Sarlat La Caneda to Luz Saint Sauveur….first days in the mountains

 

 

September 7th, 2025

We wake up in the morning, pack, and are good to go by 9:30. Excitement is in the air, as today we are headed to the Pyrenees for our stay there. The day is warm but cloudy and rather moody. We’ve really enjoyed our time in Sarlat and its surrounding castles and gardens. It feels a little off the main foreign tourist track, as most of the people we saw were French.

The drive is expected to take 4–5 hours. At first, we traverse the countryside before joining the autoroute south. Near Montauban, we remember that it’s Sunday, and most grocery stores will soon be closed, so we make a quick stop at a Carrefour. Not the most inspired shopping, but it covers our needs. From there, we swing west toward Auch, then south to Tarbes and Lourdes (visited and enjoyed on a previous trip). There’s no time to linger, so we press on. The weather alternates between sun, showers, and more sun. After we pass Lourdes, the Pyrenees come into view:

 Soon we pass through Argelès-Gazost and continue to Luz-Saint-Sauveur, sharing the road with cyclists grinding their way up the grades…

Arriving in Luz, we find our Airbnb with a bit of comic relief—the GPS insists on sending us down a one-way street (which I don’t think is a great idea. So we park, and I walk down the street and knock on the door. Henriette, our host, welcomes us warmly. Parking is eventually arranged in a field behind the house, reached (ironically) by driving the wrong way down that one-way street. Our second-floor apartment, set in a centuries-old stone building, has been smartly modernized with a fresh kitchen and bathroom, so we’re pleased, and we have a small view out the windows:

After settling in, we stretch our legs with a wander around town. Luz-Saint-Sauveur is small, but its centrepiece is the striking Église Saint-André.

Built in the 12th century by the Knights Templar, Eglise Saint-André was originally conceived as both a parish church and a defensive sanctuary for the valley’s inhabitants. Its fortress-like appearance—complete with battlements and watchtowers—reflects this dual purpose, offering protection during times of conflict between local lords and invading forces. Over the centuries, it has been expanded and fortified, especially during the 14th and 15th centuries when wars and raids threatened the region. Inside, Gothic additions softened the austere Romanesque beginnings. Today, the church remains both a place of worship and a reminder of Luz’s strategic importance in the Pyrenees.

Then it’s back to the Airbnb and a short struggle with the lock… I think we have had a love/hate relationship with every lock combination possible. This one had a small (but important trick: once you turned the key, you had to twist a large ring in the middle of the door to lift a metal bar on the inside…

It’s been a long but successful day. We are happy, settled, and looking forward to beginning our mountain promenades tomorrow. Off to bed!

September 8th, 2025

Waking up, we look out the window to see low-hanging clouds—not exactly what we were hoping for, since today’s plan is a hike up to the Cirque de Gavarnie. This involves about an hour’s drive, exiting our valley and climbing through the Gavarnie Valley.

Often described as a natural cathedral, the Cirque de Gavarnie is one of the Pyrenees’ most iconic landmarks and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Formed by glacial erosion over millions of years, it is a vast natural amphitheatre nearly 3,000 meters across and 1,500 meters high, with sheer cliffs and more than a dozen waterfalls, including the Grande Cascade, the tallest in France at over 400 meters. The cirque has long inspired poets, painters, and explorers—Victor Hugo called it “the Colosseum of nature.” Today, it draws hikers and nature lovers from all over the world, both for its beauty and its relative accessibility.

Arriving in the town of Gavarnie, we find ample parking and get our gear together. The path begins with a gauntlet of shops and cafés where one can buy sandwiches or last-minute supplies before heading out. It’s chilly, and the clouds look threatening, but we set off optimistically, hoping the weather gods will smile on us.

The trail is wide at first, following the river with several bridges crisscrossing the valley. The scenery is pastoral, with green fields framed by rising peaks and waterfalls tumbling from the cliffs above.

As we continue, the grade increases and the path narrows, becoming rougher.

After about an hour and a half, we reach the Hôtel du Cirque et de la Cascade, just as the rain intensifies.

We quickly pull on our waterproofs. At this point, I suggest that Annie make her way back down while I push on a little further. Camera wrapped in plastic, hood up, I climb the steeper, rain-slicked trail. Water gushes down in rivulets, and hikers are retreating in the opposite direction. From a small rise, I catch a glimpse of several waterfalls plunging into the cirque, and even the remnants of snowbanks clinging to the cliffs. But the grand view we came to see is completely obscured by fog and cloud.

With thunder rolling in and rain lashing harder, discretion wins out. I turn back, retreating down the trail. For whatever reason, I feel strong and literally jog down, striding over the mini streams and large puddles. Lower down, the rain eases, and I even stop for a quick pic:

At the car, there was no Annie, so I headed up the path, figuring she had stopped in one of the cafes. No such luck, return to the car and there she is, it turns out that just as I had returned, she had gone into a nearby WC. We are both thoroughly damp but glad for the adventure, even if the weather kept the cirque’s full glory hidden from us…which should have looked like this (not my pic)…

Back at the apartment, a hot shower and siesta are in order, followed by a pasta meal, a bottle of wine  and a lovely Napoleon pastry….nice way to end the day!

 

Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day weather-wise.