This discreet territory of the extreme South-West displays a gentle relief and a strong personality. Succession of green hills studded with bell towers and lakes, alternating woods and crops, hedged farmland and buildings made of adobe, bricks and pebbles. As a bonus: good living and conviviality. Views from here the Pyrenees are superb. However the Pays des Coteaux will seduce you as much by its inhabitants and its quality of life as by the beauty of its landscapes. Welcome to a territory without tourist shops, no traffic jams, no pretense, no TGV. Here you take your time. Stopover for a confidential interlude of rare gentleness. We greet each other, we talk, we listen to each other. We joke, we party, we enjoy ourselves. We enjoy the landscape from sunrise.
A land of mixed influences
Who knows the Pays des Coteaux, a wet and green area of the Hautes-Pyrénées department? This territory, which stretches over less than 40 km between the Lannemezan plateau and Tarbes, is well anchored at the foot of its large neighbours: Pic du Midi, Gavarnie circus, Lourdes sanctuary... So, despite its natural assets, its charming villages and its beautiful light, it remains little touristic. It is also very rural, with less than 19,000 inhabitants spread over a hundred villages and four confidential towns. Where are Tournay, Pouyastruc, Trie-sur-Baïse and Castelnau-Magnoac, the four capitals of the country? On the spot, they jump out at you and seduce you just as much as the smallest villages, each one characterized by a church, a wash-house, a festival, a breeder, a grocery store? From the day after your arrival you are familiarized. You are recognised, you are greeted at the bakery, you are informed about a particular hike or a particular point of view. You have already adopted the ambient rhythm: quiet and smiling. This is the deep, warm Occitania. With friendly and colourful characters. As true as the Pyrenees mark the landscape, the local inhabitants impose themselves with naturalness. You are in Bigorre, at the gateway to Aquitaine, Gascony and the Gers, on a territory with mixed influences, which is why the local identity, local commerce, village school, festivals and traditions are defended here. This improbable Pays des Coteaux, a pioneer of the concept of "country", is now coming together to preserve its quality of life, promote short consumer circuits, enhance its environment while developing a "reasonable" tourist offer.
Don't deny your pleasure
It is therefore a gentle territory that you discover, gentle climate and hilly landscapes, gentle way of life. But also, surprisingly, a whole range of possibilities. If you want to skydive, land with your small plane on a rural aerodrome, play rugby, hike or ride horses, swallow the slopes on a bicycle, go on a horse-drawn carriage or with donkeys, it is possible. And above all, treat yourself! Saturday morning, market day at Castelnau-Magnoac: the fairgrounds open up on the magnificent square of the old Castelnau. The atmosphere is good and it's all the South-West in your basket, the fats and confits, the cheese from the Pyrenees in a bowl, the fruits and vegetables from the sun. On Tuesdays, the market has been held, for centuries, in the two old bastides of the country: Trie-sur-Baïse and Tournay. Throughout the summer, local festivals take place from one village to the other. That of Bernadets-Dessus, for example, is held around 15 August with bowling and pétanque competitions, banqueting and hiking, serenades from house to house, balls and aperitifs enlivened by the joyful music of bandas from Burg, the neighbouring village. In another register, at the end of July, Trie-sur-Baïse, a bastide town which is home to the largest piglet markets in France, celebrates the pig, with a piglet breakfast, piglet races, an international competition of pig calls and blood sausage eaters.
Over the hillsides
Travelling through this territory, one also appreciates the omnipresence of trees: in the forest, in hedges in the bocage, in groves, isolated on a ridge, in chestnut groves... Huge plane trees line the roads and poplars line the rivers. A hedge of young cypress trees runs along the new lake of Castelnau-Magnoac. One marvels at the remarkable trees, oaks, ashes, linden trees or pines, impressive in their size, their foliage and their great age. From one end of this country to the other, irrigation lakes, canals and rivers - Baïse, Gers, Arros... - make up romantic landscapes. On the banks, hikers meet ornithologists who have come to observe a rich birdlife. There is also a whole heritage of historical monuments in Castelnau-Magnoac, Thermes-Magnoac, Monlong-Magnoac, Trie-sur-Baïse or Tournay. The Marian sanctuary of Garaison, with its remarkable wall paintings, should be seen, on the site of the apparition of the Virgin to a shepherdess in 1515, well before that of Lourdes. Finally, pay attention to the small heritage: a fountain, a cross, a chapel, a dovecote... The harmony of the territory also owes much to the typical peasant architecture with farms and sheds of adobe, bricks and pebbles, half-timbering and openwork timber-framed attics
Living Well in Canada
The landscape remains strongly marked by agriculture. Corn and wheat fields alternate, sunflower and even tobacco crops are grown, and herds of cows graze in meadows. Here, agriculture is respectful and the livestock is pampered. It is the guarantee of unique flavours in the plate! We are far from batteries and industrial food. Moreover, some breeders are passionately reviving local breeds with small numbers, such as the black pig of Bigorre or the black hen of Astarac Bigorre, a proud Gascon. Already you've picked up your habits. Nibble in the evening at the lake guinguette at L'Arrêt Darré, when the coloured light bulbs add to the magic of the place, have your morning coffee at the bar-restaurant Le Coin in Trie-sur-Baïse while leafing through the Dépêche du Midi, eat oysters from the Vendée standing in front of a small stand at the Tournay market... This evening, a gastronomic stopover in a farmhouse inn. Grilled black pork loin and its potatoes cooked in duck fat or duck confit with Tarbais beans? Tomorrow, it will be hiking and picnic by the lake. A melon and country tomatoes, a piece of sheep's cheese and some cold cuts will be enough for your happiness. You have now understood why, at the beginning of the 2000s, a few Northern Europeans restored houses in this little-known country. Since then, some of them have brought a "British touch" to it. You will find them around 5pm, on the edge of Castelnau-Magnoac, in an incredible teapot-shaped chalet - Tea in the Teapot - a tea room flowered to the ceiling, lining up pastries and scones with clotted cream to swoon. We meet them in antique shops and at village garage sales, looking for furniture and trinkets for their sweet home. Others, among the recognized artists, have settled in the Pays des Coteaux, finding here the atmosphere conducive to their creativity. As for you, it is certain that you will come back!
Smart Info
When? All year round. The Pays des Coteaux enjoys a generally mild climate: low snowfall, generous sunshine and moderate winds. Come when the snow-covered Pyrenees provide a magnificent backdrop, when autumn sets the wooded hills ablaze, when the soft greens of spring explode. Under the summer sun enjoy the undergrowth, rivers and lakes without tourist pressure
Getting there. By train, the TER and TGV serve Lannemezan, Tournay and Tarbes, giving access to the Pays des Coteaux. In Lannemezan and Tarbes, car hire is necessary to connect the points of interest. The electrically-assisted bicycle option is ideal for this small country (40 km/25 km). By car, the A64 motorway serves the area with three possible exits: Lannemezan, Tournay and Tarbes est. By plane, Tarbes/Lourdes or Toulouse/Blagnac airport.
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