Follow Laurence Dallaglio to the Hautes-Pyrénées

As Laurence Dallaglio takes off to cycle the length of the Pyrénées for the premature baby charity Bliss, why not follow in his footsteps by taking a break in the mountains? Perhaps something a little less arduous – but then the Pyrénées do offer a myriad of activities, or just relax and take in the beautiful scenery. The autumn and winter months are a lovely time to be taking a weekend break.

Access from the UK could not be easier now with flights available into Lourdes and Pau, so leave the winter blues back in Britain and fly south for a well-earned break in the rarified atmosphere of the mountains. Here are some suggestions of where to stay:

Hotel Restaurant Les Templiers, Luz Saint Sauveur

This family run hotel is the perfect base for discovering Lourdes and the High Pyrénées. Just thirty kilometres from Lourdes and eighty kilometres from Pau, the traditional French mountain village of Luz Saint Sauveur is on the doorstep of the Mont Perdu World Heritage Site.

Situated half way between Lourdes and Gavarnie, Luz makes a great base for a visit to Lourdes and an exploration of the high route to Santiago de Compostella through Héas and Gavarnie. In winter there is easy access to three of the best downhill ski stations in the Pyrenees – Luz Ardiden, Bareges-Tourmalet and Gavarnie, the furthest is twenty kilometres away; perfect for the independent skier.

In autumn the colours of the changing leaves lend themselves nicely to more cultural exploration – the mountain villages and churches, wild blueberry and mushroom picking The valley offers two well equipped thermal spa centres at Luz and Barèges to sooth away any aches and pains.

The hotel is run by an English speaking Australian-French couple who are happy to help with directions, suggestions and translations. Whatever the season, and your activity, they look forward to hosting your visit.

See hotellestempliers.com for more information.

Prices start at €45 per room per night plus 5€50 per person for breakfast. Half – board is €43 per person per night.

La Ferme de Soulan, Saint Lary

A superbly located Bed & Breakfast with the most amazing views in every direction over the Valley of Aure…and you are three minutes from the ski slopes! This was an eighteenth century mountain farm that has been lovingly restored to create a chambres d’hotes holiday retreat where you cannot only eat hearty fare, but can also go walking, hiking, (they are near the GR10) parapenting, bird-watching, use the sauna or hammam…the rooms are all created from beautiful woods.

Laurence and Pascal Amelot provide the warmest of welcomes. This chambres d’hotes has been awarded a ‘Panda’ by the WWF in conjunction with the National Pyrénéan Park. Sensoria, is a new thermal bath at St.Lary that must not be missed and this is close by.

Visit fermedesoulan.free.fr for more details.

Prices start at €176 per room for two nights. Meals are another €23 per person per meal.

Loudenvielle

Is where Laurence will welcome you to his historic chambres d’hotes, once a farmhouse, dating back to 1723 that at 1000 metres above sea level, is situated near to the ski stations of Peyragudes et Val Louron, and thirty minutes from St Lary et Luchon. The house has been tastefully renovated with comfort in mind. In the stress free atmosphere and warmth of the spacious wooden living area guests can totally relax. A mixture of traditional materials creates the charm and aesthetic appeal of the room.

The kitchen area is perfectly equipped to help you savor Laurence’s traditional cuisine composed of copious and tasty dishes such as stuffed veal, pot-au-feu, traditional “garbure”, and home made jams and pastries. The Valley of Louron is very famous for being one of the best environmentally preserved in the Pyrénées. Balnéa is a new thermal baths that is close by and really worth a visit.

It has mineral water from natural springs, top-notch recreational material such as waterfalls, bubbling baths, counter-current walks, etc and access to most of the facilities is without medical consultation. It gives a new dimension to wellness in this region.

Visit noisetiers-pyrenees.com for more details.

Prices start at €63 per room per night. For meals add 17€50 per person per meal.

Hotel Le Viscos

In the village of Saint-Savin, Hotel Le Viscos is not far from Lourdes and is where one of Paul Coellho’s novels ‘ By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept’, is set. The village itself has an abbey church that is well worth visiting, fine examples of typical houses of the area and fantastic Pyrénéan views of course! There are just eight beautifully decorated rooms in the hotel. The chef, Jean-Pierre Saint-Martin employs a style that is emblematic of the south-west using local products of this Bigorre area.

One may take a cookery class or otherwise visit the thermal station just three kilometres away where there is also tennis, horse-riding, plus skiing, hiking, rafting, parapenting, mountain biking, cycling, fishing.

For more information, visit hotel-leviscos.com.

Prices start at €85 per room per night plus 9€50 per person for breakfast. Half – board is €75 per person per night.

Please note that Ryanair fly to Pau from London Stansted. Services to Lourdes begin on 20th December 2008.