In the summer pastures around Tuco

This hike forms a loop around Tuco and in the Gaoube valley. It offers beautiful views of several surrounding valleys. A beautifully restored hamlet has tables and benches for a very pleasant picnic stop. An ideal complement after a few days of hiking in the high mountains!

Details

9434238
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.00 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 180 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 185 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,354 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,179 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park at the side of Route du Sarrat de Gaye, at the junction with a gravel path that starts on the right.

(S/E) Take this well-marked path, which quickly heads south-east.

at this hairpin bend to the right, leave the gravel path and take the grassy track on the left, which further on makes a sharp bend to the right. Ignore the path that starts on the left at this point.

(2) Enter the restored hamlet to visit it and possibly have something to eat: tables and benches are available in the shade. Then continue towards Courtaou des Esclozes.

(3) Take the path on the left that descends to the Gaoube, cross the stream and continue to the left.

(4) Turn left, cross the wooden bridge to cross the Gaoube again. Follow the path heading north-northeast, keep left at the three-way junction, which is not very marked on the ground, and you will come out onto a forest track.

(5) Turn left and continue along this track, which leads to a small, quiet road at a bend.

(6) Turn left and follow this road to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,235 m - Route du Sarrat de Gaye
  2. 1 : km 1.72 - alt. 1,335 m - Leave the path on the left
  3. 2 : km 2.54 - alt. 1,345 m - Arrival at the hamlet - Courtaou des Esclozes
  4. 3 : km 2.75 - alt. 1,335 m - Start of the descent towards the stream
  5. 4 : km 4.3 - alt. 1,234 m - Fork to the left
  6. 5 : km 5.28 - alt. 1,229 m - Forest track
  7. 6 : km 5.95 - alt. 1,180 m - Junction with tarmac road
  8. S/E : km 8 - alt. 1,233 m - Route du Sarrat de Gaye

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 23 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
pyrole
pyrole

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 30, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely little walk with beautiful scenery. The Courtau des Esclozes is beautifully laid out. Highly recommended!!!!

Machine-translated

User 25512206

A superb, easy walk with views of the Pic du Midi. Don’t miss the chance to see and admire the Esclozes.

Machine-translated

gibirando
gibirando

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Although this loop is very well explained on the Visorando guidebook, we completed it using our smartphone and the app's map. Apart from the wooden footbridge over the Gaoube, which we missed due to carelessness and because our smartphone was switched off, we encountered no problems. As we were on holiday in the area, this walk was very enjoyable and, above all, within our capabilities. The discoveries, panoramas and landscapes are beautiful and varied enough that you never get bored, even if the final section on tarmac could be considered monotonous. I forgot about this monotony as soon as I started walking on the grassy verges and, above all, taking photographs of nature: lots of passerines, but also a few butterflies, grasshoppers and rare seasonal flowers. Yes, I recommend it and will be posting a report on it in due course on my own blog, "Mes Belles Randonnées Expliquées" (My Beautiful Walks Explained).

Machine-translated

User 19443339

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 31, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great hike with stunning views, very peaceful – we even saw three deer along the way!

Machine-translated

User 3771937

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Route taken in August. Perfectly signposted. We followed the GPS track from start to finish.
Magnificent, peaceful landscapes. This is undoubtedly the most beautiful ride we have done in the area (around Campan).
We highly recommend this route.

Machine-translated

ChristianQ
ChristianQ

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb, easy hike with beautiful views of the surrounding area and well-maintained huts... in short, a must-do if you're in the area!

Machine-translated

Nadège12
Nadège12

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

easy hike
Be careful at point 4 not to miss the bridge!
From point 5 onwards, the end is not very interesting and ends up on the road.
We would recommend returning to point 1 from point 4, but that's just our opinion.

Machine-translated

Lafalla
Lafalla

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very easy and pleasant walk with beautiful mountain scenery. Just a word of advice: before the sheepfold, don't forget to turn left over a small bridge that you can't see very well from the path. Return through a pretty forest. I recommend this walk

Machine-translated

Penne André
Penne André

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The hike took place in good weather, which made it very pleasant throughout.
Easy access by car and no problem parking.
Interesting ruins of the restored hamlet.
No grazing animals encountered at this time of year.
The return journey along the tarmac road is not too unpleasant as the scenery is beautiful (there are far worse ways to return by road!).

Machine-translated

Penne André
Penne André

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The hike took place in good weather, which made it very pleasant throughout.
Easy access by car and no problem parking.
The ruins of the restored hamlet are interesting.
The return trip along the tarmac road is not unpleasant as the scenery is beautiful (there are far worse ways to return!).

Machine-translated

Alexanana
Alexanana

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

We did this hike in foggy weather, but there's no doubt that the scenery must have been very pleasant! The hike is very easy, even in wet weather.
The road (or rather the path) leading to the start is very narrow (be careful not to meet another car)!
We encountered many cows that sometimes blocked our path, but everything quickly returned to normal!
From point 6 onwards, the hike follows a tarmac road, which wasn't particularly interesting and was a bit long on the way up.

Machine-translated

Mana47
Mana47

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The advantage of this hike is that it is easily accessible while still offering beautiful mountain scenery. What's more, children love being able to get up close to the animals (horses, cows). My 5-year-old son was able to do this hike and enjoyed it. However, there is one big downside: there is no shade along the entire route. It is therefore recommended to avoid it during hot weather! Another downside is that the last 2 kilometres of the route are uninteresting!

Machine-translated

LAPOUGE franc
LAPOUGE franc
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very easy and pleasant hike, perfect for children.
A pleasant hike, without any difficulties and with beautiful panoramic views.
A very charming hike, with streams and herds of cows.
BEWARE of cows
Stay well away from them. For no reason, I was charged by one of them, even though I am used to herds of cows.
Enjoy your walk!

Machine-translated

Tio de Aragon
Tio de Aragon

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very easy and pleasant hike, perfect with children or for a relaxing day out.
Several herds encountered, including cows, horses, sheep and ewes
View of the Pic du Midi on a clear day
Apart from the return journey by road, everything is great and it's not too bad

Machine-translated

Mandou
Mandou

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike, even with overcast skies. The children really enjoyed the wide open spaces it offers, and they also got to admire the herds of cows and horses.
The only downside was the return trip along the little-used road. We will gladly return to show this beautiful area to non-hikers.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.