The Génie Braque torrent and return via the Aülhet

From Saint-Pé-de-Bigorre, cross the Gave de Pau at the bridge in the Le Bout-du-Pont neighbourhood. Follow the signs for “Monastère de Bethléem” until you reach a small road on the right signposted “Sep”. Take this track for a few hundred metres until you reach a pumping station. Park in the adjacent car park.

(S/E) At the corner by the pumping station’s fence, take a path that winds its way down into the forest. As soon as possible, leave this path and take a small track on the left that descends even further into the stream bed. Follow this old path (sometimes there are several tracks on the same bank or on different banks) as close as possible to the Génie Braque. The route is very rugged. There are no signposts, apart from a few marks made with adhesive tape or red and white warning tape.
NB: the path shown on the paper IGN map is not quite the same as the one shown on the digital IGN map. It is best to rely on the terrain, using your sense of direction.

As you make your way upstream, you’ll need to cross from one bank of the Génie to the other, either via footbridges (in varying states of repair), through fords, or by skilfully navigating the exposed rocks. You will first pass by the Génie drinking water intake (“prise d’eau” on the paper IGN map). Near this path, you will need to wade straight across the river, as a fenced-off area blocks the route of the old path.

You will then pass all the tributaries of the Génie as they flow into it. Around the 750m mark, the path at the bottom of the torrent is no longer passable, but a track opens up on the right-hand side, allowing you to reach the main Sep-Bat de Haü via Les Gatés path, marked in yellow.

(1) Follow the path to the left; the going becomes much easier in this section. Gradually, the dense, damp woodland of boxwood, hazel and chestnut trees gives way to a magnificent beech forest. Then head up the Génie Braque, keeping to the left bank (beautiful views of the ravine and the right bank).

(2) Optional section: at the bottom of a small coume (torrent bed), take a round trip to the Chourrepich waterfall, or ‘Petit Picharrot’.

(3) Retrace your steps.

(2) Head south (to the right if returning from the waterfall, straight on if you have skipped this detour) along the yellow-marked path. Follow it almost to the 975m mark.

(4) The yellow-marked path clearly follows the right bank of the Génie via a ford (and not the left bank, as erroneously indicated by a purple line on the IGN map). Shortly afterwards, you’ll emerge at the foot of the mountain pastures, which are very steep. This marks the start of the Cirque de Bat dé Haü, to the north of the location marked on the map as ‘Clots des Cuts d’Ausets’ (this is another IGN error, as the Clots de Cuts d’Aüsets are situated on the other side of the ridge, i.e. to the south of the purple line and therefore of the Soum de la Génie Braque).

(5) Through the tall grass (in summer), following the yellow markings, or ‘in the middle of nowhere’ if snow covers everything in winter, following the tops of the wooden posts, you’ll reach the Bat dé Haü spring in a quarter of an hour.
NB: the digital IGN map shows “Cabane de Bat de Hau”, but in reality this is in ruins, almost completely scattered; “Ruins” as indicated on the paper map. The highlight of this spot remains the spring, which is clearly visible and well signposted.

Continue towards l’Aülhet. The junction between the two former summer pastures is reached via the Platè de l’Abétou, beneath the Bois du Trounca, along the Mesplè path, with virtually no climb for about an hour. The path winds through wild and very remote landscapes, at the foot of the Garrocq d’Eth Abétou rock formation (1,208 m), then skirts the flank of the Soum des Brioles (or Soum de Mesplè – 1,272 m), a modest peak on which a few isolated conifers grow. Reach the new Aülhet (or Aoulhet) mountain hut, a wooden cabin nestled in the Aülhet summer pasture.

(6) Then follow the shepherds’ path, a very old mule track, also known as the “Coumo-Redo path”. Leave the hut and head west-north-west towards the edge of the forest, following faint yellow markings whilst keeping to the most well-trodden part of the path. At the edge of the forest, the path is marked by the signpost for the regional nature reserve. From there, the yellow markings are once again clearly visible all the way down into the valley.

Pass the hamlet known as l’Amphithéâtre – another magnificent beech forest on a circular hillside – then descend a slope called l’Escala and pass the Pla dé Bers crossroads, a former favourite spot of woodcutters and charcoal burners. Follow the ridge overlooking the Coumo Rédo (ravine) to the left until you are almost at the former Peyras farm, now the Monastery of Bethlehem.

(7) As the path reaches a junction with a sunken track completely overgrown with boxwood, you’ll find, at the Fork in the road, on a post to the left, various signposts marked ‘Aoulhet’ and another reading ‘Soum de la Génie Braque’. Take the path that branches off to the left towards the Castets cave. It crosses the Rédo via a ford (the pretty footbridge having been destroyed in 2024)... A small waterfall and the surrounding scenery make this a truly charming spot... Further on, the path passes through a strange area, dotted with ruins and odd remains of buildings. This is a former ‘youth camp’ dating from the Second World War. There are various wooden scout huts here. Further down, the path crosses the Génie Braque via another footbridge which cannot be avoided. But be careful – it is particularly slippery!

The route ends with a short climb – which you descended on the way out – until you reach the Sep pumping station, the start and finish point (S/F).

Warning

Estimated time
I completed this route in just under 8 hours, including breaks and a picnic. This is a fairly generous estimate, including a break by the wood fire in the mountain hut (6).

