Last year, in mid-June, I encountered deep snow as I traveled from Viela East on the HRP. Good luck with the planning. It is preparing to walk the Pyrenees mountain range for 60 days around June 15, 2017. [Picture: view of the cirque de Gavarnie and the Brèche de Roland from Espuguettes hostel]. The HRP goes up to the Col de Litérole and then down the other side. Marmottes (groundhogs) were reintroduced to the Pyrenees in the 1948; bears have always been there. Me and a friend just got back from doing the loop from Cauterets, over Hourquette d’Ossou to Gavarnie, then up to Luz, followed by a quick pop over to Bareges on the GR10C before heading back to Lourdes (on the bus). Any suggestions would be most appreciated! The main worry is thunderstorms. I really enjoy exploring your website and wished I’d have lots of time to do all the hikes. There are refuges in Olhette (with is probably the one you found), Ferme Esteben, Bidarray, St Etienne de Baigorry and St Jean Pied de Port. You have helped me so much with my planning and preparation for the GR10 thru-hike. And what is the best way to go about booking the refuges? If you only want food, I would have thought a couple of days in advance should be OK. Do you reckon that’s enough to be seriously worried, and not hike that day? Thanks a lot! Thanks for you input, Your input will be greatly appreciated! The temperatures are pretty normal for the season and you are only going up to a max of 2400m so you should be fine. If you were just adults you might not need crampons. Or stay in Gavarnie (Refuge le Gypaète), visit the Cirque coming back via the Refuge des Espuguettes before staying at Saugué. I want to take my children on a few days walking each day starting at st Lary and to let them see beautiful mountain views and fresh air and return after max 6 hours walking to Saint Lary to a camping each day. Not surprising really, given how beautiful it is, but it’s clearly a popular location; there were at least a hundred people there, – the route up over Hourquette d’Ossou, which we did on the 28th June, involved a lot of walking over snow. Hoping for good weather. Accum. It seems less social to me according to your posts, but I am more interested in the availability of signs, etc. There could just possibly be snow you will need to consider. We spoke to a hiker during our visit who had managed to stay in a hotel in Gourette. We walked Hendaye to Etsaut last year in late Sept/ early Oct and as it was quiet we just booked a day ahead. Im thinking of doing the portion of the GR10 that is from Cauterets to Luz-st-Sauveur in March and I’m wondering if that is too early for the trail? After 30 he was half way there but so tired and miserable that all he wanted to do was to go home. But as far as I can see the Ariège committee is no longer producing its equivalent. I’m glad the site was helpful. That really is all. Although you can just buy the two GPS maps needed for the Pyrenees (258 euros), you might as well buy the whole of France as it only costs 21 euros more. Decrivez-le. I have just rung the Librairie Berriketa, 18 Rue du Port, 6470 Hendaye. Whether you buy the maps or not, you can always view and download the tracks from Wikiloc. 10 Col du Perthus jusqu’à Banyuls-sur-Mer : 29 km – 10 h 00 Pour cette dernière étape vous devrez parcourir encore 187km en 74h et 45mn Pour conclure sur le GR 10, il vous faudra marché sur 848km environ ce qui vous prendra a peu près 345h et 30minutes soit plus ou … There is still snow and no it hasn’t been warmer in the Pyrenees than usual, though there have been some warm days further north. I am not asking for miracles. Unfortunately you won’t be able to buy food to take away in most refuges. Many parts of the GR 10 are also suitable for shorter walks. Otherwise stay in Cauterets, walk to Oulettes de Gaube, Granges de Saugué, then Luz. 38 440 vues au 29/08/17 - 102 524 vues au 3/12/20 . I generally post info on snow conditions on Twitter @enmarchant. Unfortunately, unless you are adept with crampons and an ice axe walking beyond SJPP in February is not recommended and the Tour de Mont Blanc would be even more difficult. Glad you like the site. Lenka, Hi Lenka Not an answer at all really! I have just heard of a possible trip to stay in Ceret in early July this year. Distance:  104 kilometres Thunderstorms can occur at any time, but it always seems to me that they roll in round about 16h00. I have very little rambler experience and traveling alone. I suspect you are thinking of the Passerelle de