Photo : Jean-Christophe BENOIST / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)
Pont d'Espagne
The Pont d'Espagne occupies a remarkable natural site at about 1,500 metres' altitude, in the commune of Cauterets in the Hautes-Pyrénées. Its name comes from the little bridge that, from the Middle Ages, let flocks and goods cross the torrent on the old road linking France to Spain through the Pyrenean passes.
The site owes its fame to the spectacular confluence of several torrents flowing down from the surrounding glacial valleys, which meet here in a succession of waterfalls and pools of rushing water in the middle of a forest of mountain pines. Part of the protected area of the Pyrenees National Park, it is one of the busiest entrances to the massif.
From the Pont d'Espagne, several hiking paths radiate towards the surrounding heights, including the one leading to Lac de Gaube, one of the most popular in the area. A cable car also shortens the climb from the car park below. Summer remains the most favourable season, snow lastingly covering the site the rest of the year.
