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Start from Port de Castet, above the village of Castet, at the entrance to the Ossau Valley. The access road is winding and narrow; caution is advised.
(S/E) With your back to Port de Castet, take the track heading due south, slightly downhill; cross a bridge, then head uphill. The track then takes a wide left-hand bend, and, at the top of the short climb, you’ll reach a fork.
(1) Turn left onto the track, which climbs slightly and runs along the base of the Sésérite. After a gentle descent, you’ll reach a junction where hikers often stop.
(2) Take a sharp right-hand bend and follow the track as it climbs, takes a sharp left-hand bend, then eventually descends towards a junction of tracks.
(3) Take the track opposite, which descends slightly and begins a left-hand bend, followed by a climb. A little further up, a clearing offers a lovely view of the Castet plateau and the plain. The track then descends again, and about thirty metres further on, you reach a fork with a steep climb to the right.
(4) Follow this climb to the right. With your gears and chainring properly adjusted, the track climbs steeply with sections exceeding a 15% gradient. There is little room for error; the track has recently been upgraded to improve water resources in the valley leading to the hut and beyond, with the creation of water reservoirs and drinking troughs. Continuealong the track, which alternates between steep ascents and descents, then drops sharply down towards a copse. Don’t get carried away by the speed, because whilst the track opposite descends towards recently installed drinking troughs, a branch to the right—somewhat hidden by the embankment—climbs back up towards the Cabane de Couscouilha.
(5) At the entrance to the valley, follow the vehicle track which continues through the grass to a fork.
(6) Turn left and continue along the vehicle track until you reach a recently installed watering hole, featuring a small menhir listing the co-funders of the development.
(7) Continue along the track beyond this point and climb up to the edge of the forest.
(8) At this point, the limestone outcrops present an obstacle that is not worth attempting to cross on an e-MTB. Head downhill on the opposite side of the valley and rejoin the route taken earlier.
(6) Continue downhill and reach the fork at the entrance to the valley.
(5) Make a round trip to the right, up to the Cabane de Couscouilha, situated slightly higher up.
(9) Then return to the bottom of the valley.
(5) Continue to the right, along the track you have already taken, and reach the next fork.
(4) Turn right and reach the bottom of the valley.
(10) Ignore the footpath on the right, which climbs to Cabane de Couscouilha, and continue along the track until you reach a sharp bend.
(11) Stay on the left-hand side of the track, cross a lovely wood, and keep left at the next junction. Then head straight on to Port de Castet (S/E).
