UKC

So much to do out here, I was wondering if anyone had recomendations for advetures with 10-12year olds in these areas? Thinking of traveling to west coast of france, river padeling, coast? 

Thanks 

Depends a lot on where you are - it's a big area!

I'd imagine a night in a hut would be fairly magic if your kids are mature enough to deal with it. There are some stunning locations and plenty of huts have smaller rooms if you don't want the kids (or you) to have to deal with 20 walkers snoring at once. Lots of nice castles in the Pays Cathar if that's your jam - we had a nice time at Foix, there's a relatively kid-friendly museum and also a lot of historic activities to try. Some sort of short walks around the border could also be fun - the idea of crossing between countries as you go might give them some extra interest.

When our girls were that age we did the Pic de Midi d’Ossau. Easy walk up to the hut. You’d want a short length of rope.

Another adventure was the Balaitous, which for the kids had the cachet of exceeding 3000 metres. We took a tent. The approach is fun. Cable car to Pic de la Sagette then narrow gauge train to Lac d’Artouste. Walk up to the hut Arramoulit. We camped a bit away from the hut near a delightful small lake topped up with a huge snow patch at one end - very cold swim! The ascent was tougher than the Pic du Midi. The younger one, who didn’t grow up to be a climber and is now mid 40s still talks about it. Her form teacher didn’t believe her when she described it in her what I did in the holidays essay. He said she must mean 3000 feet because she’d need oxygen at 3000m.

Massive area!!!

Not really on the Atlantic side but I'd highly recommend the Val d' Aran in the Catalonian Pyrenees ( from where I write)

Great food, wine (cheaper than France) Great walking, climbing, huts, river running and via ferrata in summer.

Good local tourist office.

About 4 hours drive from French, Spanish Atlantic border via Autoroute Pyrenees (Fr). Don't travel E-W south of the Pyrenees (Spain) unless you want to make that your holiday in itself.

We took my 10 and 12 years olds to a campsite just North of Luz-Saint-Sauveur last summer.  The obvious thing to do there is the easy walk up to the cirque de Gavarnie. We also walked up to the Breche de Roland on the border, which was a great walk with lots of marmots about paying a tiny glacier and the Breche is an amazing feature in itself. 

We also did or first via ferrata just up from Gavarnie which includes an optional overhanging bit and a cool bridge. At least twice my youngest declared "this is the best thing ever!"

The location was perfect: village shops very close in Luz, but if we were any closer to the mountains, we would have got rained on sometimes at the campsite. There would be lots of similar places around the mountains, but worth thinking about proximity to the mountains of you are camping.

You must know Bagergue granite ?? Great little initiation sector there for the kids, and the steep (vertical) sectors are majeur

Picos are good, we used to stay at campsite on the coast / beach, and drive to the mountains. For younger families - huts are relaxed, there is a cable car at Potes for easy access, Cares gorge is spectacular walk, there's canyoning, and canoeing on the Rio Sella and Rio Deva. Cabrales cheese is seriously strong! We went several times when ours were younger, which I suppose is a recommendation.

Thanks everyone - a lot there to go at. Sorry it was vague just needed some recommendations from past experinces.

I'd go to the Spanish side of the Pyrenees.  Weather is better than the French side or the Picos.

Ordessa is a nice walk up to the hut (with some short cables) and the catwalk back is impressive.

Of the 3000m peaks, Aneto is quite exposed, Midi has also got a tough exposed section (peg wall).  I'd go for Vignemale or Balaitous.

Your fav peaks are limestone :o

Better with Neouvielle granite - but no glacier

Yes, quite a few groups out last week, in the sun, before winter thankfully arrived this week!

Cheers

PICOS:

If you've hired a car you can park at the Colláu Pandébanu
https://www.google.com/maps/@43.2320939,-4.7794676,19z
and its about 2km to the Refugio Teranosa (they have a Donkey) and a further 4-5km to the Refugio Vega de Urriellu which sits under the Naranjo de Bulnes.  The terrain is steep so I recommend shorter legs be overnighted in the Teranosa.  You can no longer stay in the Refugio Cabana Veronica - except in emergencies.  It was manned when we went as a comms point for mountain rescue.  No food or beer either

The Picos is split in two by the above mentioned Cares Gorge (ditto the walk.  Long but rewarding.  Parents will enjoy the local cider, but be warned - its dang strong!).  The above huts are on the Eastern side.

On the West side you can drive to the Refugio Vega de Enol which overlooks a Vega - a high pasture.  Less interesting mountain activity wise but very pretty.

In Spain there are two types of Col.  A Collado you can walk over easily with a path on both sides, and a Horcado which has a path up one side and a then a steep scramble - possibly roped, possibly impassable - on the other.  The best known Horcado in the Picos is the Horcados Rocos which has a rope.