CONTACT/AVAILABILITY/BOOKINGS:
Tel fr: 00 33 (0)9 64 25 76 21. Tel uk: ++44 (0)1984 632133
email fr: ulla.gervind@orange.fr email uk: patrickcook@bakelitemuseum.wanadoo.co.uk


The foothills of the Pyrenees around Hèches are the perfect choice for a huge range of activities.
Within easy reach of Maison Montagnan there are gentle hills, deep woods, fast-flowing streams and lazy rivers.

The area is perfect for walking, swimming, fishing, skiing, climbing, cycling, hang-gliding and canoeing during many seasons of the year. This region is also famous for its remarkable caves. As you head south up the valley the hills become magnificent mountains, snow-capped for much of the year. The GR10, the coast-to-coast path for serious walkers and back-packers, meanders along the border with Spain. Wild goats graze by the roadside while huge kites and even eagles soar above on the up-droughts. To the left and right smaller roads twist and turn through hairpin bends up to the peaks with viewing points and car parks full of brightly-attired cyclists preparing for the downhill dash. Tour de France are regular visitors.
 

The ski stations of St.Lary, Piau-Engaly, Peyragudes, Val Louron and Nistos are approximately 40 minutes drive away.
There are bars and a disco at St. Lary. For those of a less sporty nature, there is a multitude of interesting places within a short distance. Down the valley of the Aure,  Sarrancolin is famous for its fine marble and has a lovely medieval church. Most of our local towns, such as Arreau on a Thursday morning,  have fine weekly markets and there are always boot sales, ‘vide greniers’, during summer weekends.



On your doorstep is the the area known as the Baronnies with lots of sleepy little villages and pastoral  countryside where cattle, oxen and sheep graze, and oak and other deciduous woods where you might catch a glimpse of the black black boar snuffling around. The blockbuster film, “Brotherhood of the Wolf“ (Le Pacte des loups) was shot here. To add to the magic, there is a cisterian abbey of  l’Escaladieu and a medieval fortified castle in Mauvezin overlooking  this realm with its timeless qualities. The mineral springs in the Pyrenees are famous and Capvern-les-Bains, 3 km away from Mauvezin, is one of these spa towns with its health cures and nostalgic hotels in the Belle Epoque and Art Déco styles. The small bastide town of Tournay is also well worth a visit with attractive buildings surrounding its large, main rectangular square. A market is held there every Tuesday morning.



Around Tarbes, which is the capital of the Hautes-Pyrénées, there are the plains rising into the foothills and the high mountain slopes to the south, culminating in the Pic du Midi de Bigorre. At its peak there are stunning views and also an observatory, which can be reached by cable car from La Mongie. The popular, large and modern ski slopes of Tourmalet are nearby. Although not the highest mountain  in the Pyrénées, at 2872 metres the Pic du Midi stands proudly on its own and can be seen from a long distance. The mineral spa town of Bagnères-de-Bigorre is at its foot. Horse-breeding is the principal occupation in the neighbourhood of Tarbes and Bagneres-de-Bigorre and there is a famous stud at Tarbes. To the south of Tarbes, Lourdes is famous since the  apparitions of the Virgin in 1858, becoming the largest modern pilgrimage center of Western Europe. Not to be missed is Cirque de Gavarnie, carrying on south, passing through Argelès-Gazéost and Luz-St-Sauveur. Classified as a UNESCO patrimony, the Cirque is a majestic glacial amphitheatre at over 3000 metres, and with the highest waterfall in Europe, it is a true wonder of nature. And all this is within easy reach of your Bed & Breakfast here at Maison Montagnan.
 
 
CONTACT/AVAILABILITY/BOOKINGS:
Tel fr: 00 33 (0)9 64 25 76 21. Tel uk: ++44 (0)1984 632133
email fr: ulla.gervind@orange.fr email uk: patrickcook@bakelitemuseum.wanadoo.co.uk