This especially is directed to the Spanish team

Diego Sahagún wrote:The language will be Spanish, I'm sorry for the people who can't speak.

So I open up an own thread:

I want to spend my family holidays in the Pyrenees. High season, two weeks with accomodation booked in advance in one or two locations. Perhaps one on each side (Aragon or Cataluna and Languedoc-Roussillon or Midi-Pyrénées) of the main ridge.

Most of the time will be hiking with the familiy, so I'm looking for rewarding daytrips. Benasque already has caught my eye. Other recommendations?

Also I want to bag one or two of the main peaks, pref. in (long) one-day trips. Solo. So scrambling and ice is welcome but no serious (if there is any...) glacier travel.
Want to avoid long walk-ins, steeper and perhaps (slightly) more technical routes preferred. Which one to choose, there are so many nice objectives?

Also I'm looking for some sports climbing opportunities with focus on nice surrounding (longer walk-in is not such a problem) and good protection. Would like to leave double rope, cams and nuts at home. Single pitch, up to french grade 6b/c. I do not like slabs... is there a page offering some overview? Guidebook: Roca Espana?!

Last not least there is the most important question: Where to pitch the basecamp? I suppose the villages at the trailheads are extremely busy in August. So drive-in some 10...20km is acceptable, but on the other Hand it would be nice to have hiking possibilities straight out of the house.

Thanks in advance for your help,
Martin

Hi Martin, in September 2011 we stayed in St. Lary on the French side for two weeks. Accommodation wasn't perfect but St. Lary is pretty central and turned out to be an excellent base. We hiked a lot from Bagnères de Louchon in the east to Cirque de Gavarnie / Brèche de Roland in the west. The latter was quite a long access by car (90 minutes).

There are a number of high trailheads in this particular area, mostly ski areas (Superbagnères, Piau-Engaly) or road passes giving you a good start. And if you are a cycling fan - you can always relive the Pyrenees stages of the Tour de France, which passes each year.

In preparation to the visit I received quite a bunch of good info from SP-member visentin, who grew up in the area. You might want to ask him directly.

@Visentin: "Last Active: Jun 26, 2015" --> no answer so far, neither here nor PN

Has anyone else been in the Pyrenees?

I´ve spent two Holidays at Argelès-Gazost, Bigorre, near Lourdes on the French side of the Pyrenees. There are so much nice hikes as there are 5 Valleys splitting up near Argelès with many interesting mountain routes, many of them hiking or easy scrambling. See some of my SP contributions of that area:
Cabaliros
Pic de Léviste
La Tour
Pic Arrouy
Pibeste
Circuit des Lacs
Cirque de Troumouse
Col d´Hospitalet

Visentin and Gangolf have loads of advices for the Pyrenees as well as Rafa Bartolomefor the Spanish side (and the French side as well).

The French IGN maps, scale 1 : 25.000, are excellent maps with all the important trails and routes. There are many off-trail routes possible, too, sometimes with scrambling and climbs up to grade II in the Bigorre and the adjacent french areas.

Cheers, Michael

Ah, at last some reply -- thank you very much!
New stuff for reading

In between this is nearly the way i`ve decided yet:
We opt for Luc Saint Sauveur (or Cauterts, depends on finding a nice "location"). Any opinions reagrding this two towns?

Second decision is to stay on the french side (instead of splitting a week in F, one in E).
Perhaps just cross the border by fair means

We booked these houses for our stay:

Gite La Pène at Saint Pastous above Argelès with a kick-ass view on the surrounding mountains; the owner is a mountain man and can give endless advices

Gite Villadou at Agos-Vidalos near Argelès in the valley, nice owners and (I think) three independend apartments.

Have a look at them, maybe you like them and they are still available ...

*up*

Flachlandtiroler wrote:We opt for Luc Saint Sauveur (or Cauterts, depends on finding a nice "location"). Any opinions reagrding this two towns?
Second decision is to stay on the french side (instead of splitting a week in F, one in E).

We'll be in Luc Saint Sauveur for two weeks, so primary Gavernie, Vignemale, Troumousse etc.
Is there someone, who has scrambled the peaks in that region and can give advice regarding difficulties?
ANyone been on the Dalle du Maillet (multipitch sport climbing as I got kit from c2c)?

Flachlandtiroler wrote:*up*
We'll be in Luc Saint Sauveur for two weeks, so primary Gavernie, Vignemale, Troumousse etc.

Feedback -- Weather was great, but number of mountaineering trips limited as this was family holiday.

Summits reached (cf. Summitlogs):
Pic Midi du Bigorre
Taillon, Breche Roland
Petit Vignemale
Pic de la Munia, Traverse Cirque Troumousse

Climbing:
Vallée d'Heas ("Monsieur le lapin"),
Pont d'Espagne (Secteur Iris i.e. single pitch only)
Refuge Glier (slab sector, single pitch)
and the small site next to Gavarnie town (single pitch).