Lac d'Espingo (via Lac d'Oô)

A walk that could hardly be bettered. 

DISTANCE: 12.2km
APPROX TIME: 3 hours
START: Les Granges d'Astau
FINISH: Les Granges d'Astau

We are coming very close to the end of the series of blog posts covering my latest venture to the Pyrenees, and it is at this point I can look back and remember how much I've done already. Perfect picture-postcard valley walks, views from the highest mountain passes the Pyrenees has to offer, and of course the dizzying heights of the Pic du Midi are just some of the sights we've uncovered over the past few days and posts. Is it possible, I hear you ask, for any other walk to better what has already come before? This walk, up past the awe-inspiring Lac d'Oo to the cloistered Lac d'Espingo, might just do that. 



This walk begins at the peculiar little settlement of Les Granges d'Astau, which appears to comprise of purely two or three houses... and a considerably-sized restaurant. By road, the hamlet is slightly up the valley from the town of Oô, where the lake gets its name. 

From the car park at Les Granges d'Astau, follow the path southwards. This begins as a gentle walk through a grassy Pyrenean plain, where cattle and horses graze on the land. From here, the track begins to incline into long swooping lassettes (zigzags). What strikes you about this section of the walk is the sheer amount of water - little streams and rivers continually invade the path, with rills dug into the path to aid their passage down the hillside. This volume of water means there all sorts of plants growing either side of the path, and it almost feels jungle-like as you continue the long ascent into and through the forest beyond. 

Soon the track begins to level along the contour of the hillside, before falling slightly and rising again, coming out of the forest and into the valley beyond. At this point the view is already tantalising: rocky mountain scenery foregrounded by rolling hillocks; the dam (always an exciting sight for what may lay beyond) sitting straight ahead, with a refuge sat the other side of the shallow river which flows down to your right. Slightly up the path there is a bridge which takes you over the river to the refuge, but instead carry on along the left side of the river, next to the high cliffs on your left, to see what lies beyond the dam... 

Lac d'Oô

Beyond the dam lies one of the most beautiful views you could imagine. A vast expanse of water, Lac d'Oô, fills the entire valley ahead of you; at its head a huge waterfall pounds into the lake, so powerful in fact that it sounds like a fleet of industrial machinery. It juxtaposes the magical quality of the sights wonderfully. 

However a beautiful place to sit and stare, Lac d'Oô is not our destination, so follow the path to the left, around the eastern side of the lake. You will soon re-enter the woodland, with the footpath zigzagging up the hillside through the forest. The path then levels onto a terrace, and you will soon come out of the woodland to be greeted by great  views of the lake, the main waterfall and its smaller neighbours which fall from the hills surrounding the lake's western edge.  

As you walk along the terrace, you will come across two waterfalls which need to be traversing. These are stunning up close, with water pouring onto the track. It can be slippery here (and on a sunny day there is nothing worse than getting your feet wet on a walk!) so be careful with your footing when crossing these two. 

Up close with one of the waterfalls.

Soon after the second of the two waterfalls, the path once again rises into a zigzag. What strikes you about this section of the walk is again how overgrown and green everything is: wild flowers, fearns and grasses crowd the gaps between the paths and occasionally spill over onto it - it makes for a fantastic sight of colour and life. 

Wildflowers

Now onto the last section of the walk, which comprises a short set of zigzags through a corrie. This section does suffer what I like to call "Wainwright Syndrome," (after the revered walking writer, who I believe chronicled this psychological phenomenon first), where you believe the your destination is "just over the next hill" or "just over the horizon," but when you get there you realise there is still another hill, or another horizon. However, that is again partly due to the excitement of finding what might be beyond that point. Don't worry, you won't be disappointed. 

This way!

You find yourself in a secluded little valley. There are two lakes: one lies in a little corrie across the valley to south, while another (which by my reckoning would be the source of the terrific waterfall) lies down to your right. There is a small refuge offering a wealth of delicious treats, while view-wise the valley offers fantastic snowy and rocky mountains, as well as a Pyrenean pastures and a river, which links the two lakes. Take it all in, and then descend the way you came.

The Lac d'Espingo, the mountains and the refuge.

If you are ever in the Val Louron or nearby, this walk is a must. The experience of being in the secluded valley of the Lac d'Espingo and the thrill of seeing the brilliantly monstrous waterfall that tumbles into Lac d'Oô are something you have to do. Vital.