Lourdes / Lannemezan

The Grotto of Lourdes, at the foot of the Pyrenees, is a world-famous place of pilgrimage, attracting millions of visitors every year. It was here that the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. With its spring of water considered miraculous, it is a place of prayer and meditation where visitors can light a candle, touch the rock and attend torch-lit processions.

Between the valleys of the Adour and Baïse rivers, the route passes through the rolling countryside of the former county of Bigorre. As well as putting a strain on cyclists' thighs, all these climbs offer panoramic views of the Pyrenees, from the Comminges mountains to Bigorre.

A veritable oasis of greenery in the heart of Tarbes, the Jardin Massey, classified as a ‘Remarkable Garden’, was created by the Tarbes-born Placide Massey (1777-1853), steward of Queen Hortense's gardens, then director of the King's kitchen garden at the Château de Versailles. In 1829, he began buying up land in his home town, planting ornamental trees and a number of rare species, and had a Moorish-style building erected with an observation tower overlooking the Pyrenees...