike takes us back up to the high mountains and the beautiful Lac d'Oo with its charming mountain hut / refuge. This is a great day’s hiking, best started early in the morning as there are two climbs and a steep descent. The Chez Tintin chalet refuge is a great place to spend our last evening out on the mountains.

DAY 7
Hike to Bagneres de Luchon
The trek finishes with a long hike up to the Horquette des Hounts-Sec and along to the Col de la Coumme de Berg before the last walk down to the old spa town of Bagneres de Luchon from where we pick up our transfer back to Luz St Sauveur.

DAY 8 - Fly back to London
You head back in our minibus to Pau Airport or Lourdes SNCF to connect with transport back home.

Please Note: This itinerary may be altered if conditions, weather forecasts or the overall fitness of the group are judged to put the safety of the group at risk. Pyrenean Mountain Tour Guides and Mountain Leaders reserve the right to make changes to the itinerary without notice. These changes will be explained to the group if they occur.

EQUIPMENT AND PACKING IDEAS
We recommend that people joining this trek are equipped with the following:

Technical equipment
Comfortable walking boots (3 or 4season)
Walking pole if you like them

Clothing suggestions
Fleece
Waterproof jacket
Waterproof over trousers
Warm hat
Warm gloves
Sun hat or peaked cap
Sunglasses
Shorts and T-shirts
Good quality walking socks

Other useful items
Small Rucksack
Sun block for face and lips
Personal First Aid kit (plasters,compede, paracetamol)
Water bottle or Platypus
Penknife

Optional items
Change of clothing to include: underwear,tracksuit bottoms,dry shirt, spare socks
Camera and film
Paperback novel (light!)
Snack bars/dried fruit/chocolate
Sheet sleeping bag liner (if you like them....)