Safety
- In winter, as is the case everywhere in the mountains, avoid approaching precipices, where snow cornices may collapse. Unless there is heavy snowfall, progress along the stream and through the forest is generally not hindered by snow (little or no snow up to an altitude of 1,000 metres). However, above this altitude, it is best to remain cautious and not stray from the path, as numerous sinkholes or cavities can swallow up an unwary hiker… A GPS is essential!
- In both summer and winter, take care not to be caught out by fog or a very low cloud base; everything looks the same in such conditions and you could get lost in the Cirque de Bat de Haü.

Alternative route
(3) From the waterfall, you can even try to reach the ford (4) on the side of the ridge, through the forest, to avoid retracing your steps. I’ve done it – in the snow, no less – but it’s quite a tricky passage...’

Water sources
All the springs mentioned are potential sources of drinking water. But be careful: drinking water in the mountains is not without risk, especially in summer when livestock are out grazing...

Places to stop and take shelter
Possible spots for a snack break include the bed of the Génie Braque, on some lovely boulders, and at the Aülhet hut (6), which is open all year round to shepherds, hunters and walkers.
However, only the hut offers proper shelter along the route in the event of heavy rain or storms. There are also a few small rock shelters on the ascent of the Génie Braque, as well as makeshift shelters formed by low walls or rock faces dotted here and there.

Equipment
Bring the usual equipment for a mid-mountain hike (hiking boots, suitable clothing, rainwear, water, food, survival blanket, knife, compass, map, whistle, etc.).

Traffic
The route is completely deserted, except perhaps near the Source de Bat de Haü and the Aoulhet mountain hut. This is particularly true in winter, when you won’t see a soul!
From the June transhumance onwards, at weekends, you may come across hikers travelling alone or in groups, and quite often a farmer or shepherd heading up to the summer pastures to check on his flock or to repair a pipe or a drinking trough tap.

Spelling of place names
Several place names have different spellings: in Bigourdan, Gascon, Frenchified Gascon, French, etc.(Source: place names not shown on the IGN map are taken from the works of Marcel Abadie or Jean-Claude Mengelle.)

The origin of the name ‘Tres Croutz’ or ‘Tres Crouts ’:
The exact location is at a place known as La Toue, to the south of our route. The name means “Three Crosses” in Bigourdan/Gascon. However, it was the entire area comprising the forest, the ridge and the plateau, stretching from Saint-Pé on the left bank to Soum de Moulé and the Col d’Espadres, that the ancients referred to.
The Three Crosses bear witness to age-old pastoral conflicts between Asson, Salles and Saint-Pé-de-Bigorre.
In 1569, the Bearnese Protestants of the Asson Valley decided to attack the Bigourdans of the Estrèms de Salles, with whom they were disputing the Azun and Maumula mountains. The 1,500 men intended to lay waste to the village of Salles and seize all the livestock from Vergoun. But the battle was won by the Bigourdans. These conflicts became so serious that the King’s army had to be called in. It was impossible for the Bishop of Tarbes to restore harmony. Source: Abbé B. Abadie, *Le Sanglier du Picharrot*, published by Marrimpoey Jeune. https://www.saintpedebigorre-tourisme.co...
At a place known as ‘Tres Crots’, the bishoprics of Tarbes, Lescar and Oloron converged on this mountain.
Today, all that remains are three crosses carved into a rock, along with the inscription ‘1716’. They can be found on the IGN map between the ‘u’ and the ‘e’ in ‘La Toue’.

Find out more...
- It is well worth consulting the website and publications of the Pibeste-Aoulhet Regional Nature Reserve. The most notable is the “reserve guide”, packed with information, routes and anecdotes!
- The Saint-Pé Tourist Office also publishes numerous brochures and detailed walking itineraries. One of these brochures may be of interest for discovering the massif’s flora and fauna: the ‘Karst Trail’ brochure, even though it does not cover this particular walk.
-The former Peyras farm, now the Monastery of Bethlehem.

Flora and Fauna
The vegetation of this massif reflects the extent of soil dryness caused by the terrain and the highly permeable nature of the substrates
, which is highly permeable, but this is offset by very high rainfall and cloud cover: boxwood, beech, lime and hazel are ubiquitous… This is why the wooded slopes are very damp and can sometimes be very slippery. (source: Saint-Pé Tourist Office).

With a bit of luck, you may also come across a wealth of wildlife. In particular, Egyptian vultures – a few fine specimens of which inhabit these peaks – as well as Corsican chamois and mouflon on the heights of the Artigue plateau and along the ridges.

You can enhance this route by:
- a detour via the plateau and the Soum de l’Artigue: a lovely view of the summer pastures, then on to the nearby Source de la Digitale,
- a visit to several caves, chasms and karstic caves, most of which are not marked on the IGN map (1,600 cavities are recorded in the massif), provided you have the necessary skills and equipment!

Places to visit nearby
- The town of Lourdes and the Marian Shrine;
- The Batsurguère Valley;
- The village of Saint-Pé-de-Bigorre, the village itself, its cultural heritage, its events, the Très Croutz Forest and the Pibeste-Aoulhet Regional Nature Reserve, water sports;
- The story behind the reserve’s new signposting in autumn 2014;
- The Gaves Valley