One of the best 3 day hikes in Europe is centred around the spectacular Ordesa Gorge in the Spanish Pyrenees. The Ordesa, one of the largest and deepest in Europe, carves a huge gash through the karstic limestone plateau of the southern Pyrenees and provides a range of paths on both the north and south faces of varying degrees of difficulty. The famous Faja de las Flores can only be completed by a stretch of demanding clamps and pitons and is not for the faint-hearted, but others provide safe if high walking routes along the sides of the gorge and up onto the high ground. Most visitors approach the gorge by car from the south and day-walk the trails.
However, oldgreytravel used the Ordesa as the centrepiece of a tiring, but not challenging, 3 day hike from France into Spain and back again. The intinerary starts at the Cirque de Gavarnie, a circle of 3000m peaks forming a huge natural bowl with some of the best views in the Pyrenees over the lush green northern slopes. Oldgreytravel parked at the high mountain car park at Col de Tentes, easily accessed from Gavarnie, and walked for a couple of hours across the contour to the Refuge de la Breche de Roland for the night. The alternative is to walk up from Gavarnie in the valley (but this will add a couple of days to the hike – one day each way). Whatever route you choose, it is sensible to make sure you reach the refuge by mid-afternoon as this area is notorious for violent thunderstorms in the late afternoon and early evening.
For those not familiar with the mountain refuges of Europe, they provide basic sleeping accommodation and meals and are set in high, remote locations to cater for walkers and climbers. Sleeping is normally in communal, mixed sex, bunk rooms and it is good to make sure you are well-tired before settling down for the night. The Refuge de la Breche de Roland is spectacularly located on the edge of the cirque providing a grandstand seat as the late afternoon thunderstorms strike, sending bolts of lightning flashing past you into the valley below.
Above the refuge, there is a steep climb up to the Breche de Roland, the huge breach in the mountain wall inviting you into Spain and the lands of the south. Legend has it that Roland smite the cliff face with his sword to form the breach. In high summer, the last part involves a scramble over the remnants of the Glacier de Breche, while at any other time, picks and crampons might be needed to negotiate this stretch. The Breche provides a most dramatic entrance into another world. Standing in the breach, the view north encompasses the green and forest clad slopes of the northern Pyrenees, while to the south is an extraordinary landscape of a karstic limestone plateau riven with clefts and outcrops and virtually devoid of water and vegetation – a true high level desert – the contrast between the two could not be more extreme.
In good weather, the passage over the plateau is relatively easy with a bearing taken in the direction of the Refuge Goriz. There are no paths as such but the barren nature of the terrain means there is good visibility and the Refuge will come into view long before you arrive. However, a compass or GPS is essential to ensure safe wayfinding, particularly in poor visibility. The Refuge sits under Monte Perdido, the third highest mountain in the Pyrenees, and at the head of the Ordesa Gorge.
Overnight at the Refuge with some good Spanish food and a bottle of rough red wine. The next day, head for the paths that lead down either side of the Gorge. The walking is easy on well-marked paths with spectacular views. You may also see Golden Eagles (there are 5 breeding pairs in the Gorge), Griffon Vultures, the huge Lammergeir and other birds of prey which nest in the inaccessible walls of the Gorge. When you reach the valley floor, you will come to a large car park and you just need to follow the road for a few miles to the beautiful village of Torla which has multiple accommodation options, though it would be advisable to pre-book in peak season. This is the time to relax with a good meal and a restful night’s sleep for the hardest part of the walk lies ahead.
Next day, heading north from Torla along the same road that brought you in, take the left fork where the road divides and continue along the wooded valley with its mountain stream until you reach San Nicolas de Bujaruelo with its medieval bridge. From here a path leads up to the Col de Tentes and France. If you get a chance, try and hitch a lift for the first part from Torla, for it is then a long, very long walk up the southern slope of the Pyrenees to your starting point at the high level car park. You should allow the best part of a day for this section of the walk, drive down to Gavarnie, find a bar and celebrate completing one of the best walks in Europe.
