The Bérat circular route in Urdos

Park in the car park at the entrance to the village, on the left as you come up from the valley. If you’re coming by coach, it’s the same as the stop is almost in the same place.

(S/E) Start by heading back down a little towards the cemetery, then take the small road on the left, running alongside the large building that used to house the families of customs officers and gendarmes. Then turn right onto the old road, which descends quite steeply and leads towards the old Urdos station. After about 500 m, leave this road and take a path that descends more steeply, taking you under a bridge on the old railway line. You’ll arrive at the campsite, which you should enter (it’s always open). The path continues northwards, then veers off to cross the Gave d’Aspe via a small bridge.

Climb a little further on, through the woodland, following a dirt track for about fifty metres.

(1) A barely visible fork allows you to take a marked path (yellow and other colours) to the left, which climbs quite steeply at first, through the woods and alongside a high stone wall. There is plenty of shade.

(2) This path ends just at the bend in another dirt track; take it to the right, heading south, climbing and leaving the forest behind for a meadow, eventually leading onto a small tarmac road.

(3) At the junction, the old path opens up on the other side of the road, like a gap in the greenery. Follow it. It climbs between two high dry stone walls (once built from stones taken from the fields). You will eventually rejoin the small road you crossed shortly before, at a point where the old path becomes impassable. Then take the road to the right, heading uphill, and follow it to the highest point (around 850 m above sea level).

(4) When the road begins to descend, making a first turn left then right, keep an eye on the right-hand side: the old path resumes at this point, opening up like a tunnel through the lush boxwood.

Follow it, crossing without going up or down at all at the start, running alongside a high-voltage power line. After about 400 m, the path descends, widens and joins a forest track at a hairpin bend. Take this road downhill, pass a hairpin bend, then continue through the undergrowth to join the^GR® 65 route or Chemin de Saint-Jacques, marked in red and white.

(5) At one point, you’ll come across a dirt track on the right, right at the far right, facing due south. Go through a gap in the fence and you’ll find another path, which heads north, with another gap in the fence. Everything is signposted. This new path descends steeply through the woodland.

At the end of the descent, you’ll emerge into the meadows at the bottom of the valley. Follow the markings to the bridge over the stream.
You will need to go through several gates, which you must close carefully.
Further on, go under the old railway bridge and turn left immediately.
The village is now in sight. You can walk along the lower street (the old main road), with its picturesque houses, up to the path leading back towards the post office.

When you reach the pavement of the N134, cross the road with care: there is heavy lorry traffic. Then head towards the car park by turning left (S/E).

In wet weather, the paths can be muddy: avoid wearing trainers.

Metal or wire mesh gates can be crossed but must be closed properly: they are there to keep livestock in and prevent them from straying!

General shops in the centre of Urdos, hotel and restaurant.

TER coach stop serving the valley.

Urdos station: geological and railway discovery centre.