Gave de Pau River Walks

Lourdes is known throughout the world as a place of pilgrimage, but it also sits in the foothills of the Pyrenees, on a river, and a walk or bike ride beside the Gave de Pau is a good way to see the landscape away from the crowds of the sanctuary. The Gave is the mountain river that flows down from the Cirque de Gavarnie and past Lourdes toward Pau, and its clear, fast-flowing green water, which also runs beside the Grotto of Massabielle, is a feature of the town. The word gave is the Pyrenean term for a mountain torrent.

The main route is the Voie Verte des Gaves, a greenway for walkers and cyclists that follows the old railway line and the river valley south of Lourdes toward the mountains. It starts in Lourdes, where there are access points with free parking, including one near the Chemin du Tydos and another along the Avenue Foch, and it runs through meadows, woods and villages. The path is mostly flat and wide, so it suits families, casual cyclists and walkers, and bicycles can be hired in town. The section from Pierrefitte-Nestalas toward Cauterets climbs more steeply and is suitable only for mountain bikes, so most visitors keep to the easier stretch around Lourdes.

The valley is a gateway to the high Pyrenees. From Lourdes, roads lead to the ski and walking area of Hautacam, to the spa town of Cauterets and to the lake of Gaube, which lies deeper in the mountains, and to the great cirque of Gavarnie, one of the most spectacular natural amphitheatres in Europe. Within Lourdes, the Pic du Jer, a hill reached by a funicular, gives a wide view over the town and the mountains, and the castle on its rock holds the Pyrenean Museum.

The river is also a counterpoint to the town's spiritual role. In 1858 Bernadette Soubirous, a poor girl of the town, reported a series of apparitions of the Virgin Mary at the grotto beside the Gave, and a spring that appeared there became the source of the healing waters that pilgrims come to drink and bathe in. Millions of visitors come every year. A walk beside the Gave gives a way to step back from the crowds and the ceremonies, and many pilgrims find it a calm contrast.

The walks suit families, cyclists and anyone who wants fresh air after the sanctuary. Bring water and a picnic, and wear comfortable shoes. The Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, the Basilica of St. Pius X, the Place du Rosaire and the Musée des Apparitions are close to the river.