Tour of the three villages: Rebouc, Hèches and Héchettes

the route is no longer marked or maintained!

between points 4 and 5, there may be sections of around 20 metres of tall grass between June and September, but it remains passable all year round. The path may be muddy 100 metres before point 5.

The circular is accessible on foot or by bike. You will discover Rebouc, Hèches and Héchettes, villages that have remained almost unchanged since 1820-1860, as evidenced by the inscriptions carved in marble on the doors. This route will also allow you to discover the winding and sometimes steep paths that connected each of these villages. Between villages, forests and meadows, the walk will be bucolic!

Details

2925782
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.18 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 249 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 257 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 734 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 572 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐
    Area: Pyrenees
  • ⚐ District: Hèches (65250)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 43.00113° / E 0.377177°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 1746SB, 1747ET, 1847OT
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

The starting point sign is located on the D26 at the entrance to Rue de la Bourie, which leads to La Bourie campsite and the old Rebouc industrial estate.
Please do not park in front of the signpost. There is a public car park 50 metres away in the former craft zone, opposite La Bourie campsite.

(S/E) Head south towards Rebouc along the path that runs between the meadows and the railway line. Follow the railway line towards the bottom of the valley, then cross the bridge over the railway line.

(1) Cross the D929 with caution, follow it to the left for about 50 metres, then turn right. Turn right into Rue de Rebouc, then take the hairpin bend to reach the heights of Rebouc (church side).

(2) From the bridge over the Lannemezan plateau irrigation canal (Canal de la Neste), take the road on the right and follow the path uphill (Route des Escoumes).

(3) At the intersection, continue right along the winding path.

(4) At the top, head towards the forest track barrier and take the first path to the right of the barrier. Follow the path (visible on OSM) first westwards and then north-eastwards.

(5) When you reach the first farm, the path widens and becomes passable by vehicle. Continue straight ahead until you reach the entrance to the quarry, then head towards the football stadium via Chemin du Louda. When you reach Hèches, continue straight ahead until the path turns sharply to the right at a spring.

(6) At the end of this bend, take the small path on the left that passes behind the houses on the main street. Cross Rue de la Coume, take Rue de l'École and join the main road in Hèches. Go down this road, passing in front of the town hall, turn left onto the path that leads to the wash house and join the Canal de la Neste.

(7) Cross the D929 with caution and follow the path that crosses the railway line to reach the bridge over the Neste.

(8) Cross the bridge, then walk along the houses on the left until you reach the path that climbs between the watchtower and the church. Walk up the main street of Héchettes. Pass through Bourdette, Pujol and Lachoque to reach Léchan.
At the exit, turn right towards Larrieu and follow the path that joins a cross road.

(9) At the D26, turn left towards the bottom of the valley, cross the Neste and continue along the road until you reach the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 594 m - Car park near La Bourie campsite
  2. 1 : km 0.43 - alt. 598 m - Railway bridge
  3. 2 : km 0.81 - alt. 627 m - Crossing of the - Canal de la Neste
  4. 3 : km 1.63 - alt. 696 m - Fork to the right
  5. 4 : km 1.98 - alt. 717 m - Barrier on the forest track
  6. 5 : km 3.74 - alt. 654 m - Farm
  7. 6 : km 5.27 - alt. 633 m - Chemin des Jardins
  8. 7 : km 5.88 - alt. 624 m - Crossing the D929
  9. 8 : km 6.39 - alt. 573 m - Bridge over the &gt - Neste (rivière)
  10. 9 : km 8.52 - alt. 586 m - Junction with the D26
  11. S/E : km 9.17 - alt. 594 m - Car park near La Bourie campsite

Notes

- Trail suitable for all ages but with two steep descents; the climbs are gentle but long.
- Route is 50% paths, 50% quiet roads.

Worth a visit

- Discover Pyrenean architecture and numerous wash houses.
- The Héchettes watchtower, which guarded the Neste river crossing.
- The old paths that linked the villages.
- The quarry area is ideal for observing the bellowing of the stags (mid-September/early October).

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 13 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
User 10728313

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Start of a pleasant route through the woods. Excellent GPS tracking. No markings but easy to follow with directions.

The end of the route is mainly on paths or quiet roads. This represents almost half of the hike. Not very interesting in my opinion. However, it can be done in all weathers.

