Pyrenees, France, Aug 2022
After my last visit to the amazing Pyrenees in France I have decided to return with my wife for more, and I tell you, what a treat! I met a wonderful group of people which made our hike even more amazing. Our lovely guide Mandy, whom I had met on my previous trip in October ‘21, two great travel companions from the USA, Florida and two lovely French girls with so much energy and smiles and an added bonus of giving us French lessons. There was so much laughter, just a perfect group in every possible way, making everything memorable, and the beginning of some amazing friendships.
Day 1
After a flight from Edinburgh to Paris, we took a busy overnight train to Lourdes. Arriving early after a few hours of sleep we were picked up by our host Sian’s husband and driven down to Luz-Saint-Sauveur to have breakfast of local cheese and homemade yogurt at Les Templiers, and to pick up lunch for the day. The sun was shining, skies were blue and the mountains were calling.
We started our hike from Tournaboup via Hourquette d’ Aubert to Lac d'Orédon.
After hiking in 29° C we were hot and nothing gets better than swimming in the lake at 1849 m.The cool clear water was absolutely perfect to refresh and treat our bodies. Our feet especially welcomed the cold temperature of the water, and to my surprise I had the pleasure of my first fish pedicure treatment in a “Pyrenees Spa“.
After swimming, siesta and meal, we still had a few hours of walk towards our first Refuge Camp “Refuge du Lac“ for the night. Our whole group stayed comfortably in the one room, enjoying dinner together and the next day we woke refreshed and ready to walk to Lac supérieur de Bastan. Our first day we walked 26000 steps.
Day 2
Today we walked for a few very pleasant hours and managed a healthy 17000 steps. On the last stretch to the refuge we were caught in a storm complete with hailstones. I woke up that morning before sunrise and I went to take pictures. I had already planned in my mind where I would take those shots. I have used two different lenses to maximize variety and the conditions before the full light would cover the valley.
Day 3
After a lovely breakfast and checking the forecast for the day, we have decided to climb Pic de Bastan (Elevation: 2,715 m).
Climbing was pleasant for most of the track but the last bit was definitely not for the light hearted, having a large backpack didn’t help but the view from the top was worth the effort.
After a long day of walking we swam in the lake to refresh ourselves and to “heal“ our tired but very happy bodies.
7 pm dinner was served and with full bellies we sat down to play Dodelido, a card game and ordered a few drinks.
Day 4
Sadly, all good things must come to an end and so did our hike.
We packed early, had breakfast and headed down. During our descent we swam again in one of the lakes. The water was so cold that we could only stay for a few seconds before we had to “jump out“ of it. Even though the water was so cold our bodies welcomed such low temperatures. After a little refreshment we sat down to have our meal and rest on the grass to warm up.
Once again, we packed our gear and started walking. The trek was pleasant with a “gentle“ descent which was much easier for our knees. Finally after 8 hours of walking we ended up in the same spot where we had started our amazing adventure. Of course we couldn’t pass our last dunk in the freezing water in the mountain stream and submerged ourselves.
I was fortunate to join this amazing group on an expedition to the Pyrenees Mountain Range Neouvielle.
I spent 4 days hiking from hut to hut, photographing, walking, hiking, swimming and chatting with my fellow companions.
We did 86.632 steps between 900 to 2715 meters height above mean sea level, with average 17.444 steps per day.
Here are a few tips I learned during the film shoot:
Use circular polariser
Shoot early morning or late evening for sunrise and sunset vibes;
Use natural framing - trees, rocks, and all surroundings;
Use leading lines - paths, streams, rock formations etc.;
Water reflections if you can and shoot from different levels;
Try different angles for the same location;
Use different focal length;