Shepherds cabins are found throughout the Pyrénéan mountains where herds once grazed. Whether ruined or restored, they are a delightful feature of any walk and an historic link to lost communities.

The world bears the scars of mankind. Even a wilderness area will often have traces of old mining operations, dams and water courses or even whaling stations. 

Detritus is blown by changing winds, metal tanks and tins rust slowly and crumbling walls and banks mark the sites of one time fields and buildings.

It is the latter I speak of here: the rocky remains of the shepherds shelters or orreys of the French Pyrénées. The ones mentioned are in the Ariège department because that is an area I know well, but they are found throughout the Pyrénéan chain and indeed all over the world in one form or another.

Their boulders tumbling back into the landscape like so many Andrew Goldsworthy sculptures, they are an intrinsic part of the landscape, yet do not infringe upon it. Their presence speaks of long ago endeavours by forgotten people, of a way of life now largely lost but which was once played out richly amidst the spectacular mountains.

Their very ruins are humble yet they always move me. I see the huge corner stones been hauled into place, the animals milling on the hard packed floor or the shepherd sitting on his bink (actually a Gaelic word for the sitting shelf outside one’s door but I like it!) at the end of the day surveying his domain with a quiet satisfaction. 

The origins of them are necessarily obscure, reaching back into the early days of man when he turned from nomadic hunter gathering to the domestication of animals and the cultivation of crops. 

Even the name is open to interpretation; some claim it is from the Latin ‘horreum’ (the attic), others think from the Basque ‘larra orri’ (place of pasturage).

Summer Pastures

Descendants of abris sous roche where the overhangs from huge rocks served as shelters, those seen in the Ariège had their peak in the 18th and 19th centuries, a period of overpopulation that drove people onto the very heights of marginal land in search of grazing for their stock.

In those days the summering of beasts on the mountains provided vital access to good grazing. The transhumance is still carried out today in a rather desultory fashion, the walking of the cows and sheep up to the mountains in June providing a good reason for a fête. Traditionally they stayed there until 14th September.

After WW1, there was a huge decline in pastoral activity until by the 1960’s there was little use for orreys. By then the smaller herds that remained were largely left to their own devices, the shepherd driving up occasionally to check the animals.

Nowadays, with the successful reintroduction of the bear, things have changed again with particularly the sheep herds needing much more intensive management so that once again there are permanent shepherds on the mountains and new cabins have had to be built to accommodate them. 

There were probably even fewer bears in the old days when they were rapidly shot on sight (which most Ariégois shepherds would quite happily do today if it were allowed), their cubs trained in the art of bear dancing.

So the summer occupants of the orreys probably did not have to worry too much about bears, but they had plenty of other things with which to keep themselves occupied. There were the herds to look after, cheese and butter to be made, and sometimes hay, which was carried to the barns on their backs. 

Also, in June and September, the men would often return to their villages in the valleys to make the hay which would sustain the animals over the winter, leaving the women on the mountain to look after the herds. 

Each village had a portion of the mountain, known as a courtal, the shelters being built on the flattest available land and invariably close to a water source.

Built of stone, without any mortar, there was more to the construction than meets the eye, especially when it came to the finally balanced stone roofs which were gradually angled in from the side to meet in the middle. Step inside one of these houses and it is like being entombed in an ancient burial chamber – I am always wary of the sheer weight of rock over my head! 

With time a few larger buildings developed with wooden roof supports to hold the huge stone slates in place.

The buildings usually consisted of cabins for the shepherds, barns for the animals and hay, and mazucs for the storage of butter and cheese. These tiny shelters had north facing doors to avoid the sun and were often built into the mountain and possibly over a source of water which also helped to keep the contents cool. Their stone roofs would be covered in turf and a thick mat of impermable heather. 

Les Goutets

One of the best courtals to visit is Les Goutets at 1,440 m, which is unusual in that there are a large number of buildings in fairly close proximity. It is a superb, partially restored example of a pastoral summer settlement.

Lying just to the north of Massat in the shadow of the Pic des Trois Seigneurs, the area was known for its rich grazing: in the middle of the 19th century, some 20 courtals supported more than 2000 cows.

After a 2 hour steady uphill walk from Le Carol (only the shepherds are allowed to drive up on the dirt road), one is rewarded by 2 scenic clusters in the main area of the site. 

There are cabins (2 now restored as hikers shelters), barns and mazucs in the most charming setting imaginable. On the fringes, and over the hill from the present day shepherd’s cabin, there is a beautifully preserved example of a cabin with adjoining barn, the latter having an unusual stone corral.

Peep into the cabin or duck though the low doorway to glimpse the old wooden bed and clothes hooks. There is a perfectly placed bink outside, if it has not been overrun by brambles, as these places are sadly neglected these days.

A restored cabin houses a modern herdsman and there are cattle on the hills – sheep have been banned due to the damage they can do in climbing on delicate ruins. 

Courtal de Peyre Auselère

This Courtal is easily accessible on the Massat road to the north of Le Port. In use between the 17th and 20th century, it sits near a pretty stream which has some nice waterfalls for a hot day. There is parking beside the road near the site.

On the left bank, it is accessed via an old clapper bridge. Numerous cabins, stables and mazucs are scattered around the hillside, some nicely restored including a walker’s cabin. Others lie on the outer edges, hidden amidst atmospheric mossy forests.

The site also has some great examples of huge boulders with shelters under their overhangs.

Hidden Delights

Having visited these two areas and gained a bigger understanding of the nature of the orreys, forays on the mountains will reveal their neglected cousins, often little more than a heap of fallen boulders, their presence betrayed by a certain regularity in the rockfall.

Sometimes one comes across samples which are still largely intact, their survival a testament to the skill of their builder. 

Once you find one, there will invariably be others close by, as the people valued their communal lives and were part of a collective effort. Sometimes they will be totally covered by ferns or brambles, their very presence betraying their hidden host. Strangely too, a rowan tree will often grow in the ruin: maybe birds find them a convenient perch and shed the seeds in their droppings. 

It is also possible to find cabins restored for shepherds and hikers, the latter often having a room on the end of a larger building. A fireplace is usually provided, there may be a rudimentary table and chairs and a sleeping platform – generally fairly basic but lifesaving in the worst of the mountain weather and a cosy refuge anytime. A glance at the visitor’s book will reveal how appreciated they are.

There is a French saying to the effect that it is good to “avoir dans une cabane des rêves d’empereur” – to have the dreams of an emperor in a cabin. A good night’s sleep is certainly guaranteed after a day’s exertions in the mountains. 

Whatever their state, they are a pleasant addition to a walk, a picturesque link to a bygone age and the people who once toiled in these now forgotten corners. 

In 1998, the 73 year old Raymond Loubet recalled his childhood days with his family at Les Goutets, reflecting on the hard work imvolved: “C’était la misère mais tous les gens étaient contents!” (“It was misery but everyone was happy!”)

The ethos of our modern times does not recognise the attraction of such a frugal lifestyle: mass over consumerism and an unwarranted me me me culture reigns supreme – perhaps we should all sit on the bink at the end of the day and reflect on the joys of a simpler existence. 

NOTES

Massat is the closest town to the two sites mentioned above. It attracts many looking for an alternative lifestyle and is a buzzy little place with a lively market on Thursdays. There are a couple of hotels, but for one of the finest views in the Ariège, I would recommend this superb value gîte above Cominac – it’s a little way away but the drive is stunning.