DISTANCE: 13.2km
APPROX TIME: 3 hours 15 mins
START: Col de Tourmalet
FINISH: Col de Tourmalet
At 2,877 metres, and set back to the north of much of the Pyrenees, the Pic du Midi towers above its neighbours in a way which allows you to see for miles and miles. On many days, you can find yourself standing at the top of the Pic du Midi and be above the clouds. If this is not remarkable in itself, the fact that there is such an easy walk to the peak's summit is. While you would normally have to get your crampons and ropes out to gain the height and vast views such as these, yet the hike up to the Pic du Midi's summit is very straightforward. What is even more remarkable than that, however, is that in 1878, someone decided to build an astronomical observatory on that very summit. This is a place which boggles the mind, a height which tightens the lungs and a climb which gets the heart pumping. Are you ready for it?
You begin at the Col de Tourmalet, itself perhaps the most iconic Pyrenean mountain pass for its position as a centrepiece fixture in the Tour de France. For this reason, the pass tends to be very busy - indeed, if it weren't for the sheer breathtaking awe of this walk I may not have recommended it; this walk is not exactly "undiscovered" by any stretch of the imagination. On the day I was there this year, the pass was not only busy with people but also with llamas - llamas! - who were skittishly darting about trying to avoid the traffic. Already it seems like we're in a different world, and the walk hasn't even begun!
Much of this walk will be spent on the long dirt road which leaves the Col on its north western side - follow this as it contours around the west side of the adjacent hillside. Even now, as you snake into the mountain and then back out onto a prominent spur, you begin to see the views westwards opening up.
The walk along this track continues for another half an hour or so, and in that time it will veer in and out of the hillside, with a series of tunnels punctuating the long road. Thankfully, the fact that the views westwards increase and improve with every step prevent this long stretch from ever becoming monotonous.
After this stretch, you turn a corner round the crest of the last jutting spur and there it is: the shining white citadel of the Pic du Midi observatory sits atop the peak ahead of you. Take your eyes away from it and you will noticed down to your left a lake - this is the Lac d'Oncet, a popular attraction in summer only beaten by the Pic du Midi itself. And you can see why - the picture-perfect lake sits in a glacial basin, with great banks of snow skirting its northern and western edges. Follow the track above the lake until you come to the ruined buildings of the Col de Sencours, a great place to take a break before the ascent.
Now the real work begins. The ruins are on quite a level plateau, but on the northern side the track begins to rise. Take this path, and follow it up as it takes long loops up the side of the mountain. Again, the views prevent the walk from becoming monotonous, as do the little details: at points on this stretch you enter miniature gorges where the rock was blasted away to make way for the track; big slabs now sit imposingly on either side as you ascend, and it adds to the bizarre quality of this walk. These long zigzags continue for another three kilometres, and then you will come to the next level section of this adventure, before the final push.
This next checkpoint on your walk is the site of an abandoned hostel. The building was once the signature building on the peak, but was slowly put out of business as the observatory expanded. It gives you a great view of the observatory itself though, and the last time I was up there there were walls of snow which lined the western hillside around the hotel. Once you've taken in the views, follow the path northwards to embark on the final ascent.
But wait! The path begins to the north of the hotel, and then swoops east as it ascends, but as it does so the hills to the north part momentarily to give you a view northwards. And what a view. There are no mountains northwards - the Pic du Midi is on the northern extent of this part of the Pyrenees, which is unimaginable given its size - but just the rest of France sprawling away. On a beautiful blue sky day, however, you will find yourself above an inversion. While you bask in the sunshine, the rest of France - the rest of the world - appears to be swamped in a sea of cloud, and it looks magical.
And then comes the ascent. This final section is by far the steepest and the path is somewhat eroded, so take care. The path winds its way up the mountainside in a series of sharp zigzags, and only gets harder the closer you get to the top. But the glimmering white obelisk shines bright above you, and all around you are either mountains or clouds. Your heart may be pounding, your lungs tensing, your legs aching and your head thumping, but as the air grows thinner and the summit gets closer, this is one of those scarce walks where you genuinely feel like you are on top of the world. And the observatory, like Mount Olympus alchemised with the Starship Enterprise, as to this otherworldly experience.
As you near the top, you have to crawl under a pipe, and then there is just a short walk before you reach the summit. Get onto the observation deck and have a look at the world at your feet. I would describe the view, but it is perhaps better you see for yourself:
Much of this walk will be spent on the long dirt road which leaves the Col on its north western side - follow this as it contours around the west side of the adjacent hillside. Even now, as you snake into the mountain and then back out onto a prominent spur, you begin to see the views westwards opening up.
The walk along this track continues for another half an hour or so, and in that time it will veer in and out of the hillside, with a series of tunnels punctuating the long road. Thankfully, the fact that the views westwards increase and improve with every step prevent this long stretch from ever becoming monotonous.
After this stretch, you turn a corner round the crest of the last jutting spur and there it is: the shining white citadel of the Pic du Midi observatory sits atop the peak ahead of you. Take your eyes away from it and you will noticed down to your left a lake - this is the Lac d'Oncet, a popular attraction in summer only beaten by the Pic du Midi itself. And you can see why - the picture-perfect lake sits in a glacial basin, with great banks of snow skirting its northern and western edges. Follow the track above the lake until you come to the ruined buildings of the Col de Sencours, a great place to take a break before the ascent.
Now the real work begins. The ruins are on quite a level plateau, but on the northern side the track begins to rise. Take this path, and follow it up as it takes long loops up the side of the mountain. Again, the views prevent the walk from becoming monotonous, as do the little details: at points on this stretch you enter miniature gorges where the rock was blasted away to make way for the track; big slabs now sit imposingly on either side as you ascend, and it adds to the bizarre quality of this walk. These long zigzags continue for another three kilometres, and then you will come to the next level section of this adventure, before the final push.
This next checkpoint on your walk is the site of an abandoned hostel. The building was once the signature building on the peak, but was slowly put out of business as the observatory expanded. It gives you a great view of the observatory itself though, and the last time I was up there there were walls of snow which lined the western hillside around the hotel. Once you've taken in the views, follow the path northwards to embark on the final ascent.
But wait! The path begins to the north of the hotel, and then swoops east as it ascends, but as it does so the hills to the north part momentarily to give you a view northwards. And what a view. There are no mountains northwards - the Pic du Midi is on the northern extent of this part of the Pyrenees, which is unimaginable given its size - but just the rest of France sprawling away. On a beautiful blue sky day, however, you will find yourself above an inversion. While you bask in the sunshine, the rest of France - the rest of the world - appears to be swamped in a sea of cloud, and it looks magical.
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| The Pic du Midi observatory |
As you near the top, you have to crawl under a pipe, and then there is just a short walk before you reach the summit. Get onto the observation deck and have a look at the world at your feet. I would describe the view, but it is perhaps better you see for yourself:
Incredible. Enjoy the views, and then retrace your steps.
And while you're doing so, enjoy them some more! This is a walk like no other - there is nowhere else I have been where I have hiked to such a height, seen such expansive views and felt such a thrill at being out and about in the mountains. While it is busy, there is only one reason for that: this is a walk which you have to do.
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