Destinations
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French Pyrenees 11 – 18 September 2012
Stunning scenery and mountain wildlife
For a combination of mountain views, flowers, butterflies and birds, the Pyrenees take some beating. Spectacular cirques, flower-filled meadows and soaring vultures; it lends itself to our mixed natural history style.
Many Honeyguiders know the Spanish Pyrenees: the French side is lusher, greener and the emphasis of this holiday is much more on the high Pyrenees. Access is easy to gentle walks or pottering in mountain pastures, up there with the isard – Pyrenean chamois – and marmots.
Snowfinch, both red-billed and alpine choughs, rock bunting and rock thrush are highly likely. That most thrilling of birds, the lammergeier, isas easy to see here as anywhere; other birds of prey include griffon and Egyptian vultures, golden eagles and red kites. There are wallcreepers, though typically they are elusive.
September also brings a steady flow of migrants. Countless numbers of birds are moving south and many rest and feed in Pyrenean valleys before crossing the high peaks. Weather conditions and luck will play their part in what we see: raptors, storks and cranes pass through and we hope to see warblers, chats, flycatchers and more.
Butterflies include Apollo, Camberwell beauty and swallowtail, plus a selection of graylings, ringlets, blues, fritillaries and others. It’s our first September visit so the fun will be discovering which species are on the wing.
High mountain pastures should still have colour with later flowers such as Pyrenean thistle, giant yellow gentian and white false helleborine. We’ll search for flowers on rocks, screes and stream sides and seek out patches of late snow melt for alpines like gentians, primroses and butterworts.
Watercourses can hold Pyrenean brook newts and Pyrenean rock lizards scuttle around on rocks in the higher pastures.
Our base is the Hotel La Brèche de Roland, of Gèdre, just north of Gavarnie. It’s an attractive former 17th century family house in the village, looking out onto Brèche de Roland. The ‘brèche’ or breach is like a bite out of the top of the cirque, measuring 100m by 60m. Roland, nephew of Charlemagne, carved it, according to 11th century legend. He was leading the fight against the Moors and was trying to smash his magical sword Durandel to save it from enemy hands.
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Click here for a selection of French Pyrenees photos by Honeyguide's Ivan Nethercoat (from June 2009).
The Brèche de Roland - towards the left of the picture - from the hotel at sunset
(Stan Lovett)
Apollo (Maureen Gibson)
Hotel La Brèche de Roland in Gèdre. Click on the picture to see the hotel's website and a picture of our hosts, Odile and Philippe. Odile prepares table decorations from garden and wild flowers and looks after the hotel's pots and window boxes - click here to see pictures.
Cirque de Gavarnie
moulting marmot
