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Walking and Cycling holidays in the Pyrenees
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  • About Us

    Who are we ?

    Who Are We ?
    In 1984 a small walking holiday company was created, based in the beautiful Val d’Azun in the heart of the French Pyrenees. This company, named « La Balaguère » after the warm breeze that blows upwards from the Sahara to the Pyrenees, offered guided walking trips led by a small group of friends with a huge passion for the mountains.
    Little by little La Balaguère expanded and more than 35 years later we help over 13,000 people every year enjoy walking and cycling holidays in the Pyrenees and further afield, to the most unspoilt areas of the world.
    In 2018 we launched a new and exciting project. Purely Pyrenees is the English language branch of our business, offering self-guided and guided trips, walking and cycling from Spring to Autumn and snowshoeing in the Winter. Using our decades of experience we created a new range of holidays designed for English speakers who come, maybe for the first time, to experience the best the Pyrenees has to offer. Our focus is always to provide highlights, iconic places to visit, wonderful itineraries, authentic hotels and, of course, tremendous cuisine.
    Purely Pyrenees and La Balaguère are now owned by the UCPA (Union des Centres Sportifs de Plein Air) which is a non-profit organisation in France that specialises in making outdoor sports holidays available for all. We are still based where we have always been, in the Pyrenean village of Arrens-Marsous.
    We are very proud of our Pyrenean chain and of the knowledge that we have of it, amassed over years of providing guided and self-guided holidays. You can be sure that if you travel with us we will do everything we can to make sure you have a wonderful trip.

    • Who are we ?
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  • The Purely Magazine
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  • Walking
    • Cathars, culture & cuisine
      • Culture and "Camino" : Guernica, Guggenheim & much more
      • The Art Of Walking : A Cultural Journey To The Mediterranean
      • Mediterranean Pyrenees Coastal Walk: Collioure to Cadaquès
      • From Cathar Castles To Mediterranean Collioure
      • Once In A Lifetime Winter Walking
      • Highlights Of Cathar Country: From Carcassonne To Montségur
      • Compostela Camino: Logroño - Leon
      • Compostela Camino: Journey's End: Leon - Santiago de Compostela
      • Compostela Camino: Crossing The Pyrenees to Rioja
      • The Get-Away-From-It-All Pyrenean Break
    • Coastal Journeys
      • Across The Basque Country To The Atlantic
      • Culture and "Camino" : Guernica, Guggenheim & much more
      • From The Basque Mountains To The Atlantic Ocean
      • Mediterranean Pyrenees Coastal Walk: Collioure to Cadaquès
      • Quintessential Collioure To Cadaques
      • Walking From Mount Canigou To The Med
      • Cycling The Mediterranean Pyrenees
      • Cycling the Mediterranean Pyrénées : Collioure to Cadaqués
      • A Gourmet Short Break On The Basque Coast
      • A Guided Journey Along The Mediterranean Coast
      • Slowly Discovering The Best Of Basque Coast & Country
      • Discovering The Best Of The Pays Basque By Electric Bike
    • From the Atlantic to the Mediterranean
      • The Best Of The Pyrenees Coast-To-Coast By Electric bike
      • The Best Of The Pyrenees Coast-to-Coast In 2 Weeks
      • Canal du Midi Via Carcassonne to the Med
      • Discovering The Best Of The Pays Basque By Electric Bike
    • Heart of mountains
      • The Very Best Of the Spanish Pyrenean Lakeland
      • The Best Of The High Pyrenees : From Lourdes To The Stars
      • From Cathar Castles To Mediterranean Collioure
      • The Once-In-A-Lifetime High Pyrenees Walk
      • The Best Of The Pyrenees Coast-To-Coast By Electric bike
      • The Natural Magic Of Aragon
      • A World Class Journey To The Heart Of The Pyrenees
      • The Best Of The Pyrenees Coast-to-Coast In 2 Weeks
      • Lakes and plateaus of Cerdagne
      • Highlights Of Cathar Country: From Carcassonne To Montségur
      • A Guided Pyrenean Lakeland Journey
      • The 7-6-4 Guide To Living Life Better
      • Tourmalet & Cycling's Greatest Challenges - The Easier Way
      • A Guided Tour Of The Secret Canyons Of Europe
      • The Secret Canyons Of Europe
      • Carcassonne, Cathar Castles & Corbieres Vineyards By Bike
      • The Get-Away-From-It-All Pyrenean Break
    • Short breaks
      • From The Basque Mountains To The Atlantic Ocean
      • Quintessential Collioure To Cadaques
    • The Caminos de Santiago
      • Culture and "Camino" : Guernica, Guggenheim & much more
      • Compostela Camino: Logroño - Leon
      • Compostela Camino: Journey's End: Leon - Santiago de Compostela
      • Compostela Camino: Crossing The Pyrenees to Rioja
    • Winter Walking & ski
      • The Best Pyrenean Winter Walks
      • The Glorious Spanish Pyrenees
      • Once In A Lifetime Winter Walking
      • Wonderful Winter Walking Around Spain's Lost Mountain
      • Ski Touring Try-It-Out Weekend
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  • About Us
    • Who are we ?
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    • What to take ?
  • The Purely Magazine
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