Tour de France riders, 2014, below Barèges after descending the Col du Tourmalet (Stage 21)
The Tour de France cycle race visits the Pyrenees in July and may impinge on the GR10 with road closures and fully booked facilities. In 2015 stages ended at Arette-la Pierre-St-Martin, Cauterets and the Plateau de Beille as well as passing over the Col du Tourmalet and Col de la Core.
Accommodation
Cabane de Besset (bothy) (Stage 31)
There is a wide range of accommodation on the GR10.
Hotels vary greatly in quality and cost and they have all the facilities you expect of a hotel in Britain. An auberge is the equivalent of an English inn.
Chambres d’hôtes are private houses offering accommodation similar to the British ‘bed & breakfast’. Many of them depend on weekly or weekend bookings and are reluctant to take advance bookings for a single night.
Gîtes d’étape are a network of cheap accommodation aimed primarily at walkers. They often have dormitory accommodation, but many also have smaller rooms. Most, but not all, will offer evening meals, breakfast and picnic lunches. Some will be open for snacks and drinks during the day. Most will have a kitchen for the use of visitors. Don’t get confused by the ‘gîte’ designation; these are mainly chambres d’hôtes rather than gîtes d’étape.
Manned refuges are mountain huts that offer accommodation, possibly in dormitories. They have a drink and meals service, open to both residents and non-residents and will usually provide packed lunches.
Unmanned refuges are open for the use of mountaineers and walkers. They are equivalent to the Scottish ‘bothy’ and range in quality from purpose-built buildings, which are well maintained by mountaineering clubs, to buildings that are little better than unmaintained cow sheds.
Some campgrounds will have cabins, static caravans or gîte d’étape accommodation.
If desperate ask at the bar-restaurant; they will often know locals who are willing to offer accommodation outside the official system.
It is strongly recommended that you book accommodation in advance. At some gîtes d’étape it may be necessary to book meals and picnic supplies in advance as the owners will often shop daily for fresh food.
Manned refuges
Manned refuges vary greatly but as a guideline you can expect the following.
Basic accommodation for walkers and climbers
Refuge hours and rules designed for walkers, not for late-night drinkers
You may be able to get a discount if you are a member of an Alpine Association
People staying in refuges usually book demi-pension (supper, bed and breakfast)
Most refuges will supply picnic lunches
Some, but not all, will have self-catering facilities
Mattresses and blankets are provided in the dormitories but you may need to bring a sleeping bag or a sheet bag
Some refuges are open all year and others only during the summer; in the spring or autumn some will only be open at weekends but may open out of season if you make a reservation
It is recommended that you make reservations in high summer and at weekends
Refuges offer a bar and snack service to walkers outside of normal mealtimes
Refuges will normally have a room which can be used as a bothy when the refuge is closed
Camping is not permitted in the vicinity of most manned refuges
Bothies
Cabanes were built as summer homes for the bergers (shepherds and herdsmen) who look after the sheep, cows and goats. The majority are still used for this purpose, especially during July and August. However, they may be available for use as a bothy when the shepherd is not in residence, or they may be locked. Some have a small side room available for the use of walkers.
A few of these cabanes have been adapted as permanent bothies, especially in the Ariège and Catalonia. Note that the sleeping platform is often in the roof space.
Camping
In this guide the American term ‘campground’ has been used for commercial or organised campsites, to distinguish them for wilderness campsites.
In the Parc National des Pyrénées ‘camping’ is not allowed but you can ‘bivouac’ with or without a small tent between the hours of 7.00pm and 9.00am, provided you are at least one hour’s walk from the access road. There are also aire de bivouac, which you may use, usually close to road access or to refuges. These are official wilderness campsites, occasionally with toilets and water. In practice similar rules apply to other mountain areas.
There is rarely any problem camping high in the mountains but discretion should be used when camping at lower levels. You should ask permission if you want to camp near villages, in farmer’s fields or close to a refuge. The daily stages given in this guide are intended for those using overnight accommodation. Those who are wild camping should ignore these stages and camp well away from the towns, villages and refuges.
If you are accustomed to always camping beside water you will sometimes have difficulty in finding suitable campsites, especially in the Basque Country and eastern Catalonia. If you are prepared to camp away from water, you have much more flexibility and you can often find campsites with spectacular views.
Suggestions have been made in this guide as to the best campsites. These will normally be places where camping is legal, where there is good drainage and good grass which will take a tent peg. The best campsites are often on passes, but these will be very exposed in windy weather. The experienced backpacker will find plenty of other places to camp.
It is often preferable to camp high in the mountains as it’s legal and there is less chance of being disturbed, there will be fewer cows, better grass, fewer mosquitos and other biting insects, magnificent scenery and you can camp above the cloud which tends to persist in the north-facing valleys.
Fuel
The three types of camping gas most commonly available are:
The ones you pierce that have been called the ‘original’ cylinders
The ‘easy-clic’ resealable cylinders, which is the main resealable system used in Southern Europe
Screw-on resealable cylinders, such as those manufactured by Coleman and Primus, are the most widely used in Britain, northern Europe and USA and have been called ‘Coleman-style’ gas cylinders
Where they are mentioned in the text, they were in stock when hiking the route in 2014–2015, but it cannot be guaranteed that they will be in stock when you pass through. ‘Coleman-style’
