Hiking the Cirque de Gavarnie

The Cirque de Gavarnie, in the French Pyrenees, is home to one of the highest waterfalls in Europe, where meltwater spouts from a height of 413m. From the edge of Gavarnie village, the view of the falls is breathtaking and even better up close.

We’d come here for views like this and to hike the Cirque de Gavarnie loop, a 10.2 mile (7.5 hour) route that would take us up towards La Brèche de Roland or “Roland’s Breach”, a natural 40m gap in the cliffside at 2804m.

The road through Gavarnie is closed to vehicles during the day, between 09:00 – 17:00 - but don’t panic! You are allowed to drive through if you have a reservation with Camping La Bergerie. We would highly recommend this campsite for its awesome view of the Gavarnie Falls and position for hiking the Cirque de Gavarnie. It has a small bar for those crispy afternoon beers in the sunshine and the river, with crystal clear water, runs alongside it - perfect for a dip to soothe those hiked-out knees.

On the morning of our hike, we woke to the sound of dogs barking and howling, which echoed around the valley. We were told it was the start of the Wild Boar hunting season and to be careful not to get shot on the trails…

Taking the local’s advice, we scurried back to the van to find something non-boar like to wear.

Equipped with luminous bag cover, we began our hike from the campsite, heading towards Gavarnie village and taking the trail up towards Plateau de Bellevue. As the name suggests, the viewpoint offers a stunning view of the Gavarnie Falls from up high. If you wanted to cut your hike short and head towards the falls, this is the point to do so.

After gawping at the view for a few minutes, to the sound of distant sheep bells, we took the long trail heading towards the foot of Taillon. Once there, it’s a long, steep slog up towards the Cascade du Taillon. Welcomed rest breaks were spent helping some shepherds locate some stray sheep on the hill. At 8300ft you need to cross over the rocky cascade and continue up towards the Glacier du Taillon. You are likely to see a bit of snow up here.

Once at the top, keep left and follow the trail towards the Refuge de la Brèche de Roland – Les Serradats. Standing at 2565m, and directly below the Brèche de Roland gap, the building looks like some sort of Bond villains hideout. Here you can fill your water bottles, go to the loo, grab a burrito and an Orangina, or eat your snacks before the final ascent up to the gap.

Gavarnie, and this hiking route, in the summer is usually very busy with tourists and day hikers – however, on that day in September, we barely saw anyone on the trail until we reached the refuge. Then when we left the refuge, we saw nobody again until we reached the village.

Did you know: There are around 80 brown bears in the whole Pyrenees region. Though not impossible, it’s unlikely that you will encounter a bear on your hike. If that disappoints you, Goldilocks, you may have to settle for a different chubby brown furball – a marmot! We were lucky enough to see 3!

The descent towards the Gavarnie falls is simply stunning. With the insane view of the falls ahead, it’s hard to keep your eyes on the route in front of you but it’s very steep, and a bit slippy, towards the end.

When you finally reach the foot of the ‘amphitheatre’ it’s a relatively flat walk back towards Gavarnie. Even with the waterfall behind us, the walk through the forest, alongside the river, was beautiful. We had a quick dip in the crystal clear glacial pools, which were absolutely freezing but refreshed our joints for the remainder of the hike.

On the route back, you’ll catch a glimpse of civilisation in the distance; Hotel du Cirque et de la Cascade, built in 1845. Stop here for a drink on the terrace before the last 30-40mins walk back to the campsite and village (for an ice cream).