UKC

I've got three days holiday in the Hautes-Pyrénées above Lourdes. We are in the area for a family wedding in August and I know nothing about the area. 

Can anyone suggest a nice valley to explore?

Possibly including camping somewhere pretty, a  summit to hike up, easy scrambling or gorge exploring. 

Thanks in advance. 

Many years since I’ve been there but bus to Cauteret then walk up to the Pont d’Espagne and up to a refuge the name of which escapes me, Wallon perhaps 

In that area I like the granite massifs like Néouvielle and around Balaitous (Lourdes is ~ equidistant from both) rather than the popular limestone areas of Gavarnie, Perdido etc. Many more little lakes, streams, pointier peaks and seem to be more mountain pines. Sealwife's suggestion of the Marcadau valley is good too.

Yes, the Wallon via the staggeringly beautiful Vallée du Marcadau. 

OP: For a longer walk, go past the hut and circle back via the Lac du Pourtet.

You can also walk up the Vallée de Gaube and admire the north face of the Vignemale. The first part tends to be busy but it thins out markedly after the lake.

My favourite part of the world.

There are very cheap subsidised buses from Lourdes to Gavarnie and Cauterets. Something like 2€ or so the last time I was there.

Pont d'Espagne has some really nice waterfalls, but the walk from it to Wallon refuge is a bit boring flat, IMO (YMMV!). But you can "bag" an easy scrambling 3000m peak from there (Grande Fache, in a longer day).

La Brèche de Roland gap near Gavarnie is a rather popular walk, but still quite spectacular. Offers great views of the quite different Spanish side. 

The already mentioned Vallée de Gaube is rather nice too – after you hike beyond the lake where most tourists stop, you hike up a few waterfalls and suddenly the previously not visible vista of the Vignemale cirque just appears before you, with horses grazing about.

There are refuges at the end or along all of these.

Don't forget to visit the street of tourist tat in Lourdes to stock up on plastic statues filled with holy water.

Many years ago we took our girls aged 9 and 12 on the Petit Train d’Artouste with tent and camped near Lac d’Artouste and from there got to the Balaitous and back in a day. Some fabulous mountain walking in beautiful wild terrain. The kids, now in their 50s still talk about it. If interested I could mail you a photograph of the 1:25,000 map.

How could I forget that. An astounding sight. Did you ever go to the now sadly closed souvenir tat shop at Easdale? It was like a secular Lourdes high street crammed into a shop that looked like it was architecturally inspired by a public toilet.

Thanks all, some great ideas.