Camping Plein Soleil

Less flocked to than the famous bits, the Lac de Lourdes (10 minutes’ drive) gets you stuck into that Pyrenean wilderness fast. Surrounded by mountain peaks, it’s a grand spot for swimming, kayaking, fishing and idle sandwich eating by the waters. It’s also covered with walking trails, some of the 3,000 kilometres of them crisscrossing the Pyrenees. The Pic du Jer (10 minutes), home to a stately old castle on top of a towering hill, makes a good amble from town, or you can ride up on the funicular railway and hike your way down. Another mountain transport experience not to be missed is Le Téléphérique du Pic de Midi; the sort of cable car ride James Bond might take to a villain’s lair. Rather than evil masterminds, the mountaintop stronghold on the Pic du Midi de Bigorre houses meteorologists, who are happy to show passing visitors their weather station. It’s a walkers’ paradise round here too, with marked trails through the fab scenery. To get down faster, head to the ski resort of Hautacam (40 minutes). You can cycle up to it, as Tour de France riders often have to; either way, be ready for whoops and shrieks as you take the mountain luge, quad bike or even paraglide your way to the valley floor.