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What's new Archive:
29-April-2009
Our renovations are nearing completion for 2009. I have
updated the page on
accommodation at La Lanterne Rouge.
24-April-2009
Temperatures today reached 27c and after 5 months
Hautacam is almost free of snow.
This photo was taken from one of our second floor
bedrooms.
19-April-2009
Route de Sud 2009. Stage 1 and 2 will pass through
Saint Savin on the 18th and 19th of June. The race was
won by Dan Martin last year and Stephen Roche in 1985.
Stage 1 starts and finishes in Pau, it will cross Col de
Soulor and Col de Borderes before passing through Saint
Savin. Stage 2 will start in Pau and cross Col de
Tourmalet on the eastern side and then descend to
Argeles-Gazost before turning back through Saint Savin
to finish in Pierrefitte-Nestalas.
http://www.routedusud.fr/Pages/parcours09.htm
19-April-2009
Route de Sud 2009. Stage 1 and 2 will pass through
Saint Savin on the 18th and 19th of June. The race was
won by Dan Martin last year. Stage 1 starts and
finishes in Pau, it will cross Col de Soulor and Col de
Borderes before passing through Saint Savin. Stage 2
will start in Pau and cross Col de Tourmalet on the
eastern side and then decend to Argeles before turning
back through Saint Savin to finish in
Pierrefitte-Nestalas.
http://www.routedusud.fr/Pages/parcours09.htm
14-April-2009
The Voie Vert (Green Way) runs for 22km from
Lourdes to Pierrefitte-Nestalas, it's an easy cycle with only 70
meters of altitude difference.
This photo was taken in Saint Savin on my way
back from Hautacam yesterday. The mountain on the right
is Le Viscos, the summit of Luz Ardiden is just the
other side. The snow covered mountain in the distance is
Pic de Long, it is about
15km to it's base at Luz, turn left there and you have
18.5km to the summit of Col de Tourmalet. The mountain
to the left is Hautacam.
Pau Airport:
Pau airport will be closed from 27th July to
9th August for essential runway works. All flights will
be diverted to Lourdes.
Charter Flights:
Tagney Tours based in London have been running charter
flights from the UK to Lourdes for 25 years. They are
offering free transport for you bike in 2009. Flights
depart Stanstead every Friday and most Mondays at 11:00
and arrive in Lourdes at 15:00. The cost is €105 or £95
each way. 25kg baggage allowance.
Contact:
flights@tangney-tours.com or Tel: 00 44 1732886666
07-April-2009
The question most often asked here is when is the Col de
Tourmalet open. The usual answer is middle of May
sometime. I read in the local paper this week that the
ski resort will close on April 19th this year if there
was no fresh snow. I tried to cycle up the Tourmalet
yesterday to see how far I could get. I turned back at
about 9km to go as it had started to snow, anyway I only
expected to go to the turnoff for Superaréges ski resort
where the road to Col de Tourmalet is blocked, it was
about 1km from there I stopped. The last 5km of the road
to the col is used as piste for skiing. It is raining
heavy in St Savin today and there is fresh snow visable
up on Hautacam at about 1000m so should be lots of snow
on Col de Tourmalet.
I'll go again next week and see how far I get.
Checkout the ride on the garmin.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/2982661
17-March-2009
Happy Saint Patrick's day.
Added a page with routes
from St Savin using a Garmin705 cycle computer.
There are links to the rides on Garmin Connect. I'll be
adding to them all the time so keep an eye on the page
for new routes.
15-March-2009
Beautiful weather this week, Friday afternoon hit
23c, am now cycling in shorts and short sleeve jersey.
On Saturday I Cycled up to Col de Borderes
(1157m) and then up Col du Solour (1474m) the last 7km
up Soulor really is a stinker. It never goes below 6%
and there is a section at 17%. You can view the data
from the Garmin.
Climb of Col de Borderes and Col du Soulor.
Spring has arrived and our Magnolia tree is in bloom.
Plum blossom. You can see from this photo the retreat of
the snow up Hautacam. Another couple of weeks and it
will be gone. Think this weekend will be the last for
skiing up there. Cauterets should be open for another 5
or 6 weeks.
10-Mar-2009
Hautacam.
I have added a
page of photos I took on a cycle to Hautacam and Col de
Tramassel. It was a beautiful warm spring day 20c at
the bottom and 10c at the summit.
04-Mar-2009
Google Earth
has been updated for the Pyrenees. I have added a
kml file with the
locations of cols in the Pyrenees you might like to
climb when staying with us.
Image of Saint Savin from Google Earth.
22-feb-2009
First 100km ride of the year.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/2214363
Beautiful warm sunshine at 16c temperature down the
Lavedan valley to Lugagnan and climb to the Col de Croix
Blanche (832m) which has spectacular views over the
plains to the north. Descend to Bagnéres de Bigorre, and
then climb to the Forge at Sainte Maria de Campan
(861m), made famous by
Eugène_Christophe. Returned home by Cote de Loucrup
(535m), Lourdes and up the valley to Saint Savin.
Eugène Christophe
21-feb-2009
This female Common Kestrel has been hunting at the
front of our house for the last few days. I can't see
what she is catching but think it must be insects. The
Lavedan valley has a very large population of birds of
pray, from Kestrels to Golden Eagles and Vultures. All
can be seen in Saint Savin.
14-Feb-2009.
First 1000m Alt climb of 2009.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/2110669
In warm sunshine from St Savin up the Val d'Azun to
Arras, through the villages of Gez and Salles and down
to the valley floor onto the cycle road to Pierrfitte
and up to Cauterets, the last 7km were in the snow, very
cold but worth it for the views. The first climb over
1000m of 2009.
12-Feb-2009
Added a page on
stage 9 of Le Tour de France 2009. St Gaudens to
Tarbes.
08-Feb-2009
After a mild week with sunny afternoons of 15c
winter returned with a vengeance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2vn3Ocq5Ok - HD
video.
To celebrate Ireland winning the rugby, I build a
snowman.
02-Feb_2009
Bike hire: For 2009 we have bike hire for road
and mountain bikes, starting at €25 per day or €110 per
week.
Giant Alu frames with Shimano 105 groupset, 12-25 on
rear and triple on front.
30-Jan-2009
Added a new page on the
climb to
Pont d'Espagne.
21-Jan-2009
Winter in St Savin. Winter has been
very hard this year with lots of snow and cold
temperatures down to -15c.
Saint Savin Abbey and Hautacam, 21 January 2009.
Saint Savin, 21 January 2009.
Dusk at the ski station at Hautacam, 14 January 2009.
15-11-2009
La Grande Boucle Féminine:
The final 2 stages of the greatest women's race in the
world will be in the Pyrenees on June 20th and 21st
2009. No final route yet but think will cross the
Pyrenees on 20th before finishing in San Sebastian or
Bilboa on 21st.
13-11-2008
A new page of
average weather conditions for
Hautes Pyrenees.
03-11-2009
Added a new page about
Cirque de
Tramousse.
02-11-2008
Added a new page on
Cirque de Gavarnie.
02-11-2008
Calendar of
tours and events for 2009.
A list of our tour dates and prices for 2009.
_____________________________________________
12-10-2008
We have added a new page about
Plateau de
Cambasque.
______________________________________________
08-10-2008
We have added a page of new photos of
Col des Borderes.
_____________________________________________
07-10-2008
Rumour has it that the tour will have a stage start in
Tarbes on Sunday 12 July 2009 to Bordeaux. Don't know
where it will be the day before but Saint Girons has
been mentioned.
_____________________________________________
06-10-2008
Have added two pages of new photos for
Col de Soulor and
Col d'Aubisque.
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