Following the subtle plug given to Chipps and Beate's gite in FGF600(?), my wife and I booked a five day stay. Just got back this morning and wanted to report that (1) Chipps and Beate are great hosts, overseen by Jess the dog. They were helpful and gave us loads of info on places to see, history of the area etc. (2) The gite is lovely. We stayed in the romantic double I believe it was refered to and it was great. Bright and airy, well equiped, quiet and charming. (3) The area is fantastic! There are tree clad Pyrenean peaks wherever you look. The road past the gite climbs eventually to the Col de Mantet, and the drive and the views are equally jaw-dropping. Just across the valley (a 10 minute ride?) is a ridge covered in tracks and official biking trails. The Strava heatmap shows an almost inexhaustible amount of stuff to discover!
It wasn't a cycling holiday so I didn't have my bike, but I did take my riding kit in case a rental opportunity arose. In Vernet-les-Bains I found a tiny rental operation (Velok Aventure) that supplied me with a Lapierre ebike. Chipps kindly took some time out of his schedule and showed me some of the local trails, which was awesome! (We saw three other riders and this apparently qualifies as hectic.) I'm not sure the Chipps Tour is part of the Airbnb package but it was very appreciated, as was the post-ride beer a little later.
I guess the highest praise I can give is to say I would love to go back. The vibe and quality of the gite, the scenery and the riding potential all add up to a very tempting temptation!
(Not sponsored in any way,just wanted to share my experience and recommend Les Hirondelles.)
Sounds nice 👍🏻
Chipps kindly took some time out of his schedule and showed me some of the local trails
I bet that took some consideration!
Sounds ace
SOunds perfect for an adventure for next year... our buddy in Orgiva no longer does renting/trips, so we need somewhere new that's warm and sunny for a blokes trip.
I remember driving a hire car up the dirt track almost to the top of Pic Canigou (20 years ago). I don't suppose that's encouraged anymore?😃
Ha! I too drove a hire car a very long way up Canigou. Probably 25 years ago. It was a Cavalier.
