Artouste: the little train Heights
The day has dawned rough, as sullen as a good morning with no answer, as disappointing as an outstretched hand dangling from nowhere. We are at the beginning of September, but it is very cold and the fog has fallen asleep in the mountains. The small town of Fabreges, in the French Pyrenees, looks, like every morning, in the mirror of the lake that bears his name, of such an intense blue that anyone would say that a piece of sky has fallen into its waters.
Right here, ago 90 years, a gigantic project was launched: the construction of a large dam (with capacity for 24 million cubic meters of water) a 2.000 meters, capable of supplying electricity to the entire valley of Ossau. To transfer the thousands of workers who worked on its construction for eight years, as well as the abundant necessary material, a railway line was laid, with a track width of just over half a meter, and a small wooden train that today, almost a century later, still circulates as a tourist attraction and is proud to be the one that circulates at the highest altitude in Europe.
The day has dawned rough, as sullen as a good morning with no answer
Salvo, clear, when the fog steals the landscape and engulfs the roads and the rains cause landslides that hinder the journey. Today is one of those days and, after arriving by cable car at the charming railway station, They inform us that the service is interrupted due to meteorological imperative. There is no other choice but to return another day. And that we. Crossing the border again Portals, this time the weather is more clement. Before reaching Fabrèges, a herd of sheep in search of fresher pastures slows down the journey for a long time as, After the, we circulate on old cattle routes. The sheep came before the cars, so you have to be patient.
Cover 63 euros for the three bills, including the gondola ride. If someone wants to save it, a well-marked path ascends the mountain in a zig-zag. By mechanical means it takes ten minutes to reach the station and, walking, I estimate that a little over an hour at a good pace. As the cable car brings us closer to our destination, the Fabrèges Lake it gets smaller at our feet until it looks like just a puddle. Once up, the mass of Midi d'Ossau emerges from the mist like a prehistoric flint.
The mass of the Midi d'Ossau emerges from the fog like a prehistoric flint
The train leaves every hour and the wagons, outdoor, They allow you to enjoy the impressive views of the mountains that surround the glacial valley of Ossau while driving between escarpments and steep slopes on the way to the station. The Wisdom. Nothing else to start, go through a narrow tunnel that plunges passengers into darkness, coming out shortly after to the open sky and to the glut of panoramic views. There is only one way, so in a couple of places, when it unfolds, you have to stop until you meet the little train that goes down in the opposite direction. To few 15 kph, the tour is very nice, especially if you travel with children, because this is a very familiar excursion.
When the dam was completed in 1932, the General Council of the Pyrenees-Atlantiques proposed to take advantage of the railway work as a tourist attraction. the little train Artouste born with just three wooden cars towed by a Renault engine and only runs on Sundays in summer. The bet goes well and in the years 60 a ski resort opens.
Already at La Sagette station, you have to walk ten minutes to the dam. It is the most unpleasant part of the journey, especially if the train goes up full and the procession is inevitable. But, upon arrival at the reservoir, the circus that opens before us compensates for any sporadic disappointment. Communion with the mountain is immediate and fuller as one manages to get away from the crowd.
the wagons, outdoor, let you enjoy the impressive views of the mountains that surround the glacial valley of Ossau
The Artouste Dam can be crossed by a bridge and, across, part of a path that runs halfway down the other side of the valley in the direction of the Lac de Carnau (an hour and a quarter) and to the Col de Artouste (of hours). suits, yes, calculate the time well so as not to miss the last return train if you do not want to face a long walk along the tracks. With those calculations well present and after an hour of walking, passing through some quite aerial sections and without even seeing the Lac de Carnau, we turn in the direction of La Sagette, just when the fog begins to cover the mountains and the cold is getting more and more intense, not without first having lunch on a rock above the lake.
But waiting at the last minute to return has its easements and the station is full of tourists trying to get on the next train.. After 45 minutes of waiting mired in the undesirable mischievousness of queues, we climb in extremis to the one that leaves at a quarter to four, although there is no choice but to travel separately if we do not want to wait for the next. The return is cold and unpleasant, sheltered with the first thing we have at hand. We are already satiated with landscapes and, chased by mist, we only think about arriving.
