Walks and Climbs in the Pyrenees

This guide is an introduction to one of Europe’s finest mountain ranges. It offers suggestions for 170 walks, multi-day tours and moderate ascents of some of the principal summits of the Central or High Pyrenees, and includes the Pyrenean High Route between the Cirque de Lescun and Andorra – one of the most challenging and rewarding mountain treks of all. The active walker, trekker and climber is spoilt for choice, for there is enough scope in the Pyrenees to fill a lifetime of holidays with a host of experiences, no matter what your degree of commitment. There are exquisite valleys and passes to wander day after day, and summits of 3000 metres and more within the reach of most hill walkers. The landscape is full of diversity and contrast, with Alpine-style peaks, small glaciers, deep gorges and more than a thousand mountain lakes. The range is also know as the ‘flower garden of Europe’, and the wildlife includes curious species rarely seen elsewhere on the continent. Since the first edition appeared in 1978, “Walks and Climbs in the Pyrenees” has become accepted as the authoritative guide to the range, and this new edition incorporates many changes and additions to reflect the boom in interest in the area. The Pyrenees have become the focus of attention not just for walkers and climbers, but parapente enthusiasts, mountain bikers, white-water kayakers, bird-watchers, butterfly and flower lovers, cavers and those who gain a thrill from descending plunging waterfalls and seemingly inaccessible canyons – the sport known as canyoning. As an arena for outdoor adventure the Pyrenees fulfils so many dreams.