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valérie64
valérie64

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely Sunday walk between two seasons, it's perfect. We followed the route using the GPX track, no obstacles, just that rope stretched out after point 2... we don't know why it's there!
The whole route went smoothly with no damage to the terrain
We completed it in 2 hours and 45 minutes, stopping and dawdling a bit along the way.

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Pianopiano
Pianopiano

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 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 circular that is easy to follow with GPS.

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laratatouille
laratatouille

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, perfect for winter, not too muddy (but it was a dry winter). Very pleasant, passing through the pretty village of Hêches halfway (with a nice crêperie restaurant to stop for a bite to eat, but be warned, it's advisable to book!). One section has beautiful moss-covered trees.
The only slight hiccup for us, who did the circular in the opposite direction, was that we were misled by some paint markings, which led us to choose the wrong path (between points 4 and 5).
Otherwise, there were no difficulties; it's a family walk. The time is calculated correctly; I think it takes a good 3 hours and 20 minutes walking at a brisk pace.

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jblanchier
jblanchier

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Already answered on 25 May.
See comments.

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25MENAI
25MENAI

the road on the left that goes down to the campsite and car park when coming from the north, yes! Coming from the south (Arreau), I had no trouble finding the starting point on the RIGHT as I went down towards the campsite.

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bardoumagniez
bardoumagniez

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

It should be noted that at the REBOUC sign, you need to take the road on the left that leads down to the campsite and the car park of the craft centre (completely abandoned)

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25MENAI
25MENAI

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

I did this route with the description and map printed on a sheet of paper, which is not entirely ridiculous. However, I had some problems with the description and map
- at point 1, it says:Turn right onto Rue de Rebouc, then turn... This is Rue de la Fontaine, at the end of which you have to turn right, then make a hairpin turn without ever approaching the church.
- at point 4, an essential word is missing to avoid making the same mistake I did and walking half an hour back and forth unnecessarily. It says to take the first path to the right of the barrier. Replace "de" with "avant". That makes all the difference in avoiding making the same mistake I did.
- when I arrived in Hèches (point 6), I couldn't find the little path that goes behind the houses, etc. I ended up on the D929, which was the only option, but not at point 7. Tired, I couldn't find the Neste and headed back towards the finish along the road. What a shame!

Back home, I looked at your map again and saw that the cause of my problems was that on the printed map, marks 3, 4 and 6, 7 overlap and make the map illegible.

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jblanchier
jblanchier

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very good signposting.
The forest section is very interesting. The trees covered in lichen create a special atmosphere, especially as we did this hike in sunny weather.
The arrival in Héchettes is nice.

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Topology
Topology

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant short hike, the forest is beautiful and the villages are charming.

Very well signposted, I only took out my phone once at the entrance to a village, not knowing whether to go left or right, haha.

I recommend it, but be careful: on Saturday afternoons, hunters apparently go into the forest and use the pink path... My wife and I encountered two hunters who were following the marked path and asked us to turn back! We had driven for several hours to do this hike, so that was out of the question. They let us pass, saying, "We'll let you go ahead," but we were stressed for the rest of the walk in the forest... not to mention the dogs that barked non-stop and the car horns. Not very relaxing for us, who wanted to recharge our batteries in nature. It was a failure!

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DDT
DDT

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

sunglasses:

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labradornoir
labradornoir

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 16, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant hike completed in just over three hours on Saturday morning. The trails and paths are perfectly maintained. There is a lovely section through the forest with its moss-covered trees...
The villages are also very attractive and a pleasure to explore.
Thank you to the association and its volunteers.

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CamNat
CamNat

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 18, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice hike, very well marked. Thank you to the association for promoting this route and for cleaning it up. We had a wonderful time as a family. It was perfect!

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Chemins en Vallée d'Aure
Chemins en Vallée d'Aure

Thank you, Patrice, for your feedback, which encourages the association to continue with this project. Given the progress made, I think we crossed paths at the beginning; as you still have a lot to discover, perhaps we will have the opportunity to cross paths again!
Florian

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PATRICE31800
PATRICE31800

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 18, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello, everyone
Hike completed today in glorious weather.
A beautiful and very varied hike (paths, small roads, charming villages, countryside). The route is as described and well marked (2) with fluorescent pink signs. A big thank you to the Portes de la Vallée d'Aure association for cleaning and preparing the hiking trails.

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