Peaceful in the Pyrenees - Brilliant October Sunshine in Luz St Saveur | Esther & Dan - Adventuring Together

Sitting by the sea in Agde on Wednesday afternoon we weren't sure where to head to next. There were lots of little towns to visit if we continued further down the coast and into Spain, however, we were already missing the mountains and wondering what the weather might be like a little further south in the Pyrenees. Having visited the Pyrenees at the end of September in 2013 we knew the warm weather could hang around well into Autumn but weren't sure if we should bypass everywhere else on the way to rush down there.

In the end we decided to let the weather choose and were delighted when we managed to catch the end of French TV stations weatherman revealing that the Pyrenees had the best weather in the whole of France for the week ahead with temperatures in the high 20's. Decision made...back to the mountains for us.

Since we'd already visited the Pyrenees-Orientales (the bit closest to the Mediterranean) the previous year we wanted to try something new and so decided to head right to the middle of the Pyrennean range where the mountains are highest, just south of Lourdes, almost halfway between the Atlantic and Mediterranean seas. This did mean we'd have to undertake our longest one day journey since purchasing the motorhome, travelling more than 400km in hot sunshine all day Thursday. However, we knew as soon as we turned into the valley leading to Luz St Saveur as the sun was setting behind the 3000m plus peaks that we'd made the right choice.

Checking into Camping PyrenEvasion in the tiny hamlet of Sazos partway up the climb to the ski resort of Luz Ardiden we were delighted to discover the loveliest camping we had visited so far. With an indoor and outdoor pool, jacuzzi, gym, WiFi and spotless facilities we couldn't wait to put our feet up and relax. The awesome view of mountains from our little terraced pitch was the icing on the cake and the fact we were one of only 2 motorhomes here.

The only downside to this camping was that it was closing for winter at Sunday lunchtime and so our stay would be limited to just 3 nights and 2 full days. With some famous Tour de France climbs in the region and some incredible hiking we were keen to get out and about but resolved to spend the next 2 days fully appreciating the beauty of the area from our campsite base, resting from the 8 hour drive and really enjoy the facilities on offer which is precisely what we have done.

With beautiful sunshine as forecast we've enjoyed the relatively novel experiences, for us at least, of looking up at the mountain peaks from beneath our motorhome awning, reading in the afternoon sunshine, floating around in the indoor pool and eating our lunch from our picnic table on the grassy pitch. It's been really idyllic and a chance to fully appreciate some of the luxuries of motorhome touring in a way we hadn't felt able to while racing around the Alps trying to make the most of the summer. Now, with autumn well underway this late autumn heatwave in the Pyrenees feels a little like an unexpected bonus.

Sadly, tomorrow lunchtime we'll have to check out of this amazing campsite, however, with the sunshine predicted to continue for the week ahead we'll soon be getting back in the saddle to tackle some of those famous climbs before strapping on our hiking gear once more. We just hope the sunshine stays in the mountains for as long as we'd like to.