MY BEST WALKS

“Easy” hikes

This summer, I chose to go hiking in the Pyrenees, more specifically in an area encompassing Bagnères-de-Bigorre, the Vallée de Campan and the Pic du Midi de Bigorre. Suffice to say, it has something for everyone and depending on what I was looking for, my physical fitness, and the time I had available, there was a wide choice.  

Out of the “easy” hikes or walks, i.e. those with an elevation change of under 400 m, I enjoyed the Vierge du Bédat which overlooks and watches over the town of Bagnères-de-Bigorre, its many footpaths and the fountains dotted around the mountain.

Thanks to the two loops in the Vallée de Lesponne, “entre cascade et torrent” (between waterfall and mountain stream) and “le tour de Serris” (tour of the Serris valley), I discovered the charms of barns and pastoralism in an authentic and unspoilt area. 

After these charming warm-ups, it’s the lakes for me!

I have to say that in this area of the Hautes-Pyrénées, within a radius of under 20 km, a whole host of hikes provide me with the chance to slake my desire to march over challenging terrain and discover lakes as different as they are remarkable. I loved the Lac d’Aygue-Rouye, surrounded by inviting grass, and the Lac de Montarrouye, where I wandered through herds of animals, away from the crowd once I got past the Courtaou des Esclozes. 

I sweated during the short but hard climb towards the turquoise waters of the Lac de Peyrelade and its high-walled glacial cirque. And naturally, I marvelled at the Lac Bleu, a genuine pearl of the Pyrenees, its depth, and its colours that change with the path of the sun, before turning towards Lac d’Ourrec, where hikers and fishermen seemed to have arranged to meet in a setting where water and peace are everywhere…