The French Pyrenees - the best places to photograph...?

markta

markta

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Hi all,

As soon as the ring here http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=78011 sells, I'll be buying a Canon 17-40mm f4L from Ian (Kerso) and therefore heading over to France. Reason being I'll be taking images to be put on a 2009 calendar for my local children's hospices, the proceeds of which will go directly to them :woot:

Anyway, could anyone suggest any places on mountains that they have either photographed or did not have their camera with them and would have liked to have set the tripod up at etc. etc. as I'm currently researching such locations..

Many thanks in advance :thumbs: Mark :)
 
Excellent, cheers Jerry :)

Any other suggestions anyone?

Cheers :woot:
 
Wherever you go in the French Pyrenees, mind where you put your feet (your tripod's or own)
 
Heres a few shots from Luz Saint Sauver and from the pass above it, Its a small ski town in the french Pyrenees. Thse view from the pass above was brilliant with 20-30 eagles soaring overhead!
The pass tops out at 2149m with a good wee cafe/bar at the top :)

We stayed here for a night on our trip thru france. Awesome scenery! but tbh i was too busy enjoying the hairpins to take photos lol.

_MG_8874.jpg


_MG_8941.jpg


_MG_8987-1.jpg
 
thompo said:
Heres a few shots from Luz Saint Sauver and from the pass above it, Its a small ski town in the french Pyrenees. Thse view from the pass above was brilliant with 20-30 eagles soaring overhead!
The pass tops out at 2149m with a good wee cafe/bar at the top :)

We stayed here for a night on our trip thru france. Awesome scenery! but tbh i was too busy enjoying the hairpins to take photos lol.

_MG_8874.jpg


_MG_8941.jpg


_MG_8987-1.jpg
Click to expand...


Thanks for the piccys. Spectacular scenery :woot:

When I cycled up 4 mountain passes in one day in the French Alps two years ago, I didn't have much opportunity to take in the scenery.

I'll therefore be togging on the initial visit, before I can dedicate another trip, where I'll be pedalling up six mountain passes in the same day for the hospice :woot:

Any more info most welcome :thumbs: Cheers as well Tyrone, presumably you're referring to the mountain cows :lol:
 
It's the bears you want to watch out for, not the cows!!!

I'm not too sure if they're still open this late, but try to stay in one of the refuges up the mountain. That way you're right up in the wilderness for sunrise and sunset, but without needing to carry a tent etc.

What time of year are you planning to go? As if you're going to the tops much before June there will be a high chance of snow. I was over there on the August bank holiday weekend a few years back and we still needed ice axes, crampons and ropes for crossing glaciers. My Dad has a few photos from that trip up on the wall at home.
 
Craikeybaby said:
It's the bears you want to watch out for, not the cows!!!

I'm not too sure if they're still open this late, but try to stay in one of the refuges up the mountain. That way you're right up in the wilderness for sunrise and sunset, but without needing to carry a tent etc.

What time of year are you planning to go? As if you're going to the tops much before June there will be a high chance of snow. I was over there on the August bank holiday weekend a few years back and we still needed ice axes, crampons and ropes for crossing glaciers. My Dad has a few photos from that trip up on the wall at home.
Click to expand...

TBH, that's the first I've heard about there being bears in the mountains :shrug:

Know someone who lives towards Andorra but near the far eastern region of the Pyrenees and he has made no mention of them at all. Asked him of things I should watch out for and there was mention of cows, griffon vultures etc.

Ok, just to provide extra info...I am cycling up the following mountain passes in one day, so will need to get pictures of the route including these: Col d'Aubisque, Col du Soulor, Hautacam, Col du Tourmalet, Col d'Aspin and Col de Peyresourde.

A big thanks for the help so far. Any more would be hugely appreciated!

Cheers :clap::clap::clap:
 
There are only 6 bears in the whole of the Pyrenees, but the amount the French go on about them you'd think they are everywhere!
 
Drove the Tourmalet the day after it opened this year (late May), and it was wet and foggy so couldn't see anything, and also did Aspin, Aubisque and Peyresourde in the same conditions unfortunately :(

As for the French Alps, the Col de la Bonnette is the highest paved road in Europe (that you can go up and over at least), and has excellent views from the top (2802m). It was used in this year's Tour de France where one poor chap went over the edge.... he was ok, thankfully.

