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The Pyrenean Haute Route

The HRP high-level trail

ISBN

9781852849818

Availability

Published

11 Apr 2019

Reprinted

10 Apr 2024

Edition

Third

Pages

344

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.85cm

Weight

390g

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Guidebook to trekking the Pyrenean Haute Route, which zigzags across the Franco-Spanish border, staying close to the main ridge in the highest and most spectacular Central Pyrenees. It covers 750km with over 40km of ascent, so is suitable for experienced mountain walkers only. The largely unwaymarked route is presented in 44 stages.

Seasons

The Pyrenean Haute Route is a summer route that is best hiked between late June and early October, when the days are long, the weather more settled and most of the snow has melted.

Centres

Hendaye, Lescun, Gavarnie, Benasque, Vielha e Mijaran, Tavascan, l'Hospitalet-près-l'Andorre, Banyuls-sur-Mer

Difficulty

Grades are used to give an indication of difficulty. Most of the 44 stages fall into Grade 2 (5-7 hour stages with a reasonable amount of ascent and descent) and should be within the capabilities of an experienced hiker. A small number are longer, more demanding routes (Grade 3) and a few are short, easy hikes (Grade 1). Three stages are graded E for 'exceptional': these routes contain steep and exposed sections requiring great care. Crampons and ice axe may be needed on some stages in early summer, but for each of these stages, an easier alternative is described.

Must See

The karst landscapes surrounding Pic d'Anie, the Ossoue glacier on the famous Vignemale, the impressive Cirque de Gavarnie with one of Europe's highest waterfalls, the alpine landscapes in the Portillon region, Pico de Aneto (3404m - the highest peak in the Pyrenees), views of the Mediterranean from Pic du Canigou

ISBN

9781852849818

Availability

Published

11 Apr 2019

Reprinted

10 Apr 2024

Edition

Third

Pages

344

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.85cm

Weight

390g

Overview

A guidebook to trekking the 748km (465 mile) Pyrenean Haute Route (Haute Randonnée Pyrénéenne, HRP) along the France–Spain border. Suitable for fit experienced trekkers comfortable with mountainous terrain, this challenging unwaymarked route traverses the Pyrenees from sea to sea, from Hendaye on the Atlantic Coast to Banyuls-sur-Mer on the Mediterranean, with the aim of staying as high as possible.

The PHR is divided into 44 graded stages of 8 to 28km (5–17 miles), nearly all ending at overnight accommodation. These are presented in 5 sections, which can be accessed by public transport, for the benefit of those wishing to trek only part of the route. Also included are optional ascents of 10 classic summits, including Vignemale, Le Taillon and Pico de Aneto.

1:100,000 mapping and elevation profile provided for each stage
GPX files available for download
Handy route summary and facilities tables help you plan your itinerary
Accommodation and facilities
Advice on planning and preparation, including equipment, supplies and safety considerations

