Sightseeing along the way
Sightseeing along the way in the central Pyrenees
The GR®10 from Arrens-Marsous (Hautes Pyrénées) to Bagnères de Luchon (Haute Garonne): 13 days' hiking through the central Pyrenees. Along the way…
Val d’Azun: 25 km from Lourdes, Val d’Azun, also known as the 'valley of light' is home to a string of pretty Pyrenean villages such as Arrens-Marsous. The GR®10 enters Midi-Pyrénées at this village (see the 15th century church and the 'chapelle dorée', which features a decorative retable by the Ferrère brothers, great masters of Pyrenean Baroque).
The Pyrenees National Park: from Val d’Azun to the Aure Valley, on the GR®10 you pass through the Pyrenees National Park. The Park is home to the Great Tourist Sites of the Pyrenees: Gavarnie, Pont d’Espagne, Lac de Gaube, Néouvielle Massif and more. The scenery is fantastic, with lots of evidence of livestock grazing, amazingly diverse wildlife with more than 4,000 species listed, and a flora unrivalled in Europe in terms of its originality.
Cauterets: many writers of the Romantic period who were enamoured of nature and untamed beauty (Chateaubriand, Victor Hugo, Georges Sand et al.) came to take the waters in Cauterets. This busy little town at an altitude of 930 m, dressed up in its elegant spa-town architectural finery, is a wonderful place to unwind at the recreational spa here, the Bains du Rocher.
The Pont d’Espagne: above Cauterets, spectacular waterfalls such as the Cascade du Lutour herald the Pont d’Espagne, a Great Tourist Sites in Midi-Pyrénées. You'll want to linger there for a while to soak up all the magnificence of the unspoilt surroundings at the confluence of the rushing Gave de Gaube and Gave du Marcadau rivers, among the pine forests, rocks, high-altitude meadows and mountain peaks.
The Lac de Gaube and Vignemale: from the Pont d’Espagne you climb to the Lac de Gaube (1,725 m) whose colour and depth (40 m) was a source of fascination for Victor Hugo. Its glistening blue-green waters reflect the tutelar outline of Vignemale, the highest summit in the French Pyrenees (3,298 m).
The Hourquette d’Ossoue: this col between the Gaube and Ossoue Valleys is the highest point on the entire GR®10 (2,734 m). A little further on, you will see the caves excavated a century ago at the request of Henry Russell. This eccentric count, half French and half Irish, was so obsessed with Vignemale that he took out a 99-year lease on the mountain.
The Cirque de Gavarnie: the GR®10 provides the best viewpoints of the Cirque de Gavarnie. This Great Tourist Site in Midi-Pyrénées, a UNESCO World Heritage Site , forms an incredible wall of rock 1,700 metres high and 14 kilometres in circumference, surrounded by a cortège of giants including Mont Perdu (3,352 m), the Pic du Marboré (3,248 m) and Taillon (3,144 m), and not forgetting the extremely famous Brèche de Roland, a place of many legends.
Luz-Saint Sauveur: along the way you'll see the beautiful Cascades du Mensongé waterfalls and the famous single-span Pont Napoléon across the Gave de Pau, before arriving in Luz-Saint Sauveur. This thermal spa resort is also the economic heart of the valley. Here you can visit the Templar church (12th century) and relax at the Luzéa recreational spa.
The Barèges Valley: walking through the Viella state forest, you arrive in the Barèges Valley, typical of this part of the Pyrenees with its barns reinforced against avalanches and coueylas (former shepherds' huts). The thermal spa resort of Barèges is the highest in France (1,250 m) and also boasts a recreational spa, Ciéléo.
The Néouvielle Nature Reserve: crossing the Col de Madamète (2,509 m) you reach the Néouvielle Nature Reserve (lien vers page Réserve du Néouvielle / rubrique Pyrénées). This reserve is a paradise of long ridges, vast meadows, pine forests, peat bogs and a myriad lakes such as the superb Lac d’Aumar and the Lac de l’Oule, which you walk alongside.
