Time to hit the road and miss the sheep!
Where would you think I am if I described an empty paradise of tarns, lakes, waterfalls and rushing streams; and if I were then to point out that in one day’s drive you could be there...
I suspect I would surprise many paddlers.
“You don’t mean the Alps and Italy, do you or Corsica?”
No, I don’t. I mean Europe’s second range, the Pyrenees, 300 miles long and 19 miles wide with peaks reaching 3,350m this is truly magical place to kayak, yet curiously overlooked by many british paddlers. After a ten hour drive through France we reached are base for the week a small village called Arneguy near the town of St Jean Pied-de-Port. We had based our selfs over to the east of the Pyrenees so we could easy acsess to the Spanish side of however we seamed to have missed the water window for Spain and all the rivers (high up) seamed prety low !.
After driving the best part of 900 miles we reached Arneguy, the teprature was 36 degrees and we had the la Nive river 10 minuets down the road, so it seamed a prety good idea to go and paddle it! The Nive is mainly supplied by rain water rather than groundwater, lucky the 2 weeks leading up to our trip had been prety wet so luckey we had a prety good level. We paddled the class II-III section from Ossess to Bidarray, and for a first paddle proved to be an excelant trip and a perfect warm up for Rich, Paul and Andy who had never paddled there new boat before leaving the UK! and set the scene perfectaly for the week ahaed. One thing we did learn, You are only ment to paddle in the Pyrenees between 12 and 6 o’clock after this the fisherman point at there watches as you pass by, but always in a good natured way, yes this is the land that kayakers and fishamen live sisde by side both enjoying thr rivers! Great!.
Day 2 dawned bright and fine, We filled up with diesel in Spain (so cheap 50 euros for a full tank!) and headed east into the montains and the snow in serch of gorges and water! We drove to the small town of Tardets and paddles the Gave du saison. This river starts at the confluence of the Gave de Larrau and the Gave de ste and has prety good levels all year round, The Saison is 9km long and a enjoyabel grade 3 all the way, there is a great little slalom course at the top with some good waves and holes, There is no undue difficulty on the river the big slide down the weir at Licq however has to be the highlight of this run! If the Afternoon we decided to go forth and try our first “Classic” Pyreneean run, We decided to try the Gave de Engrace the main tributery of the Saison. The run starts at the base of the lake at Kakouetta and is a magnificent run passing between hugh rocks in a deep forested gourge, There are a two grade six rapids we walked but at the right level I guess would go. The rest of the run is a great IV-V we some good blind drops, a truly Classic run!
Day 3, With everyone feeling a little more relaxed and confident and with bellys full of Chorizo and pasta we decided to keep on stedaly heading east across the Pyrenees to try to paddle the Gave d’ Aspe. Now paddling around here is amazing but, and it can be a big but the French and the EDF do like damming rivers, you can be driving quite happiley along a river with plenty of water in one section only to find the section you have intended to paddle really quite dry! This is what we found on the Aspe. We had intended to paddle the top section from Urdos down to Fort du Portalet but on arival at the put in found it quite dry, So a quick change of plan and ignoring the no acsess signs we put on just below Fort du Portalet, here there is also a large water plant giving back a large amount of water. The river here is in a deep gorge and drops quite fast through bolder infested rapids, We made one portage around the steppest rapid, the Portage was possibely one of the hardest I’ve ever done! Hacking through a near vertical forest with a full Pyranha Everest and with a raging river below certanly keept me entertained for a bit. After the portage the river contiues droping quite stedaley with some nice longer rapids although nothing as hard as at the start and remains in a deep gorge for most of the way. The exit for our designer streach of the Aspe involved an intersting exit walking through a drainige culvert which conveniantly lead us to our cars. Are mainly remember the Aspe for an exciting put in and take out and a fully commiting grade six portage! Good laugh though lovely castle.
Day 4, Now I think the reason for staying quite far West was so we could easly nip across into spain and sample some Rio’s, But Spain seamed to be quite dry and after a quick look at the river we decided to have a day of put our feet up and enjoy the local Rioja!
Day 5, If there is one river everyone should paddle in the Pyrenees the Gave du Brousset is it, Indeed if I was only alowed to paddle one river for the rest of my life I would be happy here! The Brousset rises in the high valley of Ossau at some 2300m, fed mainly by snow melt it can be paddled from the first warmth of April to the end of May, At the get in at “Caillou de soques” a short walk down across green fields brings you to the river. The first 3km of the river really is’nt that hard probabely only a grade 2-3, there are 2 or 3 bigger drops but nothing to testing, but the location of the Brousset is just achingley beautifull, hugh snow caped mountains, green fields, perfect river! But even better yet the last 1-2km of the river become mutch more gorge like, Big drops leads into more drops then another and another it just dose’nt stop! There is a small gauge by a telephone booth at the start of the Gorge section if this gauge reads 50cm > then I think the Brousset is good to go we had just over 90cm and it was a truly special run!
Day 6, How can you beat that. Drive further east! Go the Lourdes and head up, eventually you will come to a small village called Gedre, in front of you is a quite staggering rock amphitheatre riseing to 3000m, And behind you is the Gave de Gavarnie another proper good “Classic” river, The main thing that struck me about this river is just how many small river all seam to join up to make the Gavarnie, and I’m sure with enough time all of them could be paddled too! But the Gavarnie, starts with a large class 5 drop to start and then just shoots of down hill! Quite fast! Half way down this section the river had been changed by a huge avalanche that must has cut Gedre off from the rest of the world for a while. The remains were still very impressive.
The Gavarnie gets steadily harder with some good size drops and must make moves. We took out above the Chaos of Coumley a large rapid peppered with siphons best left well alone! We then drove back down around and then back up to the Gave de Cauterets, This is a full on river! We first drove up through Cauterets to the upper section, Here there is a really sweet 25ft drop, But are be honest Me and Adam looked long and hard, but chickened out! The fall is possibel but normally run at 2-5 cumecs, I think we had more like 10-12 cumecs, It’s an impresive drop. One day! Time was rather getting away from us now Paul, Rich & Andy decided to get off while Me and Adam decided to quickly run the river from Cauterets down to a barrage, 3km down river, I think it took us 15 minuets, No eddys, just a lot of water going very fast down some top class rapids, Big waves, big holes and some really brave fishermen! If we had more time I would really have liked to have explored the Gavarnie and the Gave de Cauterets some more, there are some really committing gerges and other streatches on both rivers that must be good hard paddling! Next year?
Day 7, Our last day in the Pyrenees and we had driven along way! For our last day we decided to paddle the Gave de Engrace, the river we had paddled on day two, I think we had a toutch less water this time around but it still proved to be very entertaining. It was good to see how Andy, Rich and Paul had progressed, our first run had taken about 4 hours! To do 5km, this time round we knocked it off in a much more sportey hour and a half! A great end to a great weeks paddle. The Pyrenees really surprised me at just how good the paddling was, The scenery across the whole region is breth takeing the river excelant with easy acsess and locals are all friendly, I don’t really understand why it’s so quiet but kinda glad it is!
posted by Pete @ 2:35 AM
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