Walking Holidays
France

GR 10 Trek

This self-guided walking holiday is the fifth part of a wonderful & dramatic 415km crossing of the Pyrenees Mountain chain between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean along the GR10 long distance trail. You'll amble through stunning scenery that varies enormously, with flower-filled meadows, sparkling lakes, cirques and high summits. You’ll get a taste of many different cultures, from the Basque country by the Atlantic to Catalonia by the Mediterranean. Each valley you pass through has its own distinct flavour.

This section of the GR10 long distance trail goes from Luchon to Aulus les Bains, following ancient passages that were used as a means of communication between the deep valleys. Here, the itinerary follows rural and forestry trails around the Piedmont villages of Artigue and Melles-en-Comminges and the hamlets of Eylie, Bouche, Aunac and Bidous before rejoining another thermal station, Aulus-les-bains. The walk between Comminges and Couserans will take you through some remarkable flora: Gispet (widespread grass that gets slippery when wet and thrives on high altitude terrain), rhododendron flowers, blueberries and majestic beach trees that share the forest with fir trees. In Couserans you discover more traces of the past when the trail takes you to various ‘jasses’, (an area where the shepherds would gather their sheep near to the river), old shepherd’s cabins and cairns.

Holiday Profile

7 night/8 days: 6 or 7 days independent walking moving between accommodation

Dates

Everyday (subject to availability) from 15 June to 30 September

Walking Profile & Grade

6 or 7 days independent walking moving everyday between accommodation. It is graded challenging, although there is the odd more strenuous day. Average days include 6 hours hours walking and 950m of ascent & descent. The hardest day, however, includes 1285m of ascent. Details are provided with the descriptions below. Paths are generally good and well defined, although they are often rocky and mountainous in character. You should have a good head for heights and be able to navigate.

This walking holiday is graded challenging. See more information about walking grades.

Accommodation & Meals

• Half board (except day 7 B&B basis)
• 1 night in room in hotel** on day 1
• 3 nights in room in gite on day 2, 5, and 6
• 1 night in shared dormitory in mountain refuge on day 3. Bring a sack sheet (blankets provided)

When to Travel

Our self-guided walking trail along part 5 of the GR10 long distance path is available from 15 June to 30 September. This 5th stage of the trek goes over mountain passes above 2000m as well as having the opportunity to reach summits above 2500m so before 15 June there is a high risk of snow on the trail and some of the accommodation is not open. During the rest of June and early July there is a greater risk of encountering snow fields on the trail than later. The summer months are the driest period in the central Pyrenees, but afternoon showers or storms are fairly common. From mid September night time temperatures tend to be fresher and there is a small risk of fresh snow at altitude. The busiest period in terms of fellow walkers is from Mid July to mid August.

Navigation, Walking Notes & Maps

The vast majority of this walking holiday follows the GR10 (Grande Randonnee) long distance trail which is very well way-marked with red and white markings. There are also several signposts along the trail. The walking follows clear paths for its entire duration. Some small sections follow local or unmarked trails, for example to access accommodation or to access panoramic summits, but these are easy to follow. On this particular walking holiday we use the Cicerone guide books. As well as the walking notes we supply walking maps. You'll be provided with detailed 1:25,000 walking maps.

Luggage Transfers

On this walking holiday you can choose to have your main luggage transferred between accommodation so you only have to carry a day rucksack with picnic lunch (supplied by the guest houses and included in the holiday price), water and spare clothes, waterproofs, camera etc. On this holiday several local taxi companies are responsible for transporting your main luggage. Please limit the weight of your bags where possible to 15kg.

Travel Info

How to get to Luchon :

By air :
Airports : Lourdes-Tarbes (110km, 1.00); Toulouse-Blagnac (140km, 1.00); train connections to Toulouse-Matabiau by shuttle every 20 mins.

By train :
TER trains from Toulouse Matabiau station to Montrejeau; the Toulouse-Montrejeau line, or Toulouse-Irun line, stops in Montrejeau; then Montrejeau-Luchon by bus, departures in front of Montrejeau station. (40 mins journey time between Toulouse and Montrejeau and around 1hr between Montrejeau and Luchon, 4 to 5 departures on Sunday)
Contact SNCF (www.ter-sncf.com) to confirm the timetable.

By car :
From Paris 825km, via Limoges, Toulouse, Saint-Gaudens.
From Lyon 663km, via Narbonne, Toulouse, Saint-Gaudens.
From Marseille 520km.
From Bordeaux 314km, via Agen, Auch.
From Toulouse 140km, via Montrejeau.

Parking :
Parking in Luchon: Free: Behind the post office, from the phone box, in front of the train station, Luchon exit.

Depart from Aulus les Bains:

30 mins transfer by local taxi, from Aulus-les-Bains to Saint-Girons bus station included in holiday.
Departures from Saint-Girons bus station by bus, at 5.40pm to Boussens.
From Boussens, trains to Toulouse, Pau, Bordeaux, Paris (connections).

Depart from St Girons to Luchon (if arrived by car):

Departures from Saint-Girons bus station by bus, to Boussens.
From Boussens take a train to Montrejeau and a bus to Luchon.

We recommend arriving by train to avoid returns to Luchon to recover your car, because the return journey is long by public transport and very expensive if you take a taxi. If you have to come

7 nights / 6 or 7 days walking

• From €1125
• Without bag transfers: less €150 per booking
• All prices per person, based on 2 sharing a room, except where stated
• Please consult us about single supplement prices