Breathtaking landscapes and bike rides, all between two tangos. One thing is certain, on vacation in the Hautes-Pyrénées you will not be bored. Our columnist Jean-Bernard Carillet takes you on Wednesday in the footsteps of the Tour de France, to the heart of the Lourdes processions or to the Pic du Midi observatory.
For many, the Hautes-Pyrénées is the symbol of the Tour de France. Certain passes, that of Tourmalet for example, have become over the years and competitions true cycling legends. But for Sunday athletes, many other routes exist. In particular, you will be able to discover Gravel, a new discipline coming from the United States and Australia, where the roads are not all paved.
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It is a sturdy bike, made of aluminum or steel, between cyclocross, road bike and mountain bike. It is in a way the 4x4 of the bicycle: you can go everywhere with it, on small tracks in the forests or on small stony paths. There is also an electric version.
Tango in Tarbes, processions in Lourdes
On the city side, Tarbes is worth the detour. Who would have guessed that this mountain town lives to the rhythm of tango tunes every year in August? "Tarbes en Tango" is one of the biggest festivals specializing in this kind of music in Europe. Postponed this year, it usually takes place every summer from mid-August and brings together 18,000 festival-goers.
20 km to the south, you can then stop at Lourdes. Known throughout the world for Catholic pilgrimages, you will find there, believers or not, a unique experience. Every day at nightfall, huge torch processions take place.
Breathtaking landscapes
As for the landscapes, we know the Cirque de Gavarnie well, less those of Estaubé and Troumouse. Less high than the first, they are more intimate and there are rivers and lakes. In Troumouse, those who do not like to walk will have the pleasure of finding a small train pulled by a tractor.
Little is known about it, but the Pic du Midi, which rises to 2,877 meters, is one of the five places in the world where the skies are the purest, devoid of light pollution. Photos of the Moon taken at the top were also used to prepare the Apollo mission in 1969. An astronomical observatory is installed there, where you can spend the night. You will be able to observe the stars with scientific animators.
Once back down, take the direction of Bagnères-de-Bigorre. Two local children have taken over a farm in the mountains and offer visitors the opportunity to participate in summer pastures. They raise sheep and pigs without any mechanization, as in the old days. If you come for the day, you can feed the animals, cut the hay, bottle-feed the lambs and learn about herd gathering with the sheepdogs.