Cauterets Pont d'Espagne, Grands Sites of Midi-Pyrénées
Only 4 prestigious sites in the Hautes-Pyrénées have been included.
Cauterets Pont d’Espagne is one of the jewels in the crown.
Head from Cauterets towards the Pont d’Espagne, either by car on the waterfall road or on foot along the waterfall path.
From the first bend in the road, prepare to be moved in a way that only the amazing scenery of Cauterets can bring about.
Three kilometres from Cauterets, « la Raillère », where the valleys of Lutour and the Pont d’Espagne converge - offers a stunning panorama of
tumbling waterfalls, their sparkling waters merging a few metres below.
Continue your journey and discover the waterfalls of Cerisey, De Bousses, D’Escanegat, Pouey-Bacou and the Pas de l’Ours, each in their own wonderful setting.
At the Pont d’Espagne, 8 km from Cauterets you can admire the waterfalls plunging into the chasm below.
This is the starting point for some magnificent excursions and hikes through the high valleys of Cauterets, the Marcadau valley and the Gaube valley with its spectacular lake, easily
accessible by chairlift.
In winter the scene is even more magical, with frozen lakes and waterfalls.
Intrepid explorers arriving at the foot of the north face of the Vignemale,with its vertiginous mountain pass and hanging glaciers, will fully appreciate this breathtaking
spectacle.
At a height of 3,298 metres, the Vignemale is the highest point in Cauterets and the French Pyrenees..
In 1928, the residents of Cauterets decided to classify their mountain streams as a “site” to prevent their lakes and waterfalls from being channelled to produce hydro-electric
power.
The beauty of the Cauterets Pont d’Espagne sites led to them being listed as : « natural sites and monuments of artistic merit » by decree on 28/07/1928.
The fierce determination of these mountain dwellers to preserve their heritage so that future generations could benefit was also recognised when the Cauterets Pont d’Espagne valley was listed
as a « Great Site of Midi-Pyrénées ».
The Cauterets Pont d’Espagne site is one of the easiest ways to access the Pyrenees National Park.
An ambitious marketing programme is promotingCauterets – Pont d’Espagne and the surrounding region both in France and overseas.
Cauterets Pont d’Espagne is one of nature’s greatest spectacles.
Credits : This video is offered to you by the Comité Régional de Tourisme Midi-Pyrénées. Clic here to discover all the Grands Sites of Midi-Pyrénées.