Le Bosquet

Le Bosquet is located in Bun, a village in the Val d’Azun (Hautes-Pyrénées) halfway between Arrens-Marsous and Argelès-Gazost, at the foot of the climb to the Col du Soulor. The site is at about 800 m altitude, 500 m from the village centre and about ten kilometres from both Lac d’Estaing and Argelès-Gazost. It is rated 2 stars and run by a farming couple, Marcel and Bernadette, who gladly invite their guests to visit the cowshed and talk about the work of a livestock farmer.

The wooded meadow has 55 pitches shared between mobile homes, tents, caravans and motorhomes, including about forty plots occupied by mobile homes. The atmosphere is that of a village campsite: quiet, shaded, sunny, with deliberately no wifi installed, to leave room for the mountains and for meeting people. The GR 10 passes right nearby.

As for opening, the website states that pitches and mobile homes are available all year round, with identical rates in every season, with no supplement during school holidays. Two mobile homes for 4 people are available to rent, and a holiday cottage for 6 people is also rented out in the village. Off-season, the campsite mainly appeals to hikers, cross-country and nordic skiing enthusiasts on the Soulor and at Couraduque, paragliders and spa guests from Argelès-Gazost.

Cross-country skiing at Couraduque, nordic skiing on the slopes of the Soulor, walks in the valley and thermal baths at Argelès-Gazost.

The facilities are deliberately simple and well kept. The washroom block has showers, washbasins, dishwashing and laundry sinks, a hot water point and access for people with reduced mobility. A laundry with token-operated washing machine and dryer completes the set, and a motorhome service area is listed in the département’s tourist directories.

The two rental mobile homes sleep 4 people: a lounge area with fitted kitchen, a bedroom with two 90 cm beds, a bedroom with a 140 cm bed, a shower room and separate toilets. The stated rate is €450 a week in high season and €350 in low season. Pitches are rented by the day, with different rates depending on the number of people, the children’s ages and the amperage chosen (3 or 6 amps).

There is no pool, restaurant or grocery shop on site: shops and meals are found in the village or in Argelès-Gazost. On the other hand, the campsite acts as an information relay with advice for planning hikes, stream or lake fishing and outings to the sheepfold. To relax after a walk, the Thermes d’Argelès-Gazost offer whirlpool baths, sauna and hammam, as well as three-week spa treatments, with packages announced from €600 for two people. A petanque court and children’s games are on site.

The Val d’Azun is above all walking country. The Balaïtous, which peaks at 3,144 m, is a top hiking destination in the Pyrenees National Park; gentler, the walk around Lac d’Estaing suits families and children, who can also take a pony ride there. Along the way you come across herds of cows and sheep on summer pasture, marmots, vultures and bearded vultures.

The neighbouring valleys lengthen the list of outings: you can aim for Gavarnie and the Brèche de Roland, Mont Perdu, the Vignemale, Cauterets with its Lac de Gaube, or ride the cable car from the resort of La Mongie up to the Pic du Midi de Bigorre. Cyclists tackle the legendary climbs of the Soulor and the Aubisque. In the evening or early in the morning, paragliders can be seen from the campsite, and introductory flights or courses are possible in the valley.

In winter, the Couraduque area offers cross-country skiing and the slopes of the Soulor lend themselves to nordic skiing, with the Aubisque as a backdrop. In the village of Bun, the church of Saint-Martin, the well, the wash house and a chicken coop from 1820 are worth a detour, and guests can go and see the herd of Blonde d’Aquitaine cattle or the sheep with the farmers. On site, you can play petanque and table tennis. The Thermes d’Argelès-Gazost treat respiratory conditions, phlebology and lymphoedema from April to October.