The Aure Valley: the Col de Portet (2, 215 m) opens on to the Aure Valley, a broad, long gap in the mountains that runs for 50 km to the Spanish region of Aragon. Along the way you can visit the old manganese mine at Vielle-Aure (underground galleries and museum) before stopping off in the village itself (beautiful 18th and 19th century houses typical of the valley, Romanesque church).
The Louron Valley: a splendid valley that you come to after the ski resort of Val Louron, in summer a paragliding take-off site where the sky is full of circling sails. As you descend the slopes there is a stunning view of the Lac de Génos-Loudenvielle and the villages of the Louron Valley, famous for the 16th century frescoes in the churches here. Between the lake and the village of Loudenvielle, the Balnéa recreational spa is a wonderful place to relax and pamper yourself.
The Lac d’Oô: the GR®10 passes to the south of the ski resort of Peyragudes, where it leaves the département of Hautes Pyrénées and enters Haute Garonne. The Val d’Esquierry, which you walk through on the way to the Lac d’Oô, is known for its flora. The large 42-hectare lake in its gorgeous setting hemmed in by incredibly steep slopes, is one of the gems of the western massif of the Luchon region.
Bagnères de Luchon: a pretty thermal spa town featuring Belle Époque architecture, famous for its baths since Gallo-Roman times and today a Great Tourist Site in Midi-Pyrénées. Be sure to stop off at the thermal baths: Luchon's health spa features an amazing natural vaporarium found nowhere else in Europe. The GR®10 then continues into the Ariège Pyrenees.
Sightseeing along the way in the Ariège Pyrenees
The GR®10 from Bagnères de Luchon (Haute Garonne) to Mérens-les-Vals (Ariège): 25 days' hiking through the Ariège Pyrenees. Along the way…
Bagnères de Luchon: the GR®10 goes through Bagnères de Luchon, a pretty thermal spa town featuring Belle Époque architecture, famous for its baths since Gallo-Roman times and today a Great Tourist Site in Midi-Pyrénées. Be sure to stop off at the thermal baths: Luchon's health spa features an amazing natural vaporarium found nowhere else in Europe.
Artigue: the GR® climbs to Artigue, where the church with its wall-style bell tower is typical of Pyrenean churches. The site at Artigue has been occupied since the Gallo-Roman era.
The Maladeta Massif: between the Col de Peyrehitte and the Col d’Esclot-d’Aou you walk at the dizzying height of over 2,000 metres above sea level along the ridge separating France and Spain, with some memorable views of the Maladeta Massif. Comprising some twenty giants over 3,000 m, including Aneto (3,404 m) and Pointe d’Astorg (3,355m), the Maladeta is the highest glacial massif in the Pyrenees.
The Col d’Auréan: this marks the start of the GR®10 in Ariège.
All along its route through the Ariège Pyrenees, the GR®10 leads you through the secrets of an area of unspoilt, wild and unforgiving mountains, where man has nevertheless always tried to maintain a presence. The dry-stone orris shepherds' huts with vegetation-covered roofs, the mountain huts, the courtal stone dwellings, the cairns, the crosses and the ancient field terraces you come across on the way are all evidence of the ancient pastoral pact between the people of Ariège and their mountains. In times gone by, crops were painstakingly grown in the mountains right up to the highest ridges. That era has gone for good, but animal grazing here is more present than ever, and you will often come across large flocks of sheep on the mountainside nibbling greedily on the mountain grasses.
The Serre d’Arraing: this belvedere of the mountains of the Couserans comes before the buildings of Bentaillou mine, one of the many silver-lead and zinc mines in the Ariège Pyrenees, which was worked until the 1950s. It was nicknamed Machu Picchu because at 1870 m it was the highest mine in Europe.
