The GR 10 is one of France’s iconic walking tracks. From Hendaye on the Atlantic to Banyuls-sur-Mer on the Mediterranean, it follows the Pyrenees for 866 km, or 536 miles, in a spectacular succession of little villages, valleys, high cols and wild mountain scenery.

 

The Ariege is reputed to be one of the toughest sections of the GR10 with nearly every day bringing some serious climbing. This section, the first full day in the Arige (the department starting at the Col d’Aueran to the west and just above the lake) is largely downhill,but not always easier for that.

The Etang d’Araing is beautifully situated in the high mountains at 1,950 m. The Pic de Crabere looms above at 2,629 m and is a spectacular, but straightforward, ascent in its own right.

This lake, however, would not be one of my favourite Pyrenean lakes. Part of a hydro electric scheme, it is dammed at one end and the high sides mean approaching it is difficult. However, it does have a manned refuge and, nearer the dam, a shepherds cabin that is open for use, with flat areas around it for camping.

From the dam, the GR trail heads up through grassy slopes to the Serre d’Araing at 2,221 m, which takes about an hour. You pass an old metal mining trolley en route, a hint of the mines to come on the other side.

There is a lovely view from the Serre but for an even better one, it is an easy climb to the Pic de la Har at 2,424 m to the northwest. The climb starts right at the Serre and there are fabulous 360° views from its grassy top.

After this, it is downhill all the way! The views drop away below you and after about 45 minutes you get to the Bentaillou mines at 1,870 m which are worth a wander. There is a good tap and water in the middle of the building strip and flat platforms for picnics.

The mines opened in 1853 for the extraction of lead and zinc. Initially taken to Eylie by bullock carts, by 1880 there was a cable system to transport the ore, whose pylons you still see as you proceed down the valley.

Up to 500 people were employed and two schools were built at Sentein to cope with 200 children. However, in 1926, the market collapsed and many of the miners were to go on to work on the Etang d’Araing dam which you have just seen.

From the mines, the path initially follows a high track cut into the hillside but soon begins to drop very steeply down the hillside, initially on grassy slopes and lastly through trees to reach Eylie at 990 m. For an easier option, there is actually a road leading up to the mines, so you could drop down that way to camp in the very scenic Cirque de la Plagne valley area below, with its rushing stream.

Otherwise there is a gite at Eylie, right where the GR10 emerges,  and a few scattered houses, but little else, other than more abandoned buildings below which were the cableway terminus. For campers, there is a small area set aside as you approach these, but it is just a clearing with no facilities.

 

Ascent: 271 m

Descent: 1,231 m

Time: 4.5 hours