Sheila and Heather take a World Class Journey to the Heart of the Pyrenees

Hello Sheila, you and a friend recently returned from doing a walking holiday in the French High Pyrenees «  A World Class Journey to the Heart of the Pyrenees ».

Could you introduce yourself? 

We are Sheila and Heather from Vancouver Island, Canada.

We became good friends when our daughters were in figure skating together, we share a love of hiking and hike on a regular basis at home.

A couple of years ago we decided we would like to try hiking in Europe. Last year we did the Tour du Mont Blanc and this year the High Pyrenees.

Could you tell us why you chose this area for your walking holiday? 

 We wanted to hike in an area that would present similar challenges and offer similar scenery to the Tour du Mont Blanc.

Both of us had read about the Pyrenees and had seen many wonderful photos that enticed us to follow up on a walking holiday in the Pyrenees.

Can you tell us about your best memories from the trip? 

The whole trip was full of great memories, we enjoyed every hike we did.

Everyday offered splendid scenery and magnificent views.

One of the best memories would be from our second day of hiking where we started at the Lac d’Estaing, it was a beautiful day and the mountains, meadows and sheep were incredibly clearly reflected in lake and it was so very beautiful.  

Another great memory was on our third day of hiking where we started the hike at the Post d’Espagne.

We enjoyed seeing the Post d’Espagne  which is a famous stone bridge that once joined Spain and France.

It offers lovely views of waterfalls and spans the Gave de Marcadau where it meets the Gave de Gaube.

From there we hiked up to and alongside the beautiful Gaube lake, then alongside a glacial torrent, through a lovely river valley with alpine meadows and several waterfalls, we eventually climbed the last steep ascent over Col d’Ossoue to arrive at the Baysselance refuge.

It was a day of glorious and stunning views plus a great feeling of accomplishment!

Would you have any advice for other travellers walking in the same area? 

I would strongly recommend any of the hikes we took in the high Pyrenees, we enjoyed the less crowded experience that we got by hiking in mid September.

This is the first time you have entrusted Purely Pyrenees with your holiday plans, how was the experience? 

We really enjoyed working with Purely Pyrenees, they were very professional, friendly and helpful.

We really could not have asked for a better organized vacation, everything went smoothly and all transfers were punctual.

The GPS maps, paper maps and written descriptions of the hikes were good.

The hotels and accommodations were all comfortable and clean with friendly staff. The food was good in all accommodations and really delicious in some.

Thank you for sharing your experiences with us !

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