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Map key

Overview map

Route summary tables

Preface

Introduction

The route

Geology

Plants and wildlife

Mountain weather

When to go

Getting there

Accommodation and services

Food, drink and fuel

What to take

Maps

Path conditions

Insurance, mountain safety and rescue

Using this guide

Section 1: Hendaye to Lescun

Day 1 Hendaye to Col de Lizuniaga

Day 2 Col de Lizuniaga to Arizkun

Day 3 Arizkun to Aldudes

Day 4 Aldudes to Roncesvalles

Day 5 Roncesvalles to Egurgui

Day 6 Egurgui to Col Bagargui

Day 7 Col Bagargui to Cabane d’Ardané

Day 8 Cabane d’Ardané to Source de Marmitou

Day 9 Source de Marmitou to Lescun

Variant 1 From Refugi de Belagua to Lescun via La Pierre Saint-Martin

Section 2: Lescun to Gavarnie

Day 10 Lescun to Refuge d’Arlet

Day 11 Refuge d’Arlet to Candanchu

Day 12 Candanchu to Refuge de Pombie

Day 13 Refuge de Pombie to Refuge de Larribet

Day 14 Refuge de Larribet to Refuge Wallon

Variant 2 Refuge d’Arrémoulit to Refuge Wallon

Summit 1 Grande Fache (3005m) from Refuge Wallon

Day 15 Refuge Wallon to Refuge de Bayssellance

Summit 2 Vignemale (3298m) from Refuge de Bayssellance

Day 16 Refuge de Bayssellance to Gavarnie

Summit 3 Le Taillon (3144m) from Gavarnie

Section 3: Gavarnie to Salardú

Day 17 Gavarnie to Héas

Summit 4 Piméné (2801m) from Refuge des Espuguettes

Day 18 Héas to Parzán

Variant 3 Parzán via the high route to Hourquette de Héas

Day 19 Parzán to Refugio de Viados

Day 20 Refugio de Viados to Refuge de la Soula

Day 21 Refuge de la Soula to Refuge du Portillon

Day 22 Refuge du Portillon to Refugio de la Renclusa

Summit 5 Pic Perdiguère (3222m) from Portal de Remune

Summit 6 Pico de Aneto (3404m) from Refugio de la Renclusa

Day 23 Refugio de la Renclusa to Hospital de Vielha

Day 24 Hospital de Vielha to Refugi de la Restanca

Day 25 Refugi de la Restanca to Salardú

Summit 7 Montardo d’Aran (2826m) from the Coll de Crestada

Variant 4 Three days on the GR11 from Refugio de Viados to Hospital de Vielha

Section 4: Salardú to l’Hospitalet-près-l’Andorre

Day 26 Salardú to Refugi Gràcia Airoto

Day 27 Refugi Gràcia Airoto to Alós d’Isil

Day 28 Alós d’Isil to Refugi Enric Pujol

Summit 8 Mont Roig (2868m) from Refugi Enric Pujol

Day 29 Refugi Enric Pujol to Refugi de Certascan

Variant 5 To Noarre via Tavascan

Summit 9 Pic de Certascan (2853m) from Coll de Certascan

Day 30 Refugi de Certascan to Refugi de Baborte/del Cinquantenari

Day 31 Refugi de Baborte/del Cinquantenari to Étang de la Soucarrane

Day 32 Étang de la Soucarrane to Refugi de Sorteny

Day 33 Refugi de Sorteny to Refugi de Cabana Sorda

Day 34 Refugi de Cabana Sorda to l’Hospitalet-près-l’Andorre

Section 5: L’Hospitalet-près-l’Andorre to Banyuls-sur-Mer

Day 35 L’Hospitalet-près-l’Andorre to Refuge des Bésines

Day 36 Refuge des Bésines to Refuge des Bouillouses

Variant 6 GR10 to Refuge des Bouillouses

Day 37 Refuge des Bouillouses to Eyne

Day 38 Eyne to Refugi d’Ull de Ter

Summit 10 Pic des Bastiments (2881m)

Day 39 Refugi d’Ull de Ter to Refuge de Mariailles

Day 40 Refuge de Mariailles to Refuge de Batère

Variant 7 GR10 to Refuge des Cortalets

Day 41 Refuge de Batère to Mas de la Fargassa

Day 42 Mas de la Fargassa to Las Illas

Day 43 Las Illas to Col de l’Ouillat

Day 44 Col de l’Ouillat to Banyuls-sur-Mer

Appendix A Useful contacts

Appendix B Glossary

Appendix C Facilities table

Updates

July 2023

Hostel name change

The hostel Refugi Rosta, in the village of Salardú, has changed its name to Alanieve. The new contact details are www.alanieve.com and info@alanieve.com

July 2021

Food and drink

Day 3, arriving at Aldudes. Entering the village, coming down the tarmac road, the municipality owns a big white building with red shades. It offers the possibility to buy drinks and sandwiches. For €2 you can take a shower.

Stage 4 3.30. There is also water available when you come to Col de Burdincurutcheta.

Thank you to Peter Jones for this information.

April 2021

Author updates

There have been a few map changes and a number of changes concerning accommodation. Finally there's a word about Covid-19 measures for the 2021 season.

p39. Rando Éditions Mapa Excursionista maps nos. 23, 22 and 21 are no longer available. Hikers can buy Rando Éditions Carte de Randonnées nos. 13, 6 and 7 instead, they cover the Pyreanean Haute Route for that area too.

p92. Refugio de Belagua is open. The hut has 56 places and prices for overnight stays and halfboard are very reasonable. There is also a bar and restaurant. Make your reservation online on https://refugiobelagua.es or over the phone: 623 10 73 17.

p126-133 Refuge Wallon is closed for renovation until the end of 2021. Find the latest updates here: http://www.refuge-marcadau.csvss.fr/en/home. The whole site is closed, so the only option there is a bivouac (many good places). For those wishing to sleep inside the only alternative is to hike on the Pont d'Espagne (2h) and take a taxi to Cauterets, where you find hotels.

p150. Refuge des Sarradets remains closed. It is at present unclear if the hut will open for the 2021 season. Check https://refugebrechederoland.f... for the latest updates.

p180. The phone number of Refuge de la Soula has changed. Instead of the numbers given in the book, phone 05 62 40 23 41.

p258. The correct timing for day 31 is 5h20, not 5h. In the route description the correct timing is given.

p290. Refuge des Bouillousses is closed for renovation and is scheduled to reopen in the autumn of 2021. There are two alternatives closeby: Auberge du Carlit (https://lesioux.fr/aubergeduca..., tel 04 68 04 22 23) and hotel Les Bones Hores (https://www.lesboneshores.fr, tel 04 68 04 24 22)

p319. Ecogite Moulin de la Palette has closed permanently. At Montalba d'Amélie (1h further) it is possible to pitch a tent and get water. For those wishing to stay inside, a solution could be to stay at refuge de Cortalets on day 40 and in Arles-sur-Tech on day 41.

