Ariège-Pyrénées ... the other south of France
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With 5000 kilometres of waymarked paths Ariège-Pyrénées has enough walking to keep even the most ardent hiker busy for years. We have a large selection of walking guidebooks and maps, but to whet your appetite we'll show you on this page just a small sample of some of the walks we can recommend for those looking for longer or more challenging outings. Bear in mind though that they are just that: a sample, designed to give you a flavour of the variety of walking on offer here rather than a definitive pointer to the best walks - there are many others just as interesting, diverse and lovely, and the dividing line between easy and challenging is really a very fluid one! Some of the longer walks have shorter options that bring them into the category of 'easy' walks, just as many easy walks have more challenging options.
Many of the walks on this page are at altitude and you may encounter snow at higher levels up until mid June (the period immediately after the snow melt is however a wonderful time to be up there, as you'll find a wide variety of alpine and sub alpine flowers). All should remain snow-free until early November, though obviously each year is different. |
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CASCADE D'ARS AND ETANG DE GUZET
5 h 30, total climb 900 metres. Lovely circular day walk, starting just outside Aulus les Bains, that takes you up on the GR10 to the Cascade (waterfall) d’Ars, one of the most beautiful in the Ariège – the noise is deafening! The path then climbs in hairpins up to the middle level of the cascade before crossing the river and takes you north-west through the forest in alternate climbs and descents; some three and a half hours into the walk you’ll see the Etang de Guzet on your left (steep descent if you want to go down to the lake). Continue on the GR10 until at Fouillet you reach an intersection, where you leave the GR10 in favour of the GRP, an ancient path bordered with old walls in places; you’ll pass lots of old barns before reaching the D8 road and returning to your car. Those who don’t want to do the whole circuit can just walk up to the Cascade d’Ars, returning by the same route; this takes around 3 hours and counts amongst the ‘easy’ walks, suitable for anybody with good shoes or boots, though I’ve seen French walkers doing it in flipflops!
ROC DU CASTILLON
4 h 30, total climb 430 metres. This walk begins in our own village of Rimont, at the Abbey of Combelongue; it's a long walk though so best to take your car down and park at the Salle des Fêtes, a couple of minutes walk from the Abbey. Head off up the lane in a westerly direction towards the hamlet of Pujol, where the lane becomes an earth piste, and continue up to the ridge above the Riverenert valley (great views). Follow the ridge path up to the Pic d’Eychenne and along the Serre d’Eychenne, where the path forks – take the left fork towards the Roc de Castillon. Continue on the ridge until you reach the Coume Rouge, the highest point of the walk at 971 metres. Continue east then north, passing above the hamlet of Supéry then through the hamlet of le Pladelleac before returning to your starting point at the Abbey.
ETANG DE FONTARGENTA
The Port de Fontargenta is the lowest crossing point between France and Andorra, at a height of 2262m; the lake, at 2145m, is particularly lovely. Lots of possibilities: one is do a straight out and back walk from the trailhead parking at Pla de las Peyres; you do need to drive a slightly dodgy piste to get there, otherwise it’s a longer walk from the more accessible parking by the dam at Laparan. Alternatively you can follow one of the several circular routes, the longest of which (9 hours, climb of 1420 metres and definitely ‘sportive’!) will take you into Andorra and past a number of other lakes. Another (4 to 5 hours, climb of 570 metres) will take you on a shorter circuit to the Etang de Fontargenta where you can picnic and even swim. In the vicinity of these walks is the Refuge du Rulhe, the most accessible of the mountain refuges and very well equipped. You can walk here from Pla de las Peyres in a couple of hours, or along the Rieutort valley (recommended) in 3 hours; this would be a very good choice for a night in a refuge during your stay.
CIRCUIT OF THE ORRIS
4 h 30, climb 700 metres. This walk begins at 1640m, above the village of Auzat in the south of the Ariège, beyond the Etang de Soulcem. Orris are the shepherds' stone igloos – small dry stone huts found in the estives (summer pastures), once used as living quarters by those who tended the flocks during the summer. They were often grouped into ‘hamlets’ within which each orri had its proper function, for example cheesemaking. On this lovely circular walk you’ll discover several such hamlets and a number of well preserved orris which will give you a unique insight into mountain life of times past; you’ll also glimpse two superb and unexpected lakes, Soucarrane and Roumazet. While the main out-and-back part of this walk along the river is easy to follow, the circuit that takes you up and around the lakes on the other hand is not brilliantly marked and needs a bit of attention (ie: we got lost!). It’s quite possible to turn this into an ‘easy’ walk by omitting this bit – lots of people do this and spend the day around the valley with a picnic.
ETANG BLEU AND PIC DES TROIS SEIGNEURS
6 h 30 to 7 hours ; total climb 1300 metres. In spite of its modest altitude (2199m) the Pic des Trois Seigneurs is one of the best belvederes over the high summits of the Ariège. All the options I’ll describe here start from the parking in the Courbière valley, beyond the village of Rabat-les-Trois-Seigneurs near Tarascon. The entire Pic des Seigneurs circuit demands a high level of fitness and endurance - it’s both long (17km) and steep - but you’ll be rewarded with an amazing variety of different landscapes, including the lovely (and blue!) Etang Bleu. For a shorter walk, you can skip the ascension of the Pic in favour of a more accessible 4 to 5 hour circuit to the Etang Bleu, via the cirque d'Embans, or a shorter out and back walk from the same starting point but via a more direct route to the lake, which will take you around 3 h 30; this option is particularly recommended for the variety of its wild flowers and will give you plenty of time to admire them!
ETANG DU GARBET
3 h 30, climb 600 metres. The Garbet valley in the Couserans, running between Oust and Aulus les Bains, is a quintessential glacial valley, and one of most depopulated in the Ariège. The glacier was present up to 35,000 years ago, when it was 22 kilometres long and extended over a wide area. The valley is three storeys high, so to speak, in an amphitheatre formation; it’s very very damp, with the highest rainfall in the department – there’s water everywhere. So … this is a rather damp walk, underfoot, best done in summer and with good boots as you’ll be walking for quite a lot of the time on rocks which can get slippery, especially after rain. That said, it’s not an especially difficult walk and well worth doing because the Etang de Garbet is superb, as is the cascade just before you arrive. Those looking for more of a challenge can continue up to the Lac Bleu (not the same Lac Bleu described above), though you need to be a confident mountain walker to do this bit. Allow an extra couple of hours.
A PASTORAL TOUR OF BARGUILLERE
3 h 30, total climb 363m. The mountainous region south of the D117 between La Bastide de Sérou and Foix, the Massif de l’Arize, isn’t as sexy or well known as the higher peaks but it’s full of very rewarding walking where even in August you’re likely to have the slopes to yourselves. Known as the Barguillère, it’s a very pastoral area full of animals in summer and criss crossed with ancient paths and forest tracks. This walk begins at the Col Mazel (which you’ll need a large scale map and a good navigator to find in your car!), then climbs the ridge through the forest and out across the grassy pasture where you turn back north towards the Pech de Therme, the highest point of the walk at 1676m. Here you’ll have a panoramic view over the chain of the Pyrenees to the south and the Ariège plain to the north. The path takes you down another ridge and back to your starting point. You’re likely to encounter sheep, cows and possibly Mérens horses passing their summer at liberty on the high pastures.