Four bike riding friends from Holland spent a week at Josy and Yann’s beautifully refurbished bergerie, using it as a base for daily cycling trips into the high mountains. When after a 14-hour drive from Amsterdam we arrived on Saturday evening at le Sarrat de Bon, Yosy and Yann were waiting for us with their Suzuki 4-wheel drive, to lead us to the bergerie in the valley below. They gave us the usual tour around the house, but also left a generous goodie basket (baguette, pain de campagne, plus local jam, cake and cheeses). As the suspension of our car had broken down, it had to be towed to Tarbes, on Sunday. The replacement car wasn’t delivered until Wednesday (!). Of course we weren’t prepared for this, so after an improvised meal on Saturday evening and a breakfast that disposed of most of the goodies we ran out of food and drink. And we had no transport, