Long circular from Le Mousqué to Saint-Pé-de-Bigorre

Park as close as possible to the Place des Arcades in Saint-Pé-de-Bigorre.
(Outward/Return) Take Rue du Général de Gaulle, which runs alongside the church, then take the first street on the right, Rue Procope Lassale.

(1) Pass the Batmale washhouse under the archway of the former seminary on the right.
After the first ‘S’ bend, turn left up the narrow street which quickly becomes a fairly steep flight of steps.
You’ll reach the central square of the Quartier Labatut.
Turn immediately left into Rue Darrets Cazaoux, which leads downhill (Darrets Cazaoux means ‘behind the gardens’ in Bigourdan).
At the end of the street, turn right up the Chemin des Elfes towards the former social welfare centre.

(2) At the water tower, in the hamlet of Bazi, take the dirt track on the right which leads into the forest; then, about a hundred metres further on, at the Fork in the road, follow the path on the left which climbs more steeply.

(3) At the Mousqué crossroads (elevation 507), take a sharp left and continue along a wide forest track following the contour line on the southern slope of La Tourette.

(4) At another junction – the ‘Carrefour de la Tourette’, beneath a field hedge – turn sharply right and continue until you reach the access path to the telecommunications mast near the summit of La Tourette (560m). Make your way to the mast and the antenna (or the true summit plateau to the left in the field at 565m).

(5) From the summit of La Tourette, there is a fine view of the Saint-Pé massif and the Gave valley.
Retrace your steps and follow the path onwards to the left until you reach the tarmac road at the 526m mark.

(6) Take this road and head for the Mousqué plateau (520m).
Continue along the road eastwards, passing the road branching off to the north on your left and, a little further on, the road leading down to the village on your right.
Carry on to the left along the contour line.
From the second junction to the 474-metre mark, pass by the premises of the La Diane Saint-Péenne hunting society and walk along the Mousqué ridge for nearly 800 metres (about ten minutes).

(7) Take the pidgeon hunting hut path, which descends steeply to the right.
Pass a pidgeon hunting hut, which is still in use, on your left.
The path becomes steep, passing close to a barn and remaining in the shade of the very dense forest.

(8) Reach the tarmac road, known as the Chemin des Pidgeon Hunting Huts. Continue to the left until you reach the Place des Arcades (S/E).

Warning
The route is suitable for adults and accompanied children, but not for people with reduced mobility (due to the length of the route and the nature of the paths).

Estimated time
I completed this route on foot in 2 hours, including breaks and photo stops. This is quite a short time. Allow 2½ to 3 hours if you’re with your family.
If running, allow 45 minutes.

Drinking water
There are no drinking water points along the walk. Bring your own supplies.

Shelter
There are no shelters along the route. However, at both the start and finish, the Place des Arcades offers shelter in all weathers under its arcades and its huge white canopy.

Equipment
In summer, bring the usual kit for a lowland hike (hiking boots, walking shoes or trainers, suitable clothing, rainwear, water, food, etc.).
In all seasons, bring a map, a GPS or the Visorando app on your smartphone.

Crowds
Very low on the trails. Moderate to high on summer weekends at Le Mousqué.

Viewpoints and points of interest along the walk
- the viewpoint in the Labatut neighbourhood overlooking the village and its former abbey,
- the two remarkable viewpoints over the Saint-Pé massif and the Nay plain stretching as far as Pau,
- the picnic and barbecue area,
- a pidgeon hunting hut.

- (1) Batmale wash house: stop to admire the remarkable 19th-century wash house nestled beneath the vaults and the River Batmale, which flows beneath the former seminary building on the right.
Another point of interest: the river disappears underground a few dozen metres further on to the left, at the Oueilh de Bop sinkhole, before re-emerging via a resurgence at the lower end of the village just before the Gave de Pau, at the former Thermes et Bains de Sembres.
- Central square in the Labatut district: from here there is a fine view over the whole village, particularly the buildings of the former seminary (whose roofs were badly damaged in July 2015), the seminary chapel and the 11th-century Romanesque parish church, with its 17th-century bell tower. There is also a fine view of the Saint-Pé Massif.
There is an information panel from the Tourist Office on the square.

- (5) Summit of La Tourette: a stunning viewpoint over the Saint-Pé Massif, stretching from Les Toupiettes in the west to Les Soums de Castet Miu and d’Ech.

- (6) Plateau du Mousqué: a beautiful viewpoint in fine weather, with Montault and Lestelle-Bétharram in the foreground, the plain of Nay and Coarraze, stretching as far as Pau.
Here, there are picnic tables and a barbecue, perfect for a nice break.
It’s the ideal spot at sunset. Very idyllic...

- Just after (7): a pigeon hunting hut in the trees: a treehouse. “The aim is to encourage the birds to land around the hunting hut, with the lookout and shooting post situated at the top of a tree; the birds are not captured alive using nets (as in ground-level pidgeon hunting huts), but shot with a rifle. Hunters are stationed at the top of a tree, and the level of comfort is not the same as in ground-level palombières, as the space available is inevitably more limited.
The pidgeon hunting hut is generally set up at the top of a small hill or in a valley, always overlooking the surrounding area so that the wood pigeons can be spotted arriving from a considerable distance. Furthermore, wood pigeons prefer to land on a site from which they too can keep an eye on their surroundings to protect themselves from potential predators. Source: Wikipedia''

- (8): Along the street known as Chemin des Pidgeon Hunting Huts, then its continuation, Rue Monseigneur Laurence, on the left you can admire beautiful old houses from the 17th and 18th centuries, with their lintels made of grey Saint-Pé marble, which are carved, engraved and sometimes dated. On the left, you walk alongside the surrounding wall of the former abbey, which once served as a seminary and a Catholic school; you pass through the monumental gate, which still bears the inscription ‘Institution Saint Pierre’.
“In 1791, the last monks left the premises, which were sold, stripped of their furnishings and let to several families. The town hall was established in the former abbot’s residence and its outbuildings. As early as 1810, plans for a seminary were mooted, but it did not come to fruition until twelve years later, thanks to the efforts of Father Procope Lassalle, a native of Saint-Pé, who bought the premises and donated them to the diocese.
The minor seminary was founded on 9 August 1822 and was initially headed by the future Monsignor Bertrand-Sévère Laurence.
The minor seminary remained in operation until the First World War, before partially changing its purpose to become a Catholic secondary school under the name Institut Secondaire Libre Saint-Pierre. In 1990, the Institut Saint-Pierre had up to 250 boarders and 380 pupils. The pupils’ final departure for Tarbes took place in August 1999. The building, owned by the alumni association, is currently derelict and awaiting redevelopment.
Source.''
Read here the inspiring memories of a pupil at the minor seminary in 1929

Places to visit nearby:

- The village of Saint-Pé-de-Bigorre, with its cultural heritage, events and the Très Crouts forest.
- The town of Lourdes.
- The Marian shrine.
- The Batsurguère Valley.
- The Pibeste-Aoulhet Regional Nature Reserve, with water sports and caving activities.
- The Bétharram Caves
- The Gaves Valley