A very long day if you do this one straight through! There is a steep climb to the Col d’Escots and then a long, rough hike around the mountain to Aulus, with some lovely waterfalls en route.
The GR10 runs straight through St Lizier d’Ustou and veers off again on its southern side, opposite a little Chapel.
It crosses the small Pont d’Oque which was supposedly built by the Romans, and heads off on an old walled track.
Soon there is an option: one can go right to Bidous and the Gite l’Escolan, a more upmarket choice than the St Lizier version. It is a pleasant wander there above the river but a steeper climb up when it is time to head on.
I chose what I hoped was the easier option, following the GR10 straight along the old track, past some orreys, until it crossed a road. It then began a steep climb, gradually easing off to wind around the hillside, crossing a couple of muddy springs, to reach the junction where the alternative route came in.
It continued on up the hill, past more ruins, and then a particularly steep section that just went straight up over slippery tree roots before it fell back into zig zags for the final climb up to Col de Fitte at 1,380 m. There were good views back to a now very distant Col de la Serre du Tuc.
At the col a ruined orry offered some nice flat stones for a picnic lunch and my first views of Guzet Neige, one of the five fairly low key downhill ski resorts in the Ariège.
However it diversifies in summer and caters for mountain bike riders. As one starts the next climb to Col du Picou de la Mire at 1,565 m, the track is partially shared with the VTT route.
This continues on to the next col at L’Arech (1620 m) which is only about 5 minutes away from the previous one and which was hidden in low cloud, though thankfully I got very good views backwards!
The coolness added an extra crunch to the blueberries which grew profusely on the hillside. The final stretch even rewarded me with wild raspberries although the narrow grassy track was slippery in the wet and had several rocky outcrops that needed care to negotiate – I found my walking poles quite useful.
A last section of balcony track to Col d’Escots, at 1,618 m the highpoint of the day, was rather wasted on me as the view was lost in the clouds. Even the cowbells seemed muffled in the mist.
I could not see a thing at the col, just grey swirling mist and clouds. This country is too beautiful to miss and the forecast was clearing so I sat it out on the terrace of the Chalet de Beauregard ski restaurant which of course was closed being out of season. I could not help thinking that this would be a good sneaky campsite: tables, chairs, shelter and even a roof terrace!
By mid afternoon, I was awarded with sunshine and company so continued on. The track drops down the hill gently from the restaurant and disappears into a wood, which seemed popular with mushroom hunters.
It emerged before a wild valley, initially shadowing the hillside and crossing a little waterfall to an old orrey area above the track. I paused to enjoy the view.
Ahead lay the Cirque de Ciérens, a steep, sheer sided rocky valley with a long, tumbling waterfall. It was quite dramatic and very beautiful. The track dropped down sharply to a footbridge over a rushing stream; I had a wander up towards a modern sheep corral. Anywhere around the area would make a great campsite.
The track swings downstream just over the bridge and shadows the right bank until it swings up the hill, with views of a little waterfall. It negotiates a narrow rocky gully to emerge in a grassy clearing before once again entering the woods.
Again the path becomes steep and twisty before a rough track to the Jasse de Fouillet waterfall is found. This is well worth a detour: climb up to the base for a refreshing shower. Although overshadowed by the nearby Cascade d’Ars, it is quite an impressive sight.
Continuing high above the stream, the scattered pine trees and piles of driftwood below were somehow reminiscent of America. Descending into beech woods, a junction is reached where one goes right on a 20 minute moderate climb to the Plateau de Souliou at 1,280 m.
Just before the plateau, at a minor track junction, I came face to face with what looked like a camera on a tree. I wondered if it were there to track possible wolves or bear – they would certainly have had an unedifying close up view of me looking at it and puzzling ‘Now, what is that for?!’
Ceps littered the forest floor as the track skirted the plateau and climbed up into the forest for the last 40 minutes yomp to the Etang de Guzet (1,459 m). In the gathering dusk, my steps muffled on a carpet of beech leaves, it was easy to imagine the presence of bears, and I kept a wary lookout!
The lake is unusual by Pyrenean standards: it is completely hidden and the track actually passes high above it, so one has to detour off to the right to reach the water (keep an eye out for an old metal sign indicating the path).
It is closely hemmed in on all sides by dark pine forest whose mossy floor sheltered numerous mushrooms. The waters are still and dark and it is all quite atmospheric, dark green and quiet. Turn right for grassy camping to one end or left for more sheltered spots.
I called it a day here: anyone who can do this 22 km section in one go is doing well, especially as there are lots of diversions en route to eat into the time.
After a peaceful night’s sleep, I was glad I had made the choice I did, as I found the next section quite hard work on creaky knees.
Even more annoyingly, the low cloud had returned and visibility was bad. I followed an easy path to the grazing area of Gusalech where giant boulders bought to mind a giant’s playpen. A sheepdog startled me but I never saw the shepherd.
As I left some stone ruins behind (one small rock shelter which might do in an emergency!) a sign warned of dangerous conditions ahead when frozen or snowy. A balcony path wound up and down around the hillside which was generally good but occasionally provided me with rocky boulders and smooth sloping rock sections.
Eventually, a footbridge over a rushing stream came into view: the Passerelle d’Ars (1,485 m). There are excellent campsites nearby. I walked up to the flat top of a huge rock above the footbridge and was rewarded with a quick glimpse up the valley as the clouds briefly lifted.
It all looked rather wild and wonderful with water gushing down between tight walls and erratic spikey fir trees. However, the GR10 led away from it, around a large hill, initially uphill but soon steeply down, which is where the knees suffered! I had to step carefully on the wet rocks but was soon rewarded with the first of several tracks leading off to viewpoints over the Cascade d’Ars.
This one is a biggy by any standards with a 380 m drop, and all the tracks are worth taking, the first leading to the base of the main chute then the second to a wonderful view over a wider section below. There are lots of great picnic and paddling spots.
The GR10 then joined the day walk track and things eased off a bit, though continuing down on wide zigzags in the wood. Eventually I reached the Pont d’Artigous and joined a forest road which offered the first easy walking I had had for a while.
However the GR10 wasn’t over yet: following the sign off the road, it led very steeply straight down the hill to the valley below where it shadowed the ravine containing the stream I had first encountered at the top.
It was a lovely old mossy track but in places consisted of tightly packed boulders so I felt I was finishing the day playing some bizarre type of hopscotch. It seemed to drag on forever and I was delighted to finally reach the bitumen just outside Aulus-les-Bains.
On this corner there is a memorial to the 886 Jews who were deported from the area in WW2, most of whom were to die in the concentration camps.
The lights of Aulus seemed very bright indeed. There are a couple of overpriced shops for supplies with the simple Bar Restaurant l’Etape nearby – they also have the Gites Les Capucines accommodation option – and the gîte d’étape Le Presbytère. For camping, there is the spacious Coulédous Campsite. Aulus, a faded old spa town, is an obvious and pleasant place for a rest day – I would suggest a visit to the thermal baths!
NOTES
Ascent: 1103 m
Descent: 1113 m
Time: 8 hours