The prospect of returning with a boot full of Spanish wine tempted FRANCIS BRADLEYFrancis Bradley to take the long way down to the mountains of northern Spain
THE ONLY REASON we took our own car this time was that we wanted to bring back a boot full of Spanish wine. All our previous holidays to Spain had begun with a flight to Madrid or Bilbao, where we’d pick up a car and go. This worked quite well until the time arrived to come home, when our ability to carry items was seriously compromised.
Our destination was Biescas, a small town in the foothills of the western Spanish Pyrenees. We rented a house for two weeks and planned to take two days to drive there and back through France. The Rosslare-Roscoff crossing was pretty rough, so on arrival we were eager to put several hundred kilometres behind us. We hadn’t booked accommodation, confident that we would find some without much trouble.
We intended to use toll roads for most of the journey, and although the views were fairly sterile the bonus was that we clocked up incredible mileage very quickly. Motorway driving can be very tiring, however, and by mid-afternoon we had had enough and headed off route to La Rochelle. We found a three-star hotel in the old town and dined at a waterfront cafe, all for a very reasonable price.
The following day we got off the toll roads as soon as we could and drove past Roquefort and Aire-sur-l’Adour on our way to our next destination, Pau. Cycling enthusiasts should be familiar with this location; it features regularly in the mountain stages of the Tour de France.
Accommodation was easy to find, and, as it was Bastille Day, there was a good buzz in the town that evening. Boulevard des Pyrénées overlooks the valley, with magnificent views of the mountain range. Along the elevated path the iron handrails have plaques explaining which mountain is directly in front of you and how high it is. Also, a funicular railway will take you down to the valley.
THE NEXT STAGE took us through the Pyrenees to Jaca, on the Spanish side. This was a great drive that brought us through the trans-Pyrenean road tunnel and past the famous Canfranc railway station. On the French side there was a certain lushness to the landscape; the Spanish environment was more rugged. Jaca, which was once the capital of Aragon, is strategically placed on the route between Saragossa and Pau. We continued on to Biescas and our centuries-old, recently refurbished two-bedroom house in the old town. And what a location it was, nestled at the end of Valle de Tena and surrounded by the impressive elevations of the Pyrenees.
Temperatures here were manageable, with the warm air building up against the cooler air over the mountains, often resulting in a few impressive claps of thunder and lightning and the occasional downpour.
The area is better known for skiing, particularly at Formigal and Panticosa, and the population drops once the skiing season ends. Impressive efforts have been made to exploit the growing interest in alternative outdoor summer holidays, and any number of activities are available: rafting, trekking, climbing and horse riding.
A nature reserve, Lacuniacha, boasts lynx, deer, wolves and European bison.
The choice of walks in the area is enormous; the gondola ride at Panticosa brings you to the higher mountain areas.
In the nearby town of Sabiñánigo we discovered the Pirenarium, a visitor centre in the old Gravelinas military barracks. This is quite a generously proportioned facility that presents the Pyrenees in miniature. Outside is a play and activity area with a scale model of the Pyrenees more than 100m long, 20m deep and seven metres high, along with superb scale models of notable historic structures in Aragon. Inside are a cinema, gallery, museum, model workshop, shops, cafes and bar and restaurant – altogether a very well-presented facility.
Although there was plenty to keep us occupied in Valle de Tena, we had come a long way, and I was determined to visit Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park. Our gateway to the park, Torla, was only 26km from Biescas; we had to travel via a good, but sinuous, mountain road, so it was a journey that required alertness and care.
Torla provides a good spectrum of accommodation, restaurants, bars and shops and is the last stop before the park itself, where cars are not allowed.
A park bus service ferries you, for a nominal fee, the remaining few kilometres into the park. This route provides the most popular approach to Monte Perdido, at 3,355m the third-highest mountain in the Pyrenees. This is not a walk for the uninitiated, so do your homework before considering it.
OUR TIME IN Biescas drew to a close all too quickly, and it was time to make our return trip. We plotted a scenic route that would bring us to Bergerac, in Dordogne; the estimated journey time was six hours, covering some 350km.
Things didn’t work out as planned. It was a Saturday, holiday traffic (mostly French) was heavy on these minor roads and progress was very slow. With nearly 100km to go, and having already been on the road for seven hours, we decided to pack it in and find an overnight pitstop.
This proved to be a frustrating exercise, as there were a lot of tourists about and no accommodation available. We continued towards Bergerac, trying several hotels and guest houses on the way with no success.
Arriving in Bergerac, our luck was in: we quickly found accommodation. By then we were three tired, sticky, harassed individuals – there was bad karma in that car. It was our own fault: we didn’t take into account that we would have problems finding weekend accommodation.
This experience altered our plans for our journey the following day. Instead of meandering along minor roads we took the fastest route and arrived in Fougères by mid-afternoon; again, we found lodgings immediately. Fougères has a large medieval castle, many historical monuments and beautiful gardens.
The next day we enjoyed a leisurely drive to Cherbourg, which is worth a longer visit, and sailed for home.
Was it worth the trouble? Yes, given that we wanted to bring back a lot of goodies. However, this did not compensate for the time spent on the outward and return journeys. Would I take the car again? Only if I was staying in France.
Where to stay on both sides of the border
Casa Rural La Corralata. 00-34-974-485092 (Spanish only), www.ordesa.net/ la-corralata. Beautifully presented old Spanish town house in Biescas.
Best Western Angleterre Champlain. Rue de Rambaud, La Rochelle, France, 00-33-5- 46412399, www.hotel champlain.com. Still signs of elegance here, but in need of a lick of paint. Central and good value. Parking available.
Hotel Roncevaux, Rue Louis Barthou, Pau, France, 00-33-5-59270844, www.hotel-roncevaux.com. Central, compact, clean tourist accommodation. Limited parking.
Citôtel Verotel. Domaine Lespinassat, Bergerac, France, 00-33-5-53248976, www.citotel.com. Clean short-stay hotel two kilometres from the centre of the town and close to the airport. It has an outdoor pool, family rooms and free parking.
Hotel Balzac. 15 Rue Nationale, Fougères, France, 00-33-2-99994246, www.balzachotel.com. Located in an 18th-century town house, the hotel is right in the centre of Fougères. In need of a refurb.
Go there
Irish Ferries (0818-300400, www.irishferries.com) sails from Rosslare to Roscoff and Cherbourg.