Pyrenees guided walking holiday

We are a small business based in the high mountain village of Bareges in the Haute Pyrenees. Bareges is a traditional thermal spa village, nestling just on the edge of the Neouvielle Nature Reserve and the Pyrenees National Park. The area is renowned for its diverse flora and fauna, and spectacular unspoilt landscapes. Our aim is to provide active holidays and promote awareness of the mountain environment, mountain people and their traditional way of life. We believe in supporting the local community and allowing other people to discover the beauty of the Pyrenees without upsetting their delicate natural balance. Our holidays are mainly about enjoyment and having fun, but they are also a learning experience and our guests take home with them a wealth of knowledge – about the environment, geology and geography, flora and fauna, history, culture, language and way of life in the Pyrenees and of mountains in general.

We practice a “tread lightly” policy in the mountains. Our walking holidays rely on leg-power and we aim to reach the wildest and most beautiful parts of the mountains, but to leave no trace of our passing and to take away nothing but memories. We keep our group sizes small – between two and eight people – to minimise our impact on the fragile mountain environment, and maximise the enjoyment for our clients. On some of our more challenging holidays, we include a two-day trek, staying at a high mountain refuge. The refuge has a composting toilet, solar panels and is supplied by donkey. All food waste is consumed by the refuge's own pig! We carry all our rubbish with us back down the mountain.

To reduce carbon emissions, wherever possible we walk directly from the house or within our valley. We have a single company minibus and offer transfers to reduce the need for guests to hire multiple vehicles at the airport. We promote travel to the Pyrenees by public transport (Eurostar to Paris, TGV train to Lourdes, local bus service to Bareges), or suggest to families that they can bring their own car on the ferry to Spain, thus avoiding short haul flights. Virtually all of our business is conducted over the internet, and paper-consumption and airmail-miles are cut down by posting holiday information on our website and communicating with customers by email.

Our walking holidays are based from a traditional house in a high mountain village. We spent two years restoring the house to its former glory, maintaining the original features and using local craftsmen whilst taking steps to improve the energy-efficiency of the house. Our work has encouraged a general "facelift" of the village. The house is now gas centrally-heated, by a very efficient, modern, on-demand boiler. Heating is supplemented with a wood-stove burning wood from managed, sustainable forest (with zero carbon debt). We encourage our guests to close their shutters at night to conserve heating energy. The roof and all exterior walls are fully-insulated. Washrooms are fitted with showers rather than baths, and the toilets have an eco-flush option to reduce water consumption. We use eco-friendly A-rated appliances, wash our own bedding and line-dry our linen outside in the mountain air whenever possible. Over half of our household waste is recycled, including glass bottles, tins and cans, paper/cardboard and plastic bottles.

We live and work in the Pyrenees year round and operate as a French company, paying local taxes and using local activity guides, instructors, craftsmen and tradesmen. In opening up the British market, and promoting this beautiful area through the internet, we hope to bring much-needed custom to the people of the valley and to strengthen the village community. The foreign market is becoming increasingly important now, as the number of French tourists travelling within their own country is generally on the decline.

We encourage our guests to shop in the village and support the small traders. All of our food is home-cooked with a French theme, and includes seasonal vegetables and locally-produced meats purchased from the village butcher – Monsieur Sabathie. Specialities include the Bareges-Gavarnie AOC lamb which never leaves our valley, delicious dry-cured mountain sausages, hams and pates. We introduce our guests to local honey, mountain sheep’s' cheeses, confit duck and Tarbais beans produced in the SW of France. Locally-produced goods can be purchased at the village market on Wednesdays or direct from the producers on open farm visits. The house bar is stocked with local wines and spirits, and guests are encouraged to try local dishes at a mountain restaurant on our night off.