Col d'Aubisque and Vallée d'Ossau

The Col d'Aubisque is probably the most spectacular Pyrenean pass to ride by motorcycle, even above the Tourmalet. The reason is a combination of three factors: the verticality of the landscape (the road literally hangs off cliffs in several sections of the Cirque du Litor), the variety of the route (tight hairpins, open stretches, tunnels carved into the rock, walkways over the void) and the sheer beauty of the surroundings (snow-capped peaks, waterfalls, herds of Blonde d'Aquitaine cows grazing on alpine meadows). It is the pass where French road engineering shows off with the greatest elegance.

The classic climb from Laruns via the D918 is long (more than 30 km to the top with the Col du Soulor linked in beforehand) but extraordinarily varied. The first section climbs gently through the Vallée d'Ossau, one of the prettiest Pyrenean valleys on the French side: stone houses with slate roofs, crystal-clear fountains, and at the bottom of the valley the Gave d'Ossau rushing down. From Eaux-Bonnes onwards (a 19th-century spa town where European aristocracies used to come), the road pitches up in earnest.

The Cirque du Litor, just before the summit of the Aubisque, is one of the most impressive stretches of road in the entire range. The D918 literally snakes along a cornice carved into the vertical wall of the glacial cirque, with a drop of several hundred metres to the valley floor. In some places the road is so narrow that two cars can barely pass each other. For a rider, the sensation of floating over the void with the Pyrenean peaks in the background is absolutely unique. Warning: on foggy days this section can be dangerous due to poor visibility and the absence of guardrails in some spots.

The Vallée d'Ossau, through which you close the loop on the way back, has an exceptional wildlife feature: it is one of the last refuges of the Pyrenean brown bear, a population of barely 80 individuals that survives straddling France and Spain. Griffon vultures are also abundant: at the Col du Soulor, just before the Aubisque, there is a famous viewpoint where you can see dozens of vultures soaring at once, riding the valley's thermal currents. Laruns, the base of the route, is also famous for its weekly market and its Ossau Valley sheep cheeses, some of the best in France.

Rider's practical notes: the Aubisque normally opens in June and closes in October. The Cirque du Litor section is narrow and demands attention. Refuel in Laruns or Argelès-Gazost. For food, in Laruns the Restaurant Chez Jean Pierre serves garbure (Pyrenean soup), confit de canard and melted Ossau-Iraty cheese at reasonable prices. One tip: if you go in July, try to avoid the Tour de France stage days because the road is closed to traffic during the race. The days right after the Tour are perfect: the road is freshly painted and marked, and the post-stage atmosphere in the villages is festive.