Camping Le Ruisseau

If you've brought along your bike, get busy pedalling to the nearby mountain passes of the Tour de France such as Aspin, Azet, Peyresourdes, Col de Bares, Hourquettes Ancizan – and then to Pla d'Adet, the ski resort normally used as a stage finish on the race. (This last is over 600 metres higher than , so be prepped for a bit of a climb.) The nearby Pic du Midi de Bigorre is a well-known spot in the area, mostly for its astronomical observatory started in the nineteenth century and from where Saturn's moon Helene was first spotted in 1980. The view at the observatory is so spectacular that NASA mapped the moon from here while prepping for the Apollo landing – and yep, the public are allowed to visit the observatory. Several nature reserves and wildlife watching spots are around too – ask the for their top picks – and you should take time to see the local villages all around, such as Grailhen, Sailhan and Aulon.