The Gorges du Daluis is excellent (and just south of the Bonette), as is Combe Laval (west of the Alps in the Vercors) with shere drops of over 600m. If you're down in southern France, you have to check out the Gorges du Verdon too.

The Lac de Serre Poncon near Embrun is ok too.

On your way up or down to the Alps, you can skip over the Col du Galibier for more mountain shots.

Grotte du Mas d'Azil is interesting. It's a cave with a road running right through it. Not huge, but makes a change from all the mountains. It's in south western France though, so you'll be closer to it when you do the Tourmalet.

As others have said, if you go now a lot of the mountain roads will start closing due to snow. So check before you get anything booked up.

ViaMichelin.com shows all the viewpoints and scenic routes etc, so spend a few hours looking there and you'll see lots of good spots. I then use Google Earth to look at the same spots and see the pics which other people have taken to get an idea of what that place is really like.

You can't really go wrong once you get into the mountains though. It's all stunning!
 
niki265 said:
Drove the Tourmalet the day after it opened this year (late May), and it was wet and foggy so couldn't see anything, and also did Aspin, Aubisque and Peyresourde in the same conditions unfortunately :(

As for the French Alps, the Col de la Bonnette is the highest paved road in Europe (that you can go up and over at least), and has excellent views from the top (2802m). It was used in this year's Tour de France where one poor chap went over the edge.... he was ok, thankfully.

The Gorges du Daluis is excellent (and just south of the Bonette), as is Combe Laval (west of the Alps in the Vercors) with shere drops of over 600m. If you're down in southern France, you have to check out the Gorges du Verdon too.

The Lac de Serre Poncon near Embrun is ok too.

On your way up or down to the Alps, you can skip over the Col du Galibier for more mountain shots.

Grotte du Mas d'Azil is interesting. It's a cave with a road running right through it. Not huge, but makes a change from all the mountains. It's in south western France though, so you'll be closer to it when you do the Tourmalet.

As others have said, if you go now a lot of the mountain roads will start closing due to snow. So check before you get anything booked up.

ViaMichelin.com shows all the viewpoints and scenic routes etc, so spend a few hours looking there and you'll see lots of good spots. I then use Google Earth to look at the same spots and see the pics which other people have taken to get an idea of what that place is really like.

You can't really go wrong once you get into the mountains though. It's all stunning!
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply :)

I've actually had the honour to cycle solo up the Col du Galibier when in the Alps two years ago, along with Col de la Croix de Fer, Col du Mollard and Col de Telegraphe.

The Galibier is not so bad until about half way up, then it starts getting steep!!!! Just a warning to any other cyclists on here, you need to be fit, as its' summit is 2,645m above sea level and the gradient near the summit is tough.

As for the Col de la Bonnette, I saw that stage live. Oscar Perreiro Sio, the 2006 TDF winner. Poor chap, quite a drop over the edge :(

I have a book on all of the mountains ever used in the Tour de France, going back from 1903 and there's some stunning pictures (Tour Climbs by Chris Sidwells) but no pointers as to where to photograph :'(

As for locations away from the Pyrenees, I'm afraid I won't have a chance to go over to Vaucluse (Mont Ventoux) although it is one of the more photogenic lunar landscapes I've ever seen, but is really isolated.

I've written down all the locations, so I can research them. I really wanna get some lovely shots for the local children's hospice calendar :thumbs:

Keep all the suggestions coming! Thanks :clap::thumbs:
 
Hey markta - you may want to use Google's Street View to view some of the passes in the Pyrenees. They mapped out the route of the 2008 Tour de France. Just go to http://maps.google.com/maps and type in a location in the Pyrenees, like Pau and you'll see the street view Tour route in blue... have fun!
 
Just re-read your thread title and noticed French Pyrenees :P I'd read French Alps. D'oh.

Depending on how much time you have, you could easily spend a week going from the Pyrenees, across southern France, then north through the Alps.... (we took the Portsmouth - Bilbao ferry, then did a reverse L back to Calais).

As for the Tourmalet, IIRC there is an observatory at the top, but you're probably already aware of that.

I'd take a look at ViaMichelin though as there will be some good pointers on their maps.
 
Markta, the west side of the Col du Tourmalet is always impressive. The view west from the top especially so. If you've time try a trip to the Pic du Midi observatory. The other place I enjoyed a lot was the top of the Col d'Aubisque. Again, the west side is fantastic
 
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