Holzarte, south of Logibar. Pyrénées – cabanes et refuges lists 63 though some that I have stayed in are missing. Crampons were not nescessary, but they might be in June. You can camp, no problem. We arrive in Europe ( northern Spain) in mid June. You can go around to south but this involves a boulder-hopping descent. Hi Rusty We are skilled mountain hikers and we plan to have a tent to camp at refugio area. Normally there is more snow in Ariège than around Canigou. Molly. I’m not sure why you picked the Etang de Guzet as a starting point, but let’s say Aulus-les-Bains. I stayed at a brilliant gite/auberge at the Col de Soulor. A quick question to assist my initial route planning please: Brian Johnson suggests the option of taking Chemin de la Liberté from Col de la Core to Estours valley (St 32B), meeting the GR10 again on the way up to refuge d’Aula. However the harsh realities gallop in….MONEY…So If I’m planning (wishing) to do the entire walk (I’m living in Philippines). – we’re not experienced in this kind of hiking (day trips up peaks in the Lake District was the most we’d done prior to this), and though we’re not unfit by any means, we’re not ultra runners. Want to see best of mountains if this is possible in such short time. The Pays Basque is bucholic and relatively easy; Etsaut to Cauterets has some hard days, particularly Gabas to Gourette. Also, from Gavernie to Luz Saint Sauveur which from what I’ve heard the trek is about 8-9 hours. If you are in the central Pyrenees you may have difficulties. Best wishes, Hi Tamir I don’t know any guides in that area, though there must be some (about 300 euros/day). Are all of these options relatively easy to find from the mail trail? Looking for a route with bus/train connections to Toulouse at either end. alfonse. We had planned to drop down from L’Ilheou to Cauterets for a rest day (as the Cicerone guide suggests) but it was such a beautiful day we decided to go the long way round, via the Col de la Haugade and the Marcadau valley. 2. The HRP has many variants. It seems there is also the Gite du Carbounet you might consider. Hi Frank An alternative idea would be to go from Gavarnie to Bujaruelo via the Ibon de Bernatuara, something I’ve planned to do for years but never got round to. I will ring the Mairie in Siguer tomorrow to see if they have any information. They were not. Hello again I’m a pretty experienced walker and will be carrying a tent and all that goes with it (Ugh!!) I think the main problem was that it was a Monday. I’m not intending to take a tent so will skip the sections that require camping. Thanks for the reply! or 2) 2.5km/hour including reasonably short breaks. Since I hike solo I eventually gave up as I could not justify the danger I was exposing myself to. However since you are camping, that doesn’t necessarily apply. Myself and two kids (15 and 13) have just come back from a two week Hendaye to Gabas (plus half stage to Gourette) trip. 10 rue de villotte 09120 varilhes France Appelez-nous : +33 608305442 Écrivez-nous : contact@gr10.fr – The food at Refuge des Oulettes de Gaubes is really delicious! primera semana Banyuls Ras de caranca por Canigo y alli decidir si continuamos o descanso para el siguiente tramo, Thank u. Hi Maciek I think you will easily find time to climb Canigou – it takes 4 hours max. I’m not a dog fan at the best of times and meeting these viciously barking animals at very close quarters after reading warning notices at trail heads is unnerving. After that you can book for the next night but one by phone when you see how far you think you will get. We were fortunate in that after a heavy shower mid-morning, the day mostly dried out, though the mists remained heavy and the views were obscured when we finally made it through the pass.In late July It seems to me that there are two options if there is still snow. Not carrying bags! Very impressed by your vast knowledge about mother nature and specially the Pyrenees. Any suggestions for first week of april? Any idea if much traffic passes through from Col Portalet to Laruns? Cabanes, refuges et hôtels : étapes du GR10 la traversée des Pyrénées, en France. Any gite/town/area you’d recommend as a good base for day-hikes (ideally without much need to drive to trailheads)? Please put all your questions in one comment. Here again you may encounter snow, at the col de Arrémoulit and the col de la Fache. The Cirque de Gavarnie is one of the best-known images of the GR10. 20K likes. 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