Aoulhet hut

The Cabane de l'Aoulhet is a popular destination for the inhabitants of Saint-Pé, located above the village in the heart of the Très-Croutz forest.
Although it is a stop on many routes in the massif, it can also be a popular destination in itself, on the border between the sunny summer pastures and the mossy forest, with a remarkable view of the Montné cliffs, the steep-sided Génie Longue valley, the Picharrots cliffs and the other summer pastures of Prat du Rey.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.58 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 756 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 756 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,166 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 410 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park your car in the small car park (maximum 4 or 5 cars) below the entrance to the Monastery of the Sisters of Bethlehem in Peyras.

(S/E) The fairly wide path starts to the right of the entrance gate. Bordered by rough stone walls, it runs horizontally for a few dozen metres. At the first fork, turn left towards "Cabane de l'Aoulhet" (straight ahead, the path leads to the Castets cave).

The path quickly becomes very steep. It follows a very old transhumance route that is still in use. The path is clearly marked in yellow (part of the route follows trail no. 3 in the Pibeste-Aülhet Reserve). Numerous stone or rock markers painted red dot the massif, marking the boundaries of the national forest. The ground is very stony.
With no distinctive signs or markings, you can hear a stream flowing on the left side of the trail. A few metres away from the trail, you will find a small fountain, still flowing, piercing through the limestone rock.

(1) At elevation 824, shortly before Pla de Bers, at a T-junction, continue to the right and not to the left, as there is a lack of markings here. Gradually, the dense forest and boxwood undergrowth thin out and the trail runs through tall beech trees. After walking for between 1 and 1½ hours, depending on your pace, you will reach a semi-circular beech forest called the amphitheatre.

The trail continues its ascent through this forest, leaving a remarkable, moss-covered rocky promontory on the left. At the edge of the forest, there is a wooden signpost for the reserve, which is very useful for the return journey, especially if there is a little fog.

You arrive at the summer pastures.

(2) After a short climb, with yellow markings only on the ground, you reach the Aoulhet refuge hut, formerly a simple shepherd's hut made of green sheet metal, now a beautiful refuge with wooden cladding, with a few recent cattle barriers nearby.
It takes between 1½ and 2½ hours to reach this spot.

The hut is open all year round and free to access. No shepherds live here permanently, but the flocks graze in these pastures in summer. During an ascent or if caught in fog, the hut can serve as a daytime or night-time refuge for one or more herders before their descent into the valley.

The return journey follows the same route as the outward journey to return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 410 m - Parking Sep-Peyras (395m)
  2. 1 : km 1.47 - alt. 833 m - Crossroads at elevation 824
  3. 2 : km 2.79 - alt. 1,166 m - Cabane de l'Aoulhet
  4. S/E : km 5.58 - alt. 410 m - Parking Sep-Peyras (395m)

Notes

The fountain below Pla dé Bers is a potential source of drinking water (except in very dry summers), as is the Aoulhet fountain (a drinking trough leaning against a large rock 100 m south-east of the hut; except in the middle of winter).

There are no real shelters along the route in case of heavy rain or storms, except for the Aoulhet hut itself and a few small rock shelters.

Bring the usual equipment for hiking in medium-altitude mountains (hiking boots, suitable clothing, rainwear, water, food, survival blanket, etc.).

See here:
Markings: thereserve 's new markings will be added in autumn 2014.

The route is not very busy in early spring. But from June onwards, during the transhumance, you are likely to encounter several hikers or trail runners, either alone or in groups, and quite often a farmer, climbing up to the summer pastures to check on his herd or to repair a pipe or a drinking trough tap.

The vegetation in this mountain range reflects the dryness of the soil due to the relief and the highly permeable nature of the substrates
, but this is compensated for by the high rainfall and cloud cover: boxwood, beech, lime and hazel trees are omnipresent (source: Saint-Pé Tourist Office).
This is why the wooded slopes are very damp and sometimes very slippery.

Worth a visit

With a bit of luck, you may encounter abundant wildlife. In particular, Egyptian vultures, some beautiful specimens of which inhabit these peaks.

You can enhance this route by:
- a short detour via the summer pastures and Soum de l'Artigue, above the Aoulhet hut: beautiful view of the summer pastures and herds,
a visit to several caves, chasms, and karstic caves, most of which are not marked on the IGN map (1,600 cavities are listed in the massif)

Possible variations on the return journey:
- via the Mesplé path then Bat dé Haü (see other Visorando route), west of the hut, allow an extra hour.
- via the Chemin des Charbonnières ( see other Visorando route), east of the hut, then the end of the Tachouères trail, then Pla dé Bers, allowing an extra half hour.
- via Coumo Redo, see other Visorando route, allow an extra hour.
Via Sarrat deth Castet and Calihourc, see other Visorando route, allow an extra hour.

Nearby:
- the famous caves of Bétharam,
- The village of Saint-Pé-de-Bigorre,
- Lourdes.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
Pyreneesz
Pyreneesz

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Markings largely erased. In foggy conditions at the mountain pastures, there is a high risk of getting lost.

