DAVID THOMSON’S PYRENEES ADVENTURE 17th Jun 2026

Another great Tour organised by David. Not the Alps this time but the Western and Central Pyrenees. We were a group of 12 cars; some took the Ferry to Bilbao whilst Glyn Lloyd and I and others drove down through France. Our objective was to enjoy a lovely road trip incorporating many of the famous passes and some lovely hotels, starting with the family run Hotel Arcé on the banks of the river Nive des Aldudes in the Basque country – figure 1. There we all had pre-dinner drinks and we had a long chat with Des and Marj Burnett who had wisely chosen their Volvo as a transport to avoid the daytime heat of the sun. Hugh and Judi Mayes had also wisely decided that advancing years meant that they would fare better in their Porsche Boxster whilst Quentin and Su Chases were in their lovely 1969 Porsche 911s.

The Pyrenees differ from the Alps both by being further south and therefore generally warmer and having road passes that are not quite as high; the higher passes being only a little over 2,000 meters whilst in the Alps there are a number over 2,700 meters. This results in the grazing meadows often reaching the tops of the passes and the treeline ending not far below that. In June the snow was gone from the roads which were often surfaced with immaculate smooth tarmac – a sure sign that you were on the route of the Tour de France that would be passing that way in a few weeks’ time.

David always suggests different route options for either adventurous or more leisurely drives and the route through the Western Pyrenees to the next overnight stop was through lush green valleys and rising hills with dense green forests that grow on the limestone soils. The prevailing wind here generally brings moist air masses in from the Atlantic that are pushed higher by the mountains, cooling and depositing a very high rainfall to the area. But not this June, neither rain nor cool this year, but lots of factor 50.

The French/Spanish border is barely marked on the ground across many roads in the Pyrenees and we crossed over many times with only the language on roadside signs to show the change. The third hotel for two nights was the sumptuous Monasterio de Boltana – a truly 5-star transformation of a former Carmelite monastery. Two great passes on the way here: Col du Somport and Col du Portalet, and the next day a single-track one-way lane that threads its way through the Canon de Aniscio with an overhanging rock face on one side and a sheer drop on the other to the river below.

On to the Parador Arties near Vielha. Figure 2 shows Rob May and Alan Bunn outside the hotel in Rob’s beautiful 105 Vanden Plas which just purred its way elegantly along throughout the trip. 

An alternative use for the Vanden Plas body style was witnessed in Spain – as the ideal shape and size of the running board made a perfect nappy changing area for the mother and small son in Figure 3 who then kindly posed for the photograph (discarded nappy still in hand).

The following day we head back west to Oloron-Ste-Marie. The route takes us up over the Col du Portillon and the Col d’Aspin – but when we approach the Col d’Aspin we find ourselves among over two thousand French cyclists on a charity race from Lourdes and joining our route, all thinking they were Eddy Merckx despite their age. A very slow climb to the top being jostled by the cyclists as they grind their way up. Just over the crest we are stopped near the head of a queue. One cyclist has overdone the climb and vehicles have to wait for the air ambulance to arrive near us and ferry him off to hospital. Not so the cyclists who ignore the marshals and emergency services and continue to stream past the police, ambulance and stretcher on the ground. When the helicopter has departed, we decide not to join the cycle race over the Col du Tourmalet and instead take the main road to Lourdes and on to the hotel.

The following day instead of heading West to the coast we decided to backtrack the route and drive up the Col d’Aubisque and Col du Tourmalet and then hit the motorway West to Saint-Jean-de-Luz. Glyn drove us up the Aubisque and I think he enjoyed that; the grin was still there at dinner that night. I then drove up the Tourmalet with a different passenger who wanted a Talbot experience, whilst Glyn was ferried in a Morgan behind with his camera. I think I gave Mark an experience, judging by the way he was gripping his seat. 

Mid-June and Saint-Jean-de-Luz was bustling with French holidaymakers. We made like tourists and spent several hours wandering around the town and harbour. Our final dinner was on the hotel terrace with uninterrupted views a short distance to the beach below and north up the coast to Biarritz. The next day we set off back to Calais and the Shuttle to the UK.       

      We had all had a great time and enjoyed the trip and the company. 

      Any low points? Just a few as various cars temporarily misbehaved and were fixed, and we all arrived back home in the cars in which we had started the trip.

      And the high points were many: The view from the top of the Aubisque at figure 4; the view looking West from the top of the Tourmalet at figure 5 – I am from the East of England and we don’t get views like that; the lovely restaurant that we happened upon in La Guingueta d’Aneu in Catalonia where we had lunch one day with David, Hugh and Judi Mayes, David’s brother and sister-in-law Chris and Liz Thomson – cars outside at figure 6 with Hugh and Judi behind ALL 71 (I had pigs’ trotters and Hugh had a feast including a huge slab of Foie Gras); the lovely purple wildflowers at the top pf the Puerto de Larrau with a view down the valley into France at figure 7; the great hotels and delicious meals, and no rain at all, though it was hot, very hot at times, and the wildfires that Southern France and Spain have since endured had not yet occurred. 

       A big thank you to David from us all for yet again organising everything so well and making it such an enjoyable trip for everyone.

James Tibbitts