Page 203 - (DK Eyewitness) Back Roads Travel Guide - France

DRIVE 18: The Pyrenees: End to End 201

recalls the days when mule tracks had himself buried (to keep out the
would take this route between cold) on the summit by his guides –
Gascony and Aragón across an ill- leaving only his head exposed – for
defined border. The bridge stands at the experience of seeing the sunrise
the confluence of two rushing moun- at such an altitude.
tain streams – the Gave de Gaube The walk can be extended by taking
and the Gave de Marcadau – that the path that follows the west side
plunge into dizzying waterfalls here. of the lake to the Refuge de Oulettes
Cross the bridge to the Hôtellerie (2,151 m/7,057 ft), below Vignemale.
du Pont d’Espagne and then another However, note that it is at least a
bridge to take the path to the three-hour round trip from the lake.
Télésiège de Gaube 2. This is the Behind the restaurant, the lake
bottom station of a chairlift on the drains away through a delta as a fast,
Plateau de Clots. Take the 12-minute clear-flowing stream, the Gave de
chairlift ride up to the view point Gaube. Take the path that follows the
Belvédère de Gaube 3. The view- course of this stream. This is a section
point can also be reached by a path of the GR10, the long-distance foot-
that zigzags up to it. path running all the way along the
From the viewpoint it is an easy walk Pyrenees from the Mediterranean to
across the slope and down to the the Atlantic. The path winds downhill
Lac de Gaube 4 (1,725 m/5,660 ft), a to meet the road from the car park
gla ciated lake. A bar-restaurant stands to the Pont d’Espagne. Turn right
on the northern shore of the lake and to return to the starting point. An
its terrace pro vides a magnificent view. alter native to taking the GR10 down Above Pont Napoléon, the stone bridge
A short way beyond the bar offers an is to retrace the route back from the across the Gave de Pau
even better view. From here gaze up lake to the Belvédère de Gaube and
at the the north face of the pyramidal take the chairlift down to the valley.
Vignemale (3,298 m/10,820 ft), which From the Télésiège de Gaube, head
stands on the border with Spain, and back to the car park.
is the highest summit in the French ª From the Pont d’Espagne, return
Pyrenees. This mountain was the life- via Cauterets to Soulom and turn left
long fascination of the 19th-century at the red light onto the D921. In
Irish-French Pyrenean mountaineering Pierrefite turn left onto the D13 for
pioneer Henry Russell. One night he St-Savin.

5ÊMÊTJÍHF EF
(BVCF
1POU E &TQBHOF

5ÊMÊTJÍHF EF (BVCF

#FMWÊEÍSF EF (BVCF EAT AND DRINK
AROUND PONT NAPOLÉON
'AUBE Templiers inexpensive–moderate
This crêperie, about 2 km (1 mile) from
Pont Napoléon, has an 11-room hotel
attached to it. Galettes (savoury pan-
cakes made with buckwheat) and
sweet crêpes are on the menu, of
course, but there is much else besides,
changing with the seasons, including
0 metres 200 main courses of trout, pheasant and
salmon and a choice of salads.
0 yards 200 -BD EF (BVCF 6 place de la Comporte, Luz-St-
Sauveur, 65120; 05 62 92 81 52;
www.hotellestempliers.com;
open daily mid-Jun–Sep
Eat and Drink: inexpensive, under €20; moderate, €20–€40; expensive, over €40