Aulus les Bains to Goulier
The Bassiès Lakes
A first hard climb past flower pasture and old silver workings, then a high pass and the lakes open below.
GR10 Section 6: Aulus les Bains to Mérens
Your walk from
Aulus les Bains to
Mérens
You'll walk 97 kilometres through the Ariège Pyrenees, from a thermal-spa village to a mountain railway station — over the Port de Bassiès and into a chain of high lakes, then along the airy Crête des Isards before the long descent. A route that earns every metre of its 5,550 metres of ascent.
French Pyrenees
France
Trail Essentials
- Start
- Aulus les BainsAriège
- End
- Mérens-les-ValsAriège
- Distance
- 97 km60 miles
- Total Ascent
- 5,550 m18,209 ft
Difficulty
Demanding
Hilliness
Mountainous
Time to Complete
Hiker
5 days ~19 km/day
When to Walk
Best
Good
Avoid
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Section 6 of the GR10 runs 60 miles from Aulus les Bains, a thermal-spa village deep in the Couserans valleys, to Mérens-les-Vals, a stop on the Toulouse–Latour-de-Carol railway. Between them the trail crosses the Ariège Pyrenees — past the Argentières silver workings, over the Port de Bassiès and the chain of Bassiès lakes, through forest cols and the Pla de Montcamp panorama, and out across the Crête des Isards before the final descent. This is high country and committed walking — six days that earn their difficulty.
Walking the GR10 Section 6: Aulus les Bains to Mérens
How The Trail Unfolds
Your trail divides naturally into three parts — not by day, but by the character of the country. You climb first into the lake basin of the Bassiès, drop back through forest cols and a pastoral plateau, then commit to the long high crêtes that carry you to Mérens.
Goulier to Les Cabannes
The Forest Cols
Forest cols and stone hamlets, broken by a long climb to a plateau with a panorama in every direction.
Plateau de Beille to Mérens
The Pyrenean Crest
The trail's highest and most committed section — three cols above 2,000 metres, an airy ridge, and the long drop to Mérens.
Included with every trip
Your personalised
Trail Book
Everything you need for every day of your trail — built around your exact itinerary. Your route, your accommodation, your packing list. Ready before you leave, works offline when you're out there.
Tonight's accommodation
Check-in time, room type, phone number and directions — all in one place
Day-by-day trail description
Route map, elevation profile and written description for each stage
Packing list and pre-trip checklist
Everything you need, nothing you don't. Tick items off as you go
Works offline
Open it once with data and it's yours — no signal needed on the trail
Included with every trip
Your route on every device you use
Your custom GPX file is built around your exact itinerary — day by day, door to door. Load it onto any device or app before you set off and navigate with confidence.
Works with
Talk to a Specialist
Knows the trail. Plans yours.
Craig
Trail Specialist
This section is the one I usually point people to when they want a real Pyrenean week without committing to the full GR10. Six walking days, a thousand metres of ascent on most of them, and two nights in refuges that earn their place in the mountains. Don't underestimate the daily climb.
Craig has spent over ten years in adventure travel — most of it talking walkers through trails like this one. He's helped customers plan their GR10 section by section, knows where people misjudge the daily ascent figures on a Pyrenean week, and has the calls in his pocket from walkers who came back from Mérens the week before.
Ask Craig about the GR10 Section 6: Aulus les Bains to Mérens
If you want to talk through your timing, your fitness, your pace, or anything the planner can't answer — call. Most of our customers do, and Craig's the one who'll answer.
The Practical Side
Before You Book
The things walkers ask us most often — answered plainly, so you don't have to ring to find out.
How fit do I need to be?
You'll want to be comfortable walking 15-20 km a day with sustained ascent — most stages gain 800-1,200 metres on mountain paths, some of them rocky, and Day 2 climbs 1,190 metres in 11 km. The trail crosses cols above 2,300 metres and one day involves a short cable-assisted descent. This is high-mountain walking, not valley walking, and the daily ascent figures are a better measure of difficulty than distance.
When should I walk it?
June to September is the window. The high cols hold snow into late spring — the Crête de la Lhasse sits at 2,439 metres — so May can carry winter conditions on the passes. October is possible in a settled year, but weather turns quickly and refuges start closing. Mid-summer offers the most reliable conditions; September is quieter, with the same long days starting to shorten.
Do you include luggage transfer?
Luggage transfer runs between road-accessible accommodation, up to 20 kg per bag. Two of your overnight stops are mountain refuges — the Refuge de Bassiès and the Refuge de Rulhe — which can only be reached on foot, so you'll carry what you need for those nights yourself. We sort the logistics either side, and your main bag waits for you at the next valley stop.
What kind of accommodation do you book?
Family-run guesthouses, traditional inns, and small hotels in the valley villages — Aulus, Goulier, Siguer, Les Cabannes, Mérens. The two refuge nights at Bassiès and Rulhe are dormitory-style mountain huts with dinner and breakfast included; that's the only option at those altitudes. Where there's a choice, we book en-suite rooms with breakfast.
Can I walk it solo?
Yes. The trail is well waymarked with the GR10's red-and-white stripes, the refuges are friendly places where you'll meet other walkers, and the valley villages have other accommodation if you want company in the dining room. The high mountain sections are the ones to think about: you're far from a road on parts of Day 6 and Day 7, and weather can change quickly. Solo walkers are well used to this terrain, but it's high country and you need to be confident in your own judgement.
What's the realistic total cost?
The Classic package starts at £749 per person for the six-day Hiker pace, based on two people sharing. That covers all accommodation including the two refuge nights, luggage transfer where possible, and your route booking. On the trail you'll want to budget around €25 a day for lunches and drinks, around €20 for the Plateau de Beille shuttle on Day 6, and around €18 for the train back to Toulouse from Mérens at the end.
Still not sure? Ring us on 0131 560 2740 — Craig usually answers.
Still Thinking?
Speak to Craig
If you've scrolled this far, we need to help you get onto this trail. The bit the planner can't help with — "is the pace right for me?", "is August really that busy?", "can we add a rest day in Keswick?" — that's a two-minute phone call. Most people who book the GR10 Section 6: Aulus les Bains to Mérens ring first.