Walks and climbs in the pyrenees: Walks, climbs and multi-day treks

About the Author

Kev Reynolds is a travel writer and lecturer whose passion for adventure has taken him to many far-flung mountain ranges, but the Pyrenees remains his spiritual home. Walks and Climbs was first published by Cicerone Press in 1978, and it has never been out of print. Some of his adventures when researching routes for this guide appear in A Walk in the Clouds , a collection of short stories celebrating his life among mountains worldwide. In 2015 Cicerone published his memoir of trekking adventures in Nepal, entitled Abode of the Gods , and more recently he was the contributing editor of Cicerones anniversary book, 50 Years of Adventure .

A member of the Alpine Club, Kev has been made an honorary member of the Outdoor Writers & Photographers Guild, SELVA (the Socit dEtude de la Littrature de Voyage du monde Anglophone) and the British Association of International Mountain Leaders (BAIML). His enthusiasm for the countryside in general, and mountains in particular, remains undiminished after a lifetimes activity, and during the winter months he regularly travels throughout Britain to share that enthusiasm through his lectures. Check him out on www.kevreynolds.co.uk.

100 Hut Walks in the Alps

Abode of the Gods

A Walk in the Clouds

Alpine Points of View

Chamonix to Zermatt, the Walkers Haute Route

crins National Park

Swiss Alpine Pass Route: Via Alpina 1

The Bernese Alps

The Cotswold Way

The Mountain Hut Book

The North Downs Way

The Pyrenees

The South Downs Way

The Swiss Alps

Tour of Mont Blanc

Tour of the Jungfrau Region

Tour of the Oisans

Tour of the Vanoise

Trekking in the Alps

Trekking in the Himalaya

Trekking in the Silvretta & Rtikon Alps

Walking in Austria

Walking in Kent

Walking in Sussex

Walking in the Alps

Walking in the Valais

Walks in the Engadine

Walks in the South Downs National Park

WALKS AND CLIMBS IN THE PYRENEES

WALKS, CLIMBS AND MULTI-DAY TREKS

Kev Reynolds

JUNIPER HOUSE, MURLEY MOSS,
OXENHOLME ROAD, KENDAL, CUMBRIA LA9 7RL
www.cicerone.co.uk

Kev Reynolds 2019

Seventh edition 2019

ISBN 9781783627202

Sixth edition

Fifth edition

Fourth edition

Third edition

Second edition

First edition 1978

Printed in China on behalf of Latitude Press Ltd

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

All photographs are by the author unless otherwise stated.

Dedication

For Jean and Pierre Ravier the ultimate Pyrnistes to mark 30 years of co-operation and friendship.

Updates to this Guide

While every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guidebooks as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edition. Any updates that we know of for this guide will be on the Cicerone website (www.cicerone.co.uk/1053/updates), so please check before planning your trip. We also advise that you check information about such things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way can be altered over time. We are always grateful for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by email to updates@cicerone.co.uk or by post to Cicerone, Juniper House, Murley Moss, Oxenholme Road, Kendal LA9 7RL.

Register your book: To sign up to receive free updates, special offers and GPX files where available, register your book at www.cicerone.co.uk.

The author with climbing partner Alan Payne researching routes in 1980 (Photo: Peter Smith)

PREFACE

Since the first slim edition of this guide appeared in 1978, the Pyrenees have changed enormously, and the huge increase in the number of active walkers and climbers has brought about a boom in tourist infrastructure undreamed of four decades ago. Hilaire Bellocs fleas that tease in the high Pyrenees are now a rarity in hotels and refuges that no longer expect their guests to doss down on straw mattresses, while signed and waymarked paths, and improved mapping, have unravelled the mysteries of so many previously little-known valleys.

Not least of all the changes is the transformation of the Pyrenean landscape that once dazzled with modest glaciers and small snowfields on the highest summits. Thanks to climate change, the few remaining glaciers are shrinking at an alarming rate and it has been estimated that there will be none left by 2050. Already we find that once winter snow has melted, the white-capped summits remain white in memory only. But for all this change the Pyrenees remains a wonderland for all who are attracted by wildly romantic scenery and a taste for adventure, and even the most dedicated of aficionados will find that a single lifetime is not long enough to explore it all.

Despite its size, this guide merely picks out a few of the juiciest plums clustered on both sides of the international border between the Cirque de Lescun in the west, and the tarn-spattered Carlit Massif in the east. But there should be enough to satisfy a dozen active holidays. When following any of the routes, whether walks, treks or climbs, my hope is that you will have the best of experiences, and discover for yourself what it is that makes the Pyrenees so special.

Once again I am indebted to fellow enthusiasts for their letters and emails keeping me informed about changes to routes and accommodation, and for valuable suggestions Im happy to pass on. My good friend and Pyrenean specialist Franoise Besson generously gave me free use of her home in the foothills during periods of research, and joined me and my wife on some of the walks. My wife continues to share my love of these mountains and is the best of companions on the hills, in the valleys and at home, while Jonathan Williams and all the team at Cicerone once again used their skills and talents on my behalf to create the book you hold in your hands. I thank them all for their support.

And lastly, a special debt of gratitude is due to my friends Jean and Pierre Ravier, the ultimate Pyrnistes, whose generous flow of information, advice and encouragement has been a frequent and much-valued source of pleasure for more than three decades. Their devotion to all things Pyrenean is a true inspiration, and it is both a pleasure and a privilege to dedicate this guide to them. Merci mon amis!

Kev Reynolds, 2019

The Valle du Marcadau (Chapter 6)

INTRODUCTION

The great North Face of the Vignemale soars above the Oulettes de Gaube (Route 55)

The 400km-long chain of the Pyrenees contains some of Europes finest wild landscapes, of immense appeal not only to walkers, trekkers and climbers but also to birdwatchers, butterfly- and flower-lovers, caving enthusiasts and those who gain a thrill from descending waterfalls and rivers the sport known as canyoning. As an arena for outdoor adventure the Pyrenees fulfil so many dreams.