Pyrenees (one or two weeks, hotel)
All include the ferry from the UK to Santander. Start and end in Portsmouth.
WEEK ONE: Aragon and Navarra
This is a tour of contrasts. Starting in the forested area around the ancient pilgrim town of St Jean Pied de Port, the route goes through the desert, where we stay in a truly extraordinary location, before continuing through a landscape littered with ancient castles, tracks and bridges over precipitous gorges to reach our final destination. Here we celebrate our arrival by dining in one of the many restaurants around the medieval square in Ainsa.
If you want a trip, which has great variation, then this is the one for you as the terrain ranges from dry desert plains and soaring peaks, smoothed by countless centuries of wind, to tracks through dense forest and the rural foothills of an area steeped in history.
Alongside the natural beauty there are many historic towns, bridges and churches, particularly when we follow the ancient pilgrim routes. We’re always sure to stop, get out of the car, and take time to admire all we see.
WEEK TWO: Les to Andorra
Our High Pyrenees 4x4 Tour is where you get to climb mountains with your 4x4 and enter Andorra via the Smuggler’s Route, renowned as one of the best 4x4 tracks in Europe.
Our route takes us high into the mountains, sometimes tracking the piste runs for the ski resorts and ascending to heights where you can look down on the top lift. There is always the chance that, at high altitude, snow may block our way however there are always alternative routes which add to the adventure!
Alongside the mountains and the high passes – the Col de Meners, Pic d’orrie, Col de l’exoil and the Col de Varrados to name a few – the tracks pass through a vast variety of landscapes from picturesque meadows to forests and rough tracks.
WEEK ONE ONLY: October 6 – 14, Aragon & Navarra, costs £2350. WEEK TWO ONLY: October 13 – 21, Les to Andorra, costs £2350. FULL FORTNIGHT: October 6 – 21, costs £3350.