Pyrenees Mountains Estadens to Montory over the Tourmalet and Aubisque
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RouteXpert Guy Heyns - Adv. RouteXpert
Last edit: 10-12-2024
Route Summary The route takes you from Estadens to Montery as you tick 7 famous peaks off your bucket list. The Aspin, the Tourmalet and the Aubisque are just three of them...
The route deserves its 5 stars for these peaks alone, not to mention the excellent road surface and fabulous views.
The route runs a total of 276 kilometers, but is best to do in good conditions. There are no pain points or serious technical challenges to be expected anywhere. Enjoyment comes first here, although you do have to watch out for a few stray cows and/or horses here and there.....
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Verdict
Duration
7h 14m
Mode of travel
Car or motorcycle
Distance
276.30 km
Countries
RouteXpert Review The first part is a bit of a repeat of a previously driven route, but honestly? That can't hurt at all, on the contrary. The roads are great to drive and the drive to the high mountains may treat you repeatedly, but always just as surprising with magnificent views of the mountains that will soon pass under your wheels. Enjoy here again with the capital 'G'.
At the height of Van Bagnères de Luchon you turn off and drive via the Col de Peyresourde into the high mountains. On this Col de Peyresourde, a stop at the pancake house is highly recommended. Not only the lady of the house, but also the pancakes are not to be sneezed at......
The route then leads you via the nice village of Arreau in the direction of the Col d'Aspin. Arreau is a very nice village that deserves a small stop, if only to stock up on some provisions or something. It is also nice and quiet to relax in the small market town, so it is a nice place to take a break.
The Col d'Aspin is the first 'high' col that slides under the wheels and you may not be alone here.... The approach is nice and technically not too difficult. This also applies to the entire route; it is quite easy to digest and apart from a normal stamina you don't need too much technical knowledge. The corners are just fun to do and bring you nice surprises every time you pass them!
After the Aspin it is wonderful to drive to the Tourmalet, you may be very familiar with the Tour de France. Beautiful ascent / descent and wonderful introduction to the roughness of the high Pyrenees.
And you can take that roughness literally. The road surface in the south of France is rougher than elsewhere and that eats away at your tyres. Before you enter the Pyrenees, it is therefore very wise to check the condition of your tires and replace them if necessary. The temperature, the good and fast roads...; it all contributes to increased rubber consumption and as you know, beyond a certain point it can go (very) fast....
The queen piece for me personally is the Col d'Aubisque that follows the Tourmalet. Even more beautiful to drive and spectacular views. Delicious treat with super tasty curves. We don't need to give much more explanation here. This is a motorcycle Valhalla where driving and enjoying it is central.
The Col d'Ichere is the last col served on your plate and here the recipe still remains the same; enjoy with the capital 'G' in a landscape that is breathtakingly beautiful at times.
It is therefore wonderful to go to Montory where our ride leads.
The end point of this route, Auberge de l'Etable, can be discussed. The Auberge gets good points on the reviews, is ideally located and you will certainly find fellow motorcyclists there. The hotel and the accommodation itself are actually ok, including the closed parking, but when we passed there in 2022, the establishment only had a new owner and that man still had a lot to learn. If other accommodations had been nearby for a short time, we might have taken our stuff back. The other motorcyclists may have been satisfied, but we certainly weren't about the restaurant area. Well, it may have been a one-off and I'll leave it to you to make your own judgement. This was the only downside of our entire trip.
But the route was great and absolutely wonderful to drive. You go from something over 300 meters to over 2000 meters, so as a mountain ride you can certainly count this and your eyes will certainly agree. They will - just like you - enjoy the wonderful views and the beautiful decor ....
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Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
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Occitanie
About this region
Occitanie (French pronunciation: [ɔksitani] (listen); Occitan: Occitània [utsiˈtanjɔ]; Catalan: Occitània [uksiˈtaniə]), Occitany or Occitania (), is the southernmost administrative region of metropolitan France excluding Corsica, created on 1 January 2016 from the former regions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées. The Council of State approved Occitanie as the new name of the region on 28 September 2016, coming into effect on 30 September 2016.The modern administrative region is named after the larger cultural and historical region of Occitania, which corresponds with the southern third of France. The region Occitanie as it is today covers a territory similar to that ruled by the Counts of Toulouse in the 12th and 13th centuries. The banner of arms of the Counts of Toulouse, known colloquially as the Occitan cross, is used by the modern region and is also a popular cultural symbol. In 2015, Occitanie had a population of 5,839,867.
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The routes are bundled in the Motortourgids France part 1 of Kosmos publishing house and now also available in MyRouteApp.
I have taken over the routes in MRA and sometimes adjusted them slightly to make them even more interesting for the motorcyclist.
The routes have been carefully created by Bert Loorbach, who is an enthusiastic motorcyclist himself. He lived in France for a year and a half, during which time he devoted himself to mapping the unknown and beautiful back roads of France especially for motorcyclists.
The routes are bundled in the Motortourgids France part 1 of Kosmos publishing house and now also available in MyRouteApp.
I have taken over the routes in MRA and sometimes adjusted them slightly to make them even more interesting for the motorcyclist.
View Route Collection
24 Magnificent trails in France
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Two or more routes have been created for a number of areas, such as for Burgundy, Auvergne, The Alps, Tarn and Cévennes and Nord-Pas de Calais. These routes can be nicely combined in a multi-day trip.
This collection of 24 routes comes from Motortourgids France part 2. In this collection, a difference has been made between approach routes and motorcycle tours in a certain area. The approach routes can also be used in combination with the routes from Motortourgids France part 1
The routes are sometimes slightly adjusted based on the tips that Bert Loorbach gives in his description, or because of another place to spend the night, or to reach the minimum length of 2 hours for the MRA Library. For each route, the review contains a more detailed description, including options to stay overnight or places of interest along the way, which are also indicated with a POI and if possible with a short description.
Two or more routes have been created for a number of areas, such as for Burgundy, Auvergne, The Alps, Tarn and Cévennes and Nord-Pas de Calais. These routes can be nicely combined in a multi-day trip.
View Route Collection