MAPS
 

BOOKS

Scroll down and click on a title link for a price comparison between the above leading online retailers.

GR107 - In the Footsteps of the Cathars  - Covers the 220km cross-Pyrenees route from Foix in France to Berga in Catalunya, across the Col du Puymorens. Maps in colour, including extracts from 1:50,000 topographic survey from the Servicio Geografico del Ejercito, the Spanish military survey organisation. Published June 10

Pyrenees and Andorra Rough Guide Map - The Pyrennes is one of Europe's most spectacular mountain regions with attractions and activities ranging from the magnificent Cathar castles in the eastern Pyrenees to the high-altitude lakes and hiking opportunities on offer throughout. The Rough Guide map will make exploring the region by car that much simpler with information on all the routes from the main roads to unsurfaced tracks. The map pinpoints the location of many attractions and places of interest, including spas, Romanesque churches, castles and outstanding natural features. As with all the maps in the Rough Guides series, this map is made of rip-proof, waterproof Polyart paper, durable enough to survive a trip spent in the car glove box or rucksack. Published May 05. Limited availability.

Pays Basque East: Soule-Basse Navarre. Published June 06

The Pyrenees: The High Pyrenees from the Cirque De Lescun to the Carlit Massif, Kev Reynolds - An extensive introduction gives all the practical advice and information needed for planning a trip. It offers a background to the mountains and their exploration, and provides a snapshot of the range with sections that help the reader focus on specific areas of activity, and suggests where best to exercise that activity. It also lists all the Pyrenean 3000m summits and their location. Published June 04

Pyrenean Haute Route: A High-level Trail, Ton Joosten - The Pyrenean High Level Route takes the highest possible route through the centre of the Pyrenees, crossing the French/Spanish border many times. It is probably the most beautiful, spectacular and challenging walk in the Pyrenees, and this new guide from Ton Joosten breaks the unwaymarked 800km route into 42 stages in five groups. Published May 09.

The Way of St. James, Alison Raju - The Way of St James from Le Puy-en-Velay in the Haute Loire to the City of the Apostle in Galicia is a long-distance footpath with a difference. People have been walking it - as a pilgrimage route - for over a thousand years and it has changed little in all that time. It still passes through the same villages, climbs the same hills, crosses the same rivers and visits the same chapels, churches, cathedrals and monuments. Many of those who walk the route are not experienced walkers. This updated guide to the French section of the route - the 730km Pilgrim Road from Le Puy-en-Velay to the Pyrenees - provides all the information they will need to tackle it. As well as detailed route descriptions, practical information is provided about places to visit, shops, bars, restaurants and accommodation. This new edition offers extra route description from St Jean Pied de Port to Pamplona and also St Palais to Irun to join the Camino del Norte. It also includes a unique and comprehensive listing of St James and other pilgrim references along the way. Published March 10

For more on Way of St James, see North Spain Books

The Mountains of Andorra: Walks, Scrambles, Via Ferratas and Treks, Alf Roberton and Jane Meadowcroft - This is the first complete English-language guide to exploring the mountains of the accessible but mysterious country of Andorra, tucked away between France and Spain. With 80 mountain lakes and a host of elegant peaks the principality offers a breathtaking range of walks in a compact area. Easily accessible from the UK, Andorra's inexpensive accommodation, excellent bus service, adequate maps and cheap food, make it an inviting walking destination. The guide is written by an experienced guiding and writing team, and details 60 routes throughout the country. The routes include numerous walks, with scrambles and straightforward peaks, plus some via ferratas and the week-long Andorra Circuit trek. Published April 05

Rough Guide to the Pyrenees - The Rough Guide to the Pyrenees is the only guidebook available to the entire region, covering both the French and Spanish sides of this spectacular region, from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. A full-colour section introduces the author's pick of the attractions, from relaxing in the picturesque spa towns to watching the Tour de France wind up the mountains. There are detailed listings of the best places to eat, drink and stay, from boutique hotels in Biarritz to the most remote mountain refuges. For the outdoor enthusiast there are exhaustive accounts of the walking and climbing routes available and information on the host of other activities available, including skiing, paragliding, rafting, cycling and horse riding. There is also expansive coverage of all the cultural highlights including the prehistoric cave art at Ariege and an accessible history of the region from prehistory to the current day. Published Aug 07

The Freedom Trail: Following one of the hardest wartime escape routes across the central Pyrenees into Northern Spain, Scott Goodall. Published April 05. Limited availability

Trekking in the Pyrenees, Douglas Streatfield-James -  Contains all the main trails along the France-Spain border from the famous GR10 coast to coast hike and most scenic sections of the GR11, to many shorter routes. 80 route maps include walking times and places to stay. Published Feb 05. Limited availablity.

