Camping Pyrenees Natura advice needed (1 Viewer)

[Stewart J]

Making our way Southwards to the Pyrenees later in month, Camping Pyrenees Natura looks awesome for birding and sightseeing. On leaving this site ideally we would like to travel the road to the West but looking at maps it's all steep hairpins. Anyone done it and what would you advise, our MH is 7.5 metres. If we do this road it would save a lengthy detour North through Lourdes. So thought I would ask you very knowledgeable folk to allay my wife's fears. Many thanks.

 

[yodeli]

Can you give the number of the road you want to drive on, or the next town after the campsite please , I can't figure out where you want to go exactly ... West can be wide, and right now I have no map to look at. I regularly go to the Pyrénées as I go to Pas-de-la-Casa, or Andorra , and one sure thing I would not go with my MAX (a little hymer camp) because I think the engine is not strong enough to face the hairpins. I only go by car but I see a lot of buses which of course have stronger engines and can "start again" right after the steep ones even if cars are behind. I love driving but won't take any risk driving there just in case I would go backwards and bump into the following cars. So may be if you give me the number of the road I can have some French comments from motorhomers having done it with similar vehicles.

 

[yodeli]

Edit : Just had a look at their website and straight away, I can say I have been in this area (by car: done Cauteret, Gavarnie, and Pont d'Espagne, after the col du Tourmalet I had no more brakes!!!! With a Motorhome you MUST be able to use engine brakes, not always easy with automatic gear box if you have one) and it's not always easy . Plus, the camping tells you NOT to listen to GPS , they have an easier way. So I could ask them what they think about you going west once you have given me more details . At least they are from the area , and know all about hairpins bents. What do you reckon?

@PenelopePitstop Marie , you've been to Pont d'Espagne, was it with the big motorhome you had at that time or by car? or even by bus? What do you think?

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[DBK]

From Google maps streetview it looks single track all the way. I would do it our PVC but not if the road was busy! https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Camping+Pyrénées+Natura/@42.9507907,-0.2028082,3a,60y,242.08h,59.69t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sPW_q63XVFbziGXvKbxr8lg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0xd57dae6171f3045:0xf1c78b4018345776!8m2!3d42.940087!4d-0.177969!6m1!1e1

Edit: Do you mean the D918? The road above is the one which goes west directly fromthe site. The D918 is a bit further north then goes west. However, it looks narrow as well: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Camping+Pyrénées+Natura/@42.9609378,-0.2144809,3a,75y,284.59h,75.15t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sXmQWlMXD7WGQLlzDHiF0OA!2e0!6s//geo2.ggpht.com/cbk?panoid=XmQWlMXD7WGQLlzDHiF0OA&output=thumbnail&cb_client=maps_sv.tactile.gps&thumb=2&w=203&h=100&yaw=27.649155&pitch=0!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0xd57dae6171f3045:0xf1c78b4018345776!8m2!3d42.940087!4d-0.177969!6m1!1e1

And here, at a hairpin: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Camping+Pyrénées+Natura/@42.9664768,-0.2156202,3a,75y,81.98h,66.28t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sPyGGPQO191h8b6aHcrAoBw!2e0!6s//geo3.ggpht.com/cbk?panoid=PyGGPQO191h8b6aHcrAoBw&output=thumbnail&cb_client=maps_sv.tactile.gps&thumb=2&w=203&h=100&yaw=181.5&pitch=-3!7i13312!8i6656!4m5!3m4!1s0xd57dae6171f3045:0xf1c78b4018345776!8m2!3d42.940087!4d-0.177969!6m1!1e1

Looks doable but worth checking on the Michelin atlas for any height restrictions.

 

[yodeli]

Looks doable but worth checking on the Michelin atlas for any height restrictions.

I'm sure there's a way to get there as the campsite does caravans AND motorhomes , thing is , what comes next , once they're going away?

 

[Clarky]

The site itself is great, we may be on our way there in a few days.
The best way there is to go via Bun. Leaving Estaing I would go back down to Bun and then on to the D918.
I haven't been further south west on that road than the Bun turnoff but it is a fairly major road and should be quite OK to Laruns.
Don't think I would risk the D603 from Estaing although I'm sure large trucks use it.
The sides of tipper trucks and the flimsy sides and windows of motorhomers are somewhat different though.

Richard.

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[Clarky]

Forgot to mention that @Kool Kroozer is at Camping Natura at the moment and seems to rather like it.
If you want an idea of the route through Bun look at my video of Lac d'Estaing on my YouTube channel, link is below in my signature area.

Richard.

 

[jollyrodger]

Last year going over via Laruns was easy enough
D934/A136

 

[Stewart J]

Hi all and many thanks for all your inputs. Apologies for tardiness of my reply presently on a C & CC rally at La Garangoire and wifi is only at reception.

To clarify the route I was looking at is from Aucun to Laruns then Southwards through the Vallee d' Ossau (forgot to bring map with me for road numbers, doh, major senior moment).

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[Clarky]

Aucun to Laruns is the D918 then the D934 south to the Spanish border.
The only height restrictions shown on my Michelin map are at 4.3m on the D934.
Le Tour regularly goes over the D918 and they use some pretty large vehicles so I would assume it's OK.

Richard.

 

[swicky minden]

Stewart J, I'm having the same concerns re Aucun to Laruns - due to attempt it in a couple of days - did you make it okay?

 

[olley]

This thread is from 2016.

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[swicky minden]

I know

 

[Figaro]

Stewart J has been on the forum today so you should get a reply

 

[Stewart J]

Stewart J, I'm having the same concerns re Aucun to Laruns - due to attempt it in a couple of days - did you make it okay?

No the friends we were travelling with were not happy with the route so we headed back toward Lourdes.

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[mapman]

The difficult section is at the Col du Soulor, west of the junction with the D126. It is very narrow with tunnels and as I recall a one way system operates. I think they allow passage in one direction in the morning and then the other way in the afternoon.( or something similar) A friend cycled over to Spain a month or so ago and he found it closed due to snow! That section running east west faces north and is the last bit to melt! As far as I recall the D934 south to Spain is fine.