The Couserans: the GR®10 passes high above the Couserans, an area with its own geographical, historic and economic identity. The Couserans takes in no fewer than 18 valleys lying all around Saint Girons. These include the Biros Valley, which has a very strong community identity, and the Bethmale Valley, famous for its cheese-making tradition and Bethmale clogs, which have extremely pointed toes. Lastly, in the heart of the Couserans, the medieval village of Saint Lizier is one of the Great Tourist Sites in Midi-Pyrénées as part of the 'Ariège, 14,000 years of history' collection.
The Pyrénées Ariégeoises Regional Nature Park: much of the GR®10 runs through the Pyrénées Ariégeoises Regional Nature Park. This includes, among other places, the Mont Valier Reserve, the largest wildlife reserve in Ariège (9,037 hectares). The magnificent Mont Valier (2,838 m) in the middle is the emblem of the Couserans. It watches over a unique population of izards, capercaillie, ptarmigan, golden eagles, bearded and other vultures and also thousands of sheep, cows and horses roaming free that graze the grass and keep the mountainsides maintained.
The Cascade d’Ars: your route takes you past the Cascade d’Ars, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the entire Pyrenees. 246 metres high and made up of three consecutive waterfalls, it is at its most impressive when swelled with snow meltwater in May and June. Shortly afterwards you walk alongside the Lac de Guzet before arriving in Aulus-les-Bains.
Aulus-les-Bains: Aulus, once the home of bear leaders and ice carriers, is famous for its thermal springs. The Aulus thermal complex today features a relaxation and health spa where you can make a welcome stop.
The Pays de Vicdessos: the GR®10 heads towards the Trois Seigneurs Massif before crossing the Vicdessos, a beautiful region of state-owned forest, lakes and tarns where hydro-electricity plays an important role, as witnessed by the Pradières power station and the vast Étang d'Izourt, created when the dam was built there in 1940. On several occasions you will come across the round stone orris huts built by shepherds that are typical of Ariège.
The Plateau de Beille: in winter, this is one of the largest areas in the Pyrenees dedicated to cross-country skiing and other fun nordic activities (snowshoeing, dog sledding trips, igloo-building, etc.). If you're there in July you might see the cyclists of the Tour de France, because the climb to the Plateau de Beille (2,000 m) is a classic stage of Le Tour.
Mérens les Vals: heading south through the mountains above Ax-les-Thermes, the GR®10 passes through Mérens les Vals. The Lombard-style Romanesque church here, the oldest in Ariège, looks extremely curious with its grass-topped apse. Shortly after Mérens les Vals, the GR®10 leaves Ariège and enters the Languedoc-Roussillon region.
Practical info
The GR®10 from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean
- Start point: Hendaye (Pyrénées Atlantiques).
- End point: Banyuls (Pyrénées Orientales).
- Total length: 850 km.
- Duration: more than 60 days.
- Height difference: 0 m to 2,734 m.
For the section running through Midi-Pyrénées:
- Start point: Arrens-Marsous (Hautes Pyrénées).
- End point: Mérens les Vals (Ariège).
- Length: 470 km.
- Duration: approximately 40 days
- Height difference: 878 m to 2,734 m.
Waymarking
White/red.
Level
Experienced hikers.
Best time to go
June to October. Late June is the best time: the days are at their longest and the mountain flora is at its very best.
Whenever you go, check the weather forecast before you set off by dialling 32 50 (recorded message in French).
Recommendation
The only danger to be aware of is bad weather (fog, snow, thunderstorms). It is therefore essential to carry a compass and altimeter with you.
Getting there
In Midi-Pyrénées, the GR®10 can be reached by train via the stations at Lourdes (Paris-Tarbes line) and Lannemezan (Toulouse-Tarbes line), using the TER-SNCF coach service which operates to Arrens-Marsous, Cauterets, Luz-Saint Sauveur, Gavarnie and Vielle-Aure.
The route is also accessible by train via Bagnères de Luchon station (Toulouse-Bagnères de Luchon line).