And a word about Covid-19:

It speaks for itself that Covid-19 measures will apply everywhere. For every form of accommodation, it is recommended to inform about these measures on the relevant website before you set off. In the 2020 season the author witnessed that the huts operate more or less as usual, the main differences being reduced capacity (groups sleep in a separate wing of the hut, whereas individual hikers sleep in a place where the required physical distance from others is assured) and the obligation to disinfect hands and wear a mask inside the hut.

August 2019

Route Updates

*p 176, Refugio de Viados has changed its reservation phone numbers, they are now 974341613 and 669230078. It is equally possible to make a reservation online: www.alberguesyrefugios.com/viados/

*p 39, Rando éditions is in the process of renumbering and reprinting its maps. What is mentioned in the book as map 23 is now for sale as map 13. Maps 22 and 21 are currently out of print, but maps 6 (Couserans/Val d'Aran) and 7 (Haute Ariège) cover the necessary areas for the HRP too. In the future, maps 22 and 21 will most probably be numbered resp. 14 and 15. It is not clear when exactly they will be for sale.

*p 83, day 6: the shop next to the restaurant at col Bagargui no longer exists. There is now a shop in the same building as the bureau d'acceuil, at col Héguichouria. There are gas canisters (type EN417) for sale there.

*p 262, day 32: Contrary to previous years, restaurant La Goma is open for this summer.

*p 267, Day 33: the timing for the part between Refugi de Sorteny and Collado dels Meners is wrong. It should be 2hrs to Collado dels Meners instead of 4hrs, making the total time for day 33 6.25hrs instead of 8.25hrs.

July 2019

p105 last digit missing for Camping La Bergerie should be as listed on p106 : tel 05 62 92 48 41

p83, day 6: The shop that used to be next to the restaurant at Col Bagargui has closed. Instead, there is now a shop at the bureau d'accueil at Col Héguichouria. Gas canisters of the EN417 type are for sale there.
(Thanks to reader Bjorn Forselv for bringing this to our attention)

June 2019

GPX files are available to be dowloaded .

Page 4, the reference to Peter Forrest's web site should be to

www.hrpguide.org

not www.hrp.org. Our apologies.

p39, concerning the maps needed to hike the PHR: IGN carte de randonnée 1346OT - St-Jean-Pied-de-Port is no longer needed if you have the more recent Rando Éditions maps no1 (Pays Basque Ouest) and no2 (Pays Basque Est). Only with the older versions of these maps there is a gap between these two maps. Rando maps printed 2006 and later are OK.

Reviews

Essential reference material for anyone looking to take on one of Europe’s finest long-distance trails

First published in 2004, the Cicerone guide to hiking the Pyrenean Haute Route has been extensively revised and updated this year by Tom Martens. The new guide is a significant improvement over the previous edition.

Also known as the Haute Route Pyrenees (or HRP), this trail is a crossing of the Pyrenees from Atlantic to Mediterranean, sticking largely to the high ground in between the GR10 and GR11, two established long-distance trails on the French and Spanish sides of the range respectively. Terrain varies from good waymarked paths to trackless ridges, high cols, and a bit of everything else you can imagine. Just to complicate things further there is not even a single universally agreed route.

Tom Martens’ guide helps to cut through the uncertainty. The route is divided into 44 daily stages, plus 10 optional classic summits. Each chapter includes all the information you need: essential stats, elevation chart, clear topo overview maps, and detailed directions. The intro to each of the five sections provides essential details on terrain, resupply options, transport (useful for section hikers), accommodation, and more. You even get downloadable GPX files for your GPS or smartphone.

I hiked the HRP in summer 2019 using the new edition of the guide. The old Ton Joosten version had a reputation for confusing wording, ambitious timings, and other flaws, but Tom Martens has considerably improved the guide. Wording is clearer, directions (mostly) unambiguous, and I found the timings more sensible. The mapping has been improved too, the route itself tweaked.

This is a worthy update to a classic guidebook, and it made my life considerably easier on the trail – as well as helping my wife to keep track of me from home base. Essential reference material for anyone looking to take on one of Europe’s finest long-distance trails.

Alex Roddie, TGO magazine

Downloads

The Pyrenean Haute Route - GPX File

By Tom Martens

Tom Martens grew up in Belgium and first visited the Pyrenees in 2008 with a friend who had made him enthusiastic about the mountain chain. This first exploration was so enchanting that he has been back every year since. He has hiked extensively in the national parks and traversed the whole length of the Pyrenees several times. He has guided groups of youngsters on long, intensive hikes and climbed many of the high peaks. So far, he has spent 500 nights in the Pyrenees, mostly bivouacking. He has a special interest in mountain wildlife. Other regions where you can often find him hiking include Scotland and Estonia, where he currently lives.

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