Our next stop was Bagnères-de-Luchon situated in the Pyrenees and selected due to its abundant hiking and mountain biking tracks. We decided to jump back onto the motorway to get there just because we thought our little van would appreciate it more rather than going up and down steep mountains. Plus the time difference in the two trips was quite substantial.
Arriving into the mountains we were both a little in awe of the scenery, although the Pyrenees mountains are not as high or steep as the Alps the peaks towering above really make you feel insignificant. The end of our trip had us winding through valleys alongside crystal clear mountain streams and we were very excited. We didn’t get sunny skies on the way in but it was still beautiful and kept us wanting more.
Our campsite we had chosen was a few kms walk/bike from the main town but that didn’t really bother us. We arrived and had the pick of a few amazing sites, all with mountain views, grass and separated by hedges. We had booked for 4 nights but with the amount of hiking and biking we were going to be doing we thought we would probably extend. We set up and wandered into town to get some information on the tracks. The town was small with a single high street at the base of the mountain with a single cable car that in the winter takes skiers up to the higher slopes. We could see the cable car from the campsite but weirdly we hadn’t seen it going up and down the mountain. We didn’t think too much of it.
At the tourist information centre we found out why. The cable car was shut for the summer for repairs so they had decided to shut all the mountain bike tracks for repairs as well. This also was the case for the amazing public thermal baths we had heard about where renovations were underway. But ever the optimists we thought we could still fill our days with plenty of hiking.
We had a sneaky rest day to start with as the weather was not too great and we were both a little weary and then the next day headed out bright and early to climb up a mountain, past (suprise suprise) a waterfall and back. Well the first part of the hike was brutal. We climbed 500 metres up over roughly 2kms. It just seemed never ending. You know it’s tough when Tim is stopping for breaks as it is usually me who makes him stop to catch my breath. But when we got to the top it was worth it. The views were breathtaking. The rest of the hike was really enjoyable and we got back exhausted but pretty happy with our efforts.
On another day we decided to pack up the van and go for a little trip to the top of the mountain to see what it looked like from the top and potentially do a hike from there. The drive up through multiple switch backs had the feel of our old ski resort Alpe D’Huez and it took us a little while to make it up. Unfortunately when we got to the top it was shrouded in clouds so changed plans and went for a lovely walk to several waterfalls down the valley. As we have been camping below the tree line we have been loving hiking in through the trees and the forests have been breathtaking. So lush!
The hikes were definitely the highlight but the campsite came in a close second. Beautiful views and big grassy sites made for a lovely stay. There was a little restaurant which baked its own baguettes which was run by a lovely man who loved trying to speak English to us, though I think it would have been easier if he spoke in French as Tim’s French was so much better. We were the only English speaking customers there and other than a couple from the Netherlands everyone else was French. It just makes the place seem so much more authentic.
The town of Luchon itself was nice but a little sleepy and to be honest we didn’t really spend much time there as we preferred to cook out with views around our campsite. We decided not to extend after the 4 days considering our hiking and biking options had been limited due to the cable car being out of action but thoroughly enjoyed our time and were really looking forward to the next stop in our Pyrenees adventure. S