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martinet-galopins
martinet-galopins

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

It's a very tough climb, but it's worth it. For the return trip, it's wiser to take a marked path that branches off to the right of the arrival path.

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charluspop
charluspop

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

There are at least six possible routes for a circular route passing through the Aouleth refuge.
On that day, for the return trip, we chose to continue towards Cap des Litas, following the contour line to the Combe du Gargante. There, we descended about 300 m into this valley before heading north-west without descending too much, then north along the contour line to rejoin the ascent path much further on (after Pla de Bers, altitude 873 m).
This entire section of the route is a trail marked in red on IGN maps. The trail is marked in yellow (pale but thick).
The markings are old but abundant. And the route is certainly not very well travelled, which contrasts with the ascent.
There are currently a few trees across the path, which have already been bypassed upstream.
I do, of course, have a GPX track that I can make available to you.

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MCTOUL
MCTOUL

Hello Alice, what was your idea?

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Titiloulou
Titiloulou

Ohhh... I wouldn't have thought of that at all, what a disappointment! Thank you for your reply!
Have a good evening,
Alice

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MCTOUL
MCTOUL
• Edited:

Hello Titiloulou,
I'm very happy that you enjoyed the trail! And that you made it all the way to the end!
The holes are abominable geological samples (core samples) taken three years ago. A design office must have had the reserve's green light for these samples for a study that has not been published publicly. Abominable because the holes are right in the middle of the path, spoiling this historic pastoral trail...
But no doubt not everyone values things in the same way... All that remains is to wait a century or two for the sediments to fill them in...
Enjoy your hikes in the area!
Best regards

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Titiloulou
Titiloulou
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We just did this hike in light drizzle, sometimes in the rain. It's steep, and between the leaves and stone slabs, it was very slippery, especially on the way back!
It's very beautiful, with stunning rock formations. It took us 2 hours and 20 minutes to climb up at a leisurely pace, and 1 hour and 45 minutes to descend at a slightly more brisk pace. And lots of slips ;-)

We were told on the way that the cabin was a bit far away: a couple stopped at the plateau because of the rain, not daring to go any further. But make no mistake, once you're on the plateau, it's 5 minutes away on the right!

I have a question if anyone can answer it: what are these perforated holes that we often find on stones/slabs and once on a tree trunk? I have lots of ideas, but none of them satisfy my curiosity.

Thank you in advance for your answer, and enjoy your walk!

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Rusty644
Rusty644

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The route is entirely in the forest, which is probably very interesting in summer. The forest is very wild and very different from others in the region. There are pleasant mountain pastures and a hut at the end. The path is quite steep and slippery when wet over much of the route. No clearings to take a break with an unobstructed view of the route. Completed with family (ages 14, 11 and 5) in a total of 5½ hours.

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tuquoquemifili
tuquoquemifili

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk in the woods on a warm day.
Exceptional cabin in Aoulhet, clean and very well equipped, which makes you want to stay there.
Close to Pic de Miqueu and Soum de la Génie Braque, with beautiful panoramic views.

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La chevre 64
La chevre 64

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 22, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Quite steep in the first part and in a final effort, mainly under the trees, humidity for my hike, so a fairly difficult descent with wet leaves on flat stones, which were therefore dangerous....
Beautiful refuge, there was no one there that day, the view is beautiful but not clear enough on that day.

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romaincri
romaincri
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice hike. It's steep just a few minutes after setting off. The trail is well marked, and the trees are magnificent.
We are beginner hikers; it took us 2 hours 20 minutes to climb up and 2 hours 10 minutes to climb down. Be careful of slippery rocks, as we experienced with a light rain on the way down. The sun wasn't out, but a beautiful yellow and black salamander posed for our camera.

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Larrouquet
Larrouquet

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant walk in beautiful surroundings.

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MCTOUL
MCTOUL

Thank you, Furylax and michelchantelard!

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michelchantelard
michelchantelard

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 01, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Very good short hike for half a day

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Furylax
Furylax

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 21, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Great walk, fairly easy if you're used to hiking. The cabin is perfect, like new, and the view is incredibly relaxing. So relaxing that we almost descended in the shadow of the setting sun, and it was touch and go whether we would finish in the dark. We met a few people (it was a Sunday in autumn), a flock of sheep coming down the mountain and a few trekkers.
The monastery below is an incredible haven of peace with a breathtaking view. It almost makes you want to become a nun.
Be careful when you reach the amphitheatre, there is an old (blue) trail that branches off to the right onto a path that may be a little tricky if you're not used to it. It branches off to the right on the side of the summit (with an uprooted tree fallen in the middle of the trail). Be sure to follow the yellow trail that climbs up into the amphitheatre and then branches off to the left.

In any case, the combination of beech forests and summer pastures, followed by the hut with its distant views, is well worth the effort!
François

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