Pyrenees, Landscape Series, Paul Jenner & Christine Smith - This pocket-size full colour guide covers car tours, walks and picnic in the entire range - France, Spain and Andorra. There are well over 400 kilometres (250 miles) of walks in this guide, the equivalent of a coast-to-coast traverse - one of the 'classics' for all serious walkers. But you don't have to be an expert walker for any of hikes we describe. None of them requires special skills (under summer conditions), and there are short walk suggestions with most of the itineraries). Experienced and fit walkers will nevertheless find much to enjoy, for we have included some of the wildest scenery in the Pyrenees, walked pilgrim routes and World War 2 escape routes, climbed to summits (like Canigou), enjoyed the habitat of marmots, vultures and lizards (the Pyrenean chamois), and not neglected the great and the famous (like the Breche de Roland). Touring maps covering the entire range; 1:50,000 topo maps for the walks. Public transport information; online update service for the latest information. Published March 11

Basque Country (Landscapes), Philip Cooper - Many believe the Basque Country to be the home of Europe's oldest race and surviving language. This is the first guide to bring together walks and tours in this region of Spain and France, which runs east from Bilbao to Biarritz and takes in famous places like Pamplona and stages on the Way of St James to Santiago de Compostela. The entire Basque coast is mostly very rugged, with many thriving fishing towns and villages, plus the added attraction of splendid beaches. Inland the countryside is more mountainous, with lush green countryside. Published May10

Walks and Climbs in the Pyrenees, Kev Reynolds - to celebrate the 30th birthday of this now classic guide, the book has been given a complete make-over. While the content of this 5th edition has been thoroughly updated and expanded, it is the new presentation that catches the eye, with colour maps and photos that can now do full justice to this spectacular mountain region. This is THE definitive work on the area - a veritable bible of information packed full of detail on the valleys, peaks, glaciers, lakes and mountain huts of the range. The mighty 416 pages include 170 walks, multi-day routes and moderate ascents of some of the principal summits in the central and high Pyrenees. Published Feb 08.

Backpacks, Boots and Baguettes, A Walk in the Pyrenees, Simon Calder & Mick Webb - The Pyrenees stretches 900 kilometres, from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean coasts, and provides some of the most breathtakingly beautiful landscape to be found in Europe. This rocky ridge rides the cusp between three cultures: French, Spanish and Basque - each having its own rich and passionately defended identity - and every year tens of thousands of visitors sample its unique delights. TV presenter Simon Calder is an enthusiastic fan of this spectacular mountain range and, being a keen walker, delights in the well-plotted hiking routes that traverse the region. Along with friend and colleague, BBC radio producer Mick Webb, he steps out to conquer the roof of the Pyrenees. They follow the time-honoured tradition of walking the G10, the preferred route of the fiercely independent -and, at times eccentric - French Ramblers' Federation. Testing a hiker's emotional resilience as keenly as his walking boots, the G10 is not for the faint-hearted. Weaving an occasionally treacherous, always exhilarating trajectory through a landscape of strong traditions and strange animals, Calder and Webb narrate an eventful and humorous travelogue that will delight keen hikers and armchair travellers alike. Published Dec 04

Through the Spanish Pyrenees: GR11, a Long Distance Footpath, Paul Lucia - Walking in the Pyrenees continues to increase in popularity, often as an alternative to the well-known areas of the Alps. A combination of spectacular peaks, glistening tarns, deep valleys and expanses of wild beauty make the range a good choice for the adventurous walker. The GR11 is a high-level mountain trail on tracks and footpaths, affectionately known as "La Senda" (The Track). It crosses the Pyrenees from coast to coast on the Spanish side of the border with France (mirroring the French counterpart, GR10). Whilst the few previously known centres have boomed in popularity, there remain vast areas of true wilderness, with abundant opportunities for secluded wild camping. The route is divided into 46 day stages and described from east to west with clear mapping and a useful accommodation and facilities list. Published Feb 08

Pyrenees: The Finest Valley and Mountain Walks: Spanish Central Pyrenees: Panticosa - Benasque v. 1, Rother Guide Published Oct 02

Pyrenees 3: Spanish East Pyrenees, Rother Guide Published May 05

Walk! Andorra, David Charles - Andorra - the new destination for walkers with high-altitude ambitions. Charles Davis' introduction to the principality and his inspirational walk descriptions will soon have you hooked on taking a Spring/Summer/Autumn break high in the Pyrenees. 30 fully detailed walking route itineraries include two two-day hikes overnighting in beautiful Andorran refuges. Each walking route itinerary includes:- walking route summary; ratings for Effort, Time, Distance, Ascents/Descents, Refreshments and Vertigo risk; fully detailed walk description, including frequent timings to aid navigation and check your progress; GPS Waypoints at every key point on every route for pin-point navigational accuracy; full colour 1:40,000 scale map of the route; and short walk and stroll alternatives. There are some easy routes. There are some challenging routes for fit experts. With Charles Davis' excellent walk descriptions you'll know which routes are for you - and all of them are a true adventure. Andorra is best known as a winter package destination but "Walk! Andorra" is the other Andorra of a traditional, timeless, romantic, landlocked principality high in the Pyrenees, the Andorra of independent character and a cheerful contempt for other people's frontiers, of smugglers' paths and high mountain passes, of medieval villages and remote refuges, the Andorra of a thousand lakes, of tumbling torrents, towering peaks, splendid vistas, meadows full of wild flowers, and some of the finest paths in the Pyrenees. In addition to the walking "Walk! Andorra" includes comprehensive background information on the principality and accommodation, mountain biking routes, history and legends, and even what to do when you are not walking. "Walk! Andorra" - a modern classic from Charles Davis, the new 'rock star' of mountain walking. Published March 05