Midi-Pyrenees - travel essentials
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GETTING THERE
Access to Midi-Pyrénées has improved dramatically in the past decade, with excellent air links from across the UK.
Rail is the most civilised way to arrive. From London St Pancras, the journey to Toulouse – the main hub – takes as little as nine hours, including a change of train in Paris, for a fare on Eurostar (08705 186 186; eurostar. com) of £109 return.
In the south-west of the region, Tarbes also has excellent connections by high-speed train from Paris Montparnasse. It is also worth considering the "classic" train from Paris Austerlitz, which takes a pretty route south via Cahors and Montauban to Toulouse. This route also has overnight trains, which can be a good way to save on accommodation – and time. In addition, sleeper trains run from the French capital to destinations such as Tarbes and Lourdes.
Rail Europe (0844 848 4069; raileurope.co.uk), which is the representative of French Railways in the UK, and other specialists such as Trainseurope (0871 700 7722; trainseurope.co.uk), can create tailor-made itineraries. The rail passes that allow unlimited travel on a specified number of days are also worth considering.
By air, Toulouse is the main access point. The busy, modern Blagnac airport – incidentally the home to the aircraft manufacturer, Airbus Industrie – has flights from Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds/Bradford, London Gatwick and Manchester. From the airport, fast and frequent shuttle buses run the short distance into the city, pausing at various points en route to the city's Matabiau railway station.
Rodez airport in Aveyron is served by Ryanair from London Stansted four days a week between March and October.
Other gateways are just outside the region. Carcassonne and Pau are well placed east and west of the mountains; Carcassonne has Ryanair flights from East Midlands, Edinburgh, Liverpool and London Stansted; the same airline has flights from Bristol and Stansted to Pau. Every Saturday, Ryanair flies from Stansted to Tarbes-Lourdes airport.
One final option: Bergerac. This small airport, with flights from Stansted on Ryanair and from Southampton and other UK airports on FlyBe, is well placed for the north-west of the region.
If you prefer to drive, then the western Channel crossings – such as Portsmouth to Le Havre on LD Lines or Poole to Cherbourg on Brittany Ferries – offer the most agreeable drive south. The A20 autoroute, which begins south of Orléans, is the best approach for the west of the region, while the A75 gives access to the east.
GETTING AROUND
Rail is an ideal way to connect the main towns in the region, with Toulouse Matabiau at the hub of the SNCF (French Railways) network in south-west France. The main line from Paris Austerlitz via Cahors and Montauban arrives here, and meets the other key lines in the Midi-Pyrénées: east towards the Mediterranean, west via Montrejeau and Lannemezan to Tarbes and Lourdes. This latter line has plenty of connections south into the valleys of the Hautes-Pyrénées and Ariège. Sometimes these take the form of connecting rail services, but often they are dedicated buses run by SNCF, with through fares available. Rodez is directly connected by night train from Paris.
The finest railway line in the region runs south from Toulouse high into the Pyrénées, connecting "la Ville Rose" with Foix, Ax-les-Thermes and Latour de Carol, where there are connections to Barcelona and Perpignan.
Buses supplement trains, with most of the villages benefitting from at least occasional bus services.
STAYING THERE
The bigger towns and cities have plenty of choice, and the spa towns in the mountains have an increasingly luxurious range of possibilities as the perceived value of "wellness" breaks increases. Meanwhile in the smaller communities you can usually depend on a simple but high-quality one-or-two-star hotel.
Other options, especially in the villages and hamlets, include chambres d'hôte (the closest you are likely to get to B&B) and gîtes d'étape – these are properties specially devised for walkers. They tend to look like rudimentary hostels, usually with mixed dormitories and kitchen facilities, but are warm and welcoming places. Typically a bed for the night costs €20, though if you opt for dinner and breakfast you can expect to pay twice as much. You need to provide your own sleeping bag, and should always book in advance.
If you are in the mountains with no gîte d'étape in sight, a refuge will be the only option other than camping or sleeping under the stars. You sleep in dormitories without hot water or kitchen facilities, although the more popular ones are staffed, with cooked food available. You should book in advance.
Also in the "no-star" category are old agricultural buildings, such as cattle sheds or shepherds' huts, which offer very basic accommodation on a first-come-first-served basis. If there is a risk that your nominated shelter is full, you should carry camping equipment. There are plenty of campsites at lower altitudes and in the higher mountains camping is allowed for one night in designated areas.
Failing that, Hilaire Belloc, in his classic book on walking in these mountains, notes that the Pyrénées are very well off for overhangs under which to sleep. Bear in mind, however, that even in summer it can get extremely cold at night, rain is always likely and snow a possibility.
FINDING YOUR WAY
The Midi-Pyrénées is extremely well-mapped. The official IGN map of the region provides an excellent overview, while Michelin sheet 235 covers much in 1:200,000 scale. The eastern and western extremities of the region are covered by sheets 240 and 234 respectively.
Stanford's (12-14 Long Acre, London WCE; 020-7836 1321; stanfords.co.uk) has these maps and many others – including the IGN 1:50,000 and 1:25,000 series; the latter is recommended if you plan to stray off the beaten track.
MORE INFORMATION
The best single contact point is the Comité Régional du Tourisme (00 33 5 61 13 55 12; tourism-midi-pyrenees. co.uk). For bookings, you can contact the region direct at Midi-Pyrénées Vacances Loisirs (00 33 5 34 25 05 05; English spoken).
For more information on the eight departmental tourist boards, these websites are useful:
Ariège: ariegepyrenees.com
Aveyron: tourisme-aveyron.com
Haute-Garonne: tourisme31.com
Gers: tourisme-gers.com
Lot: tourisme-lot.com
Hautes-Pyrenees: tourisme-hautes-pyrenees.com
Tarn: tourisme-tarn.com
Tarn-et-Garonne: tourisme82.com
The Rough Guide to the Pyrenees gives a good general picture on both sides of the frontier. For enthusiastic hikers, Cicerone Press has guides to the classic long-distance routes – the GR10 and HRP. Another good source is Trekking in the Pyrenees by Douglas Streatfeild-James, published by Trailblazer.
The French version of the Ramblers' Association, the FFRP, offers four excellent and detailed topo-guides – in French – covering between them the whole route of the GR10.
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