Wow great photos! I can't wait to get there and see it all for myself! We also can't do an extreme amount walking / climbing because of my husband's scoliosis. He's not all bent up or anything, he looks normal (well mostly haha) but if we walk for long periods he gets a lot of pain in his back. That's another reason I was wondering how much of this can all be seen by car / short walks (an hour or less)
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All within an hour or so drive and you can park near to all the sights we went to and then walk however far you want. I don't do exertion but walks to suit all abilities.
Thanks, the walk to Lac Gaube from the chair lift is about 15 mins each way with a restaurant by the lake.
Driving anywhere upwards will give you good views. My son cycled up Luz Ardiden and it looked impressive. I believe Hautacam is another good one; generally anywhere above the tree line!
Sure you'll have a great trip, I certainly hope to return one day.
OH we don't mind long drives, it's just the long walks that kill us, between my big behind and my husband's bad back, one or the other is moaning after a short period haha
Btw, my husband couldn't stop raving about how friendly the lady from Camping Nature was on the phone. We told her that she got glowing reviews on this site.
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I thought you all might like to see my review of the campground! We did end up going to Pyrenees Camping Natura and we loved it. LOVED LOVED LOVED! We fully intend to return one day!
I was at Natura for the last 3 nights of this season, shame about the weather (permanent fog/mist/drizzle), but the final morning the snowy mountain peaks finally became visible, with blue sky. Lac Estaing was perfectly still and acted like a mirror to the surrounding mountain peaks. I hope to go back to this valley. Beware of the final few km of new "tarmac" and loose chippings on the road. If you have to suddenly brake you could skid.
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Have just returned from Argeles-Gazost in the Pyrenees, there is a campsite called The 3 Valleys [ in english] 5 min walk from the village. We go every year about 30 min from every where yo want to visit.
Xammy, that must be the best review on a sie I have ever read! I don't mean how good the site is (I already knew that) but how comprehensive a review you gave - fabulous. I always find it difficult recommending a site to people because we all have different tastes so I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Your photos are beautiful.
Where did you go when you were there - did you manage the Cirque Du Gavarnie? And did you like the area in general? There is someone else on this forum who was asking Alps or Pyrenees - I do hope they read your review!
Looks like you had a good time. It's certainly a stunning area. We did the Alps this year (partly for Le Tour), but I'd love to return to the Pyrenees again.
Oh we loved the area but didn't get to do nearly as much as we would have liked. We were there for for days and we had some rather crappy weather for two of the days. It was just a small side trip during our two week holiday in the south of France to visit my in-laws.
We spent our first full day hiking up behind the Lac du Estaing. There were supposed to be some great waterfalls up there, but after hiking most of the afternoon we got up there to see that it was only a trickle! haha I couldn't believe it.
We did the Pic du Midi, which was fantastic! We also went to a really big cave but I forget the name of it now.
My favorite day was the day we did the pic du midi and then droving along the col's ... that was fab.
We hope to go back again soon and do Gavarnie and a few other places we missed. We are going to France next year but thought we may check out the Alps this time and then see which we like better and want to do more of the following year.
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