The route starts in Pyrenees Passions, our base.

Pyrenees Passions is an excellent place to stay with super deluxe gites and with Rob and Flo, the respective hosts. Rob's calm is inspiring and Flo's cooking, well... let's just say it's always very quiet at the table... whatever is being served. Whether it's homemade pizza, salad or lacquered duck, it doesn't matter. Every dish demands its admiration and respect, take it from me. Add to that the excellent swimming pool, the excellent gites and the richly filled refrigerator, and the tone is set for a more than successful stay.

Our drive to Lourdes takes us first to Aspet where you can fill up at the first petrol station on the route. By the way, on Saturdays there is a very nice local market in Aspet! Very cosy!
The first part to Aspet is a super cozy warm-up, but the fun starts to increase even more from the Col de Buret. It would lead us too far to list all the cols that slide under the wheels, but let's just say the playground is big enough...

About ten kilometers after Bagnères de Luchon, the real fun begins when you enter the Hautes Pyrenees on the Col de Peyresourde. May I strongly recommend you to visit the creperie there. Not only will you be served very friendly, the pancakes have a name and fame far beyond the region, so be sure to take that break with you!

The registers are completely pulled up after passing the fairytale reservoir of Loudenville. You first ride the Col du Val Louron-Azet and the Aspin, before continuing to the Tourmalet. You will come across wonderful views, unique scenery and half zoos here... sheep, horses, cows, marmots... hopefully they will all pass by your wheels (and not under them...). The animals are clearly used to traffic because they don't even look up when another one passes. Watch out for the horses... they take the road like true rulers in the region and although only 1 horsepower strong, I wouldn't dare take on them... But they are tranquility itself . Stop and enjoy their 'walk by' I would say. However you turn it or turn it, it remains impressive.

After the Tourmalet we turn to the North in the direction of the (very) famous Lourdes.

Lourdes (Lorda in Occitan) is the largest Catholic pilgrimage site in France. And although the 'town' only has about 14,000 inhabitants, it all seems much bigger than it is.

In 1858, Bernadette Soubirous, then a 14-year-old girl, stated that she saw several apparitions of "a white lady" in the cave of Massabielle between 11 February and 16 July of that year. Eighteen apparitions not long afterwards considered by ecclesiastical dignitaries to be those of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Bernadette never said that she had seen Mary. She spoke of a beautiful girl, about her own age, about the same height, in white, with whom she spoke face to face as if they were friends. She did ask for her name, but then the apparition smiled. Only on March 25, at the 16th apparition, "Aquero" (as she called the apparition) revealed her name (in the local dialect): "I am the Immaculate Conception". In any case, she conveyed this "name", this sentence, which she did not understand - rehearsing it all the time - to Father Abbé Peyramale, who became convinced of the authenticity of the apparitions. How could such an illiterate poor peasant girl know such a term known only among clergy and theologians?
The white young lady asked her to do penance for the sinners, for prayer, and to ask the priests for a chapel. She let Bernadette discover the source and she had to wash with that initially muddy water.
In 1864, a statue in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes was erected at the site of the apparitions in the cave. A chapel was built that soon became too small to serve as the crypt for the first basilica, the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. Over the years, two more basilicas and several other buildings were added, all of which are now part of the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes.
The Roman Catholic Church has recognized several miraculous healings in Lourdes. To this end, the Bureau of Medical Assessments was established in 1905 and the International Medical Committee of Lourdes was established in 1947. On February 11, 2018, the 70th official miraculous healing was recognized by Bishop Jacques Benoit-Gonnin.[2]
All year round, but especially from March to October, pilgrims from all over Europe, but also from other parts of the world, come to the sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes to pray, drink and wash with the spring water at the cave to which beneficial qualities are attributed. On February 11, Our Lady of Lourdes is celebrated in the Catholic Church, so not so much the apparitions, but the Mother of God.

In Lourdes you can expect a lot of tourist shops and a parade of the deeply religious, whether or not with a walker or wheelchair. But... it remains a spectacle that also commands genuine respect. Please pay attention to this. This age-old belief and the strength that a lot of people draw from it deserves respect and due attention.

The drive back to Estadens is along the side of the high mountains. You will be served the necessary curls and tops for the wheels on your return to Pyrenees Passions, where the swimming pool, wine, Flo's very tasty food and wonderful beds will certainly help to recharge your batteries…
Because, to be fair, they will probably be empty after this 318 kilometer ride through and along the high mountains of the Pyrenees. Please do not underestimate the impact of this route, especially if you have ridden it in the typical southern French temperatures. High temperatures affect your fatigue and your ability to concentrate. Please keep this in mind. Bring plenty of fluids and take any breaks you deem necessary. The tough guys will say they don't need them, but believe me. You will notice.

Besides the 'heaviness' of the route (certainly at high temperatures), the route certainly deserves its five star rating. The roads are excellent, as are the views and surroundings and you can check a few items off your bucket list; the Azet, the Tourmalet and – if you like – Lourdes.