A shady walk for a hot day, with only a brief period on the open mountain, but an unrelentingly steep climb up, less so down! However, the delights of St Lizier await.
The GR10 leaves Conflens opposite the bridge by the graveyard, slipping onto an old steep track beside a balconied house and stream.
It eases off a little and a gate soon appears. It bears a sign saying that the patous or mountain dogs which guard the goats are called Roufus and Pastos and they are friendly: they bark only because they are protective of their herds, so please don’t throw stones at them or hit them with walking poles!
I was never to meet either of them as the path opened out and followed a stream gradually uphill. Another gate bore the sign Courage! telling me it was only 10 minutes to the Gite de Rouze.
A rather rickety wooden bridge crossed the stream and the path narrowed on to an old stony track which emerged near a pig pen whose occupants were enjoying a mud bath. A nearby lavoir offered drinking water and welcome shade, before the track emerged onto the road at Rouge d’en Bas below the Gite.
The friendly Gite de Rouze (Telephone : 05 61 66 95 45 or find them on Facebook) offers everything from passing cold drinks to an overnight stop, with or without meals. There is a nice cabin on the mountain above with superb views, but it is a good 2 hours away on a steep track so many choose to stop here.
The track crosses straight over onto one of those box lined ancient paths that zig zag up the hill, passing houses whose habitable state is reflected in their altitude.
I passed through a tiny hamlet, I think Rouze d’en Haut, where a man was hard at work. All supplies have to be carried up a narrow track on a little mini JCB type thing – it looked like the type of village where you could buy the whole thing for £5!
A steep gully followed and then a few steps of level ground before the picturesque ruined village of La Bourdasse.
The first house I came to had a date stone of 1866. Huge slabs lined the path briefly, maybe part of an old corral. Swinging around a corner, another dwelling had 1905 above the door – and opposite it a welcome blue barrel with icy running water. The spring with an old stone trough is just above and there is a nice shady log to sit on – enjoy as from now on it gets really steep!
The old track continued up to another ruin, giant gnarled beeches forming an avenue. The route continued to climb, zig zagging up through the trees to finally emerge at the Col de la Serre du Cot at 1546 m. Just before leaving the trees, there are a couple of big round water troughs in the forest to the right, the last chance for reliable water if stopping on top.
Here there are spectacular views with Mount Valier dominating the western aspect and the dark forest leading to Saint Lizier ahead.
5 minutes along a gentle ridge to the right there is Cabane du Tuc, a little shepherd’s hut with a sleeping platform for one. It appears fairly recently restored and is a pleasant overnight stop. Nearby, amidst riotous foxgloves, the outlines of old orrys can be seen.
One’s time on the col is very brief: almost instantly the path starts its descent, crossing a forestry road and plunging back into the trees towards St Lizier.
However, I chose to camp near the cabin and woke up on the col to a richly spreading sunrise over Guzet, followed shortly after by the sound of bells and then placid black eyed cows who ran curious tongues over the tent.
Later, as the heat rose I descended into the quiet of the woods, only a stream below and birdsong disturbing the stillness.
Going down on this section is a lot better than the previous day’s up! The track initially descends from the col in large sweeping zig zags with views of Guzet Neige. It is clear and wide with straightforward walking – a stream in a gully provides good water about half way down if needed.
Eventually that universal sign of civilisation appeared: a wire fence, which led on to some little ruined barns and the crossroads at Crabudo. The GR10 goes straight over here to another gravel track where a left turn leads one out into more open country with lived in houses.
It is then simply a matter of following the track down to the main road. There is one corner cut off which I missed so keep your eyes peeled! A right turn then leads directly in to Saint Lizier – d’Ustou which is quite a simple village but with a variety of delights for the walker!
There is a small municipal campsite which is open all year (with adjacent summer swimming pool), the La Colline Verte Gite with beds starting at 15 euros, Le Marterat bar restaurant and a small grocery.
The Church is opposite the gite and well worth a look if open. It’s plain exterior belies a surprisingly large richly decorated interior with a jolly blue starry ceiling.
If you look up to the balcony above an unusual painting can be seen; by a St Girons artist, it depicts the legend of Saint Lizier whose donkey was killed by a bear. As this was once a major bear taming area, perhaps it was poetic justice.
The memorial plaque on the wall to the war dead of WW1, some 50 plus names, shows how many people, often from the same family, were lost from these isolated valleys – nowhere was immune. For WW2, in contrast, only four names are listed.
These days the residents number only about 270 people where once the village had over 3000. The bears, who now number an estimated 70 individuals in the Pyrenees, are catching up again!
Ascent: 844 m
Descent: 866 m
Time: 5 hours