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Access: the train (TER) serves Bedous, with the station 200 m from the starting point. Alternatively, park near the centre of Bedous.
(S/E) Start at the crossroads in the centre of Bedous, at the corner of the butcher's shop. Take the small road towards Osse-en-Aspe. Descend towards the Gave d'Aspe.
(1) Just before the level crossing, you will reach the pedestrian crossing from the station (where you will start if you have come by train). Cross the track carefully, then the bridge over the river and the small road leading to Osse.
(2) A hundred metres further on, you will come to the N134 bypass coming out of the tunnel. However, there is a marked path to the left, leading downhill. Pass under the bypass bridge over the river. The path then runs alongside the river through a typical riparian forest. Caution: this is a flood zone, so do not venture here in the event of high water.
(3) After a good kilometre, you will arrive at the Osse-en-Aspe playground, which is actually a grassy football pitch with picnic tables and barbecues. The path heads back towards the river, continuing south for another kilometre, still in the undergrowth of the forest edge.
(4) You come out at the Moulin de Lembeye, near the old port of Athas, where logs were assembled into rafts before being floated down the river to Oloron and beyond. Walk up Rue du Port to the village of Athas. Cross the first crossroads and head towards Pierre Saint-Martin.
(5) Immediately after this crossroads, turn left onto Rue Saint-Félix. You will quickly leave the village and after 200 m, take a path on the right (going uphill) which narrows but leads easily to the next village of Towpath.
(6) Arriving in towpath via Rue de l'Église, go around the church on the right, then take a small street on the left, and finally the main road on the right. After about 300 metres, turn left at a fork (calvary). Follow a very small road. 500 m after the calvary, you will cross the old railway line (gatekeeper's house). The path follows the line (southwards) to the EDF power station in Esquit. Cross the river and turn left along the N134, walking on the left-hand side.
(7) 200 m from the bridge, cross the N134 with caution (heavy traffic). The path starts here, is signposted (GR® 65 - Chemin de Compostelle) and climbs gently through the woods. Now head north towards Accous,* walking alongside pastures after the forest. The path leads to a bridge; turn right towards the village and walk through it to the church. Take the time to stroll around a little!
Follow the road uphill alongside the church (Rue du Haut) until you reach a signpost indicating the Sentier du Tour du Pouey.
(8) Take this path (heading north again). You will pass above the Accous cemetery, with a beautiful view of the church and town hall. Follow the path which climbs slightly, heading due north. The path gradually winds around Le Pouey. You will reach a picnic area (work of art), then descend a steep slope to reach a crossroads at an altitude of 499 metres.
A more challenging alternative: you can climb Pouey (elevation 652) from the south and descend from the north.
(9) There is a fountain here. Take the steepest dirt road on the right (heading north). Climb gradually and pass above the hamlet of Jouers.
(10) At La Borde de Soudious, continue along the path on the hillside (slightly uphill).
(11) 150 m further on, next to another borde (barn), take the path on the left, which begins to descend noticeably. Cross the Plateau de Soudious, which is pastureland at first, then undergrowth, until you reach the Aydius road. Take it to the left (towards Bedous).
(12) The Orcun mill is easy to spot; you reach it by crossing a small bridge; after walking past the mill, turn left onto a small street leading to Bedous, where you arrive behind the pelota court and the church.
Once you reach the main square (town hall), take the street on the left to return to the starting point (S/E).
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