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Peak bagging walking holiday in the French PyreneesAn exciting week of peaks and ridges from the comfort of a riverside hotel. |
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Rugged peaks with outstanding mountain
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HOLIDAY OVERVIEWThis exciting week of peaks and ridges is based in a comfortable hotel in the thermal Spa town of Ax-Les-Thermes. Straddling the beautiful River Ariège, Ax provides us with a welcome contrast in both climate and scenery to that of the wild mountains that we will be exploring during the days. Ax has a road network that enables us to start our walks high and explore the "real mountains" without the burden of a heavy backpack or long preambles. The town itself has been inhabited since Roman times, due to its thermal springs that still flow freely down the streets. It is now a popular base for summer and winter activity holidays enhancing its charm with lots of interesting shops, restaurants and lively bars. From late 2008, Ax also opens the doors of its newest attraction: the refurbished spa centre, with jacuzzi's, steam rooms and massage facilities. Alternatively, on the day off why not try out some mountain biking, rafting, canyoning or caving? This is a fairly demanding trip aimed at walkers, who fancy taking on some pointy peaks and narrow ridges that they would not normally do by themselves. We rarely use paths marked on the map, using the knowledge of our local guide to take us to the lesser-known parts of the mountains where izzards, marmots and mouflon are common sightings (and other trekkers rare). This is a holiday for people that enjoy adventurous trekking and getting into the heart of the mountains, but who prefer to team this up with comfortable accommodation. This holiday is run at Grade 'moderate' or Grade 'demanding' involving differing amounts of ascent, depending on the week. Please see our itinerary for ideas of the routes we may take. IS THIS HOLIDAY FOR ME?This is a fairly demanding trip aimed at walkers who fancy taking on some peaks and ridges which they would not normally do by themselves. Be prepared for some extended sections without paths. Boulder fields, scree slopes, snow patches and some easy hands on scrambling will be encountered during the week. We run this trip at two different grades: Tough = 800 to 1300m ascent per day and Demanding = 1000 to 1600m ascent per day. It is important to us that people book the correct trip. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have have any doubts.To see some photos of the kind of landscape encountered, please seen the excellent online photo albums of the Scenery and group made by John Herring, who came on this trip in July 2006. DATES
Wed 12 Aug - Wed 19 Aug 2009 (Trip code TFP I32) FANCY A 2 WEEK BREAK? This trip can combined with the Peaks and Ridges of the Eastern Pyrenees trip that we run in conjunction with the trekking company High Places. Book both trips together for a 5% discount HOW MUCH DOES THE HOLIDAY COST?The holiday costs £635 starting at Carcassonne Airport. Flights are not included but can be picked up very cheaply if booked in advance. Allow about £50 for drinks and the meals not included (outlined below). Please note that we offer a 5% discount if you book more than 3 months before the departure date. We also offer group and loyalty discounts. More Info >>WHAT DOES THE PRICE INCLUDE?5 days guided walks with a qualified International Mountain Leader. Airport Transfers (specified times only). Private vehicle transfers during the week. 7 nights in 2 star hotel. 6 evening meals, 7 breakfasts, 5 picnic lunches.WHERE DO WE STAY?We stay in the family run 2 star Hotel Terminus, which provides us with a comfortable base for the week. Alain and Elizabeth offer a warm welcome in their lovely hotel. They are proud to serve up delicious evening meals using meat and vegetables from local producers. The rooms are large and all have a window overlooking the river Ariège. The hotel is a 5 minute walk from the centre of Ax les Thermes, opposite the railway station. Each room has an en-suite bathroom, as well as a telephone and television. The kitchen produces excellent authentic Pyrenean dishes. Accommodation is normally allocated on a twin share basis. There is a supplement of £120 for single room occupancy, which must be arrange on booking.FOOD7 substantial, continental style breakfasts are included. Full picnic lunches will be provided on walking days, which you will be expected to carry with you. 6 evenings meals are taken at the hotel, where we will be served traditional French cuisine. 1 evening meal is not included, giving you the opportunity to head into town where there are many fine French and International restaurants. Vegetarians are welcome and will be looked after very well.GUIDING AND INSTRUCTION You be accompanied by James Thompson, a qualified International Mountain Leader and member of BAIML (British Association of International Mountain Leaders). James has been leading walking holidays around the world since 1998. He is passionate about the area and throughout the week will offer you information about the mountains, nature and local history. James will carry all the equipment necessary to safeguard the group. GROUPThere is a maximum of 12 people (minimum 4) plus James on this walking holiday. Bookings from single people are welcome as activity holidays are a great way to make new friends.TRANSPORTThroughout the holiday you transferred to and from the walk start points in a private minibus. The unique road network around Ax means that we can drive high and gain good views with minimum effort. Transfers will be from 20 to 40 mins each way.CLIMATEThe proximity of Ax to the Mediterranean gives us a warm stable climate. Perfect walking weather! Rain can not be ruled out and may influence our choice of route, but there are plenty of wet weather alternatives.WHAT TO BRINGThe joy of a this centre based holiday is that you don't need to carry much with you, making the walking and scrambling a lot easier. A full kit list will be sent on booking.HOW DO I GET THERE?Carcassonne Airport is only 2hrs from Ax by road and is well served
by Ryan Air flights from various UK destinations. Minibus transfers
at specified times are included in the cost of the holiday. Please see the
Transport section for all travel options (air, road, and rail), plus
getting to the start point independently of the group transfer. For this trip we are offering transfers for the following Ryan Air flights into Carcassonne from either Stansted or East Midlands Airports. OUT: Flight FR72 dpt Stansted at 0950, arrive in Carc. at 1245 OUT: Depart East Midlands Airport at 0725, arrive Carcassonne
1025 On the OUTWARD transfer, we will meet the East Midland flight at 1245 and look after your bags, dropping you in Carcassonne to look around and grab some lunch before picking you up after the Stansted flight has arrived at 1405 in order to transfer to Ax. On the RETURN transfer we will drop off for the East Midlands flight for 1050 and for those on the Stansted flight, we will look after your bags and drop you in Carcassonne, picking you up again to take you to the airport in time for your 1310 departure. |
