On 7 Jan 2005 06:21:54 -0800, [email hidden]
(Catherine) said:My husband, who is not an athlete, has expressed an interest in hiking
in the Pyrenees with me this summer. I am thrilled but want him to
love the experience so much that this will not be a one-and-only
experience. (I love walking, hiking, canoeing, cycling trips.) ARe
there any feasible circular hikes (to minimize logistical problems) or
A-to-B hikes with good public transportation at each of A and B? And
here's the kicker: my husband likes his luxuries and while he could
handle a gite d'etape, if there were a segment that had some more
luxurious accommodations, that would be great. I'd like to avoid
mundane scenery and busy roads. Any suggestions for this tall order?
Many thanks!
The problem with the Pyrenees is that most of the valleys run
North-South and are deep and steep - so if you want to go out of one,
into the next one, and back again, it's quite testing (but doable;
plenty of fifty-somethings with bad habits, including me, manage it).
The topography also means that the road route between two valley
bottoms can be very long indeed.
The most spectacular bits are in the central Pyrenees. You could try
basing yourselves in a Parador or two (Arties and Bielsa come to
mind), or slightly further East and not quite as plush is the Hotel
Cardos in Ribera de Cardos. You can do rewarding day hikes from the
front door of all these, or cheat by accessing higher level start
points by car to save your husband's legs and lungs.
An alternative is the hotel in the Nuria complex, further East again,
which can be reached by rack and pinion train as well as on foot.
It's just under 2000m, so the train has taken most of the strain, but
there are still excellent walks up to around 2800m.
Good, and less strenuous lower-level stuff can be found in the Basque
country (another Parador, at Hondarribia!), but even here you'll find
public transport sadly lacking. St Jean Pied de Port makes a good
base with a choice of mid-range hotels as well as the basic ones, or
St Etienne de Baigorry, but doubtless someone will be along in a
minute to tell you more about the French side, where generally the
public transport is better than on the Spanish side.
Finally, pick your time carefully. All accommodation is very
difficult in August, and in many places you'll be too hot to walk
seriously. Late June is my favourite unless you are constrained by
school holidays or similar.
Have fun, and don't forget to come back and tell us about it.
--
All the best
David Millen
Xativa, Valencia
www.fincacasablanca.com
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