Photo : Benh LIEU SONG / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Le Cirque de Lescun
The Lescun cirque is a vast limestone amphitheatre in the Aspe valley, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, sculpted by ancient glaciers. Its jagged ridges earn it the nickname "Dolomites of the Pyrenees". The Aiguilles d'Ansabère, peaking at 2,360 metres, are one of its jewels; the Pic d'Ansabère is accessible to hikers, while the Petite and Grande Aiguille are reserved for mountaineers.
The village of Lescun, at about 900 metres' altitude, is the usual starting point. Part of the cirque lies within the core zone of the Pyrenees National Park, where regulation is strict, and the whole is classified as a ZNIEFF.
Pastures, beech woods and cliffs follow one another around the village. Paths lead notably to the Ansabère huts and to the foot of the needles, with the Pic d'Anie, the region's high point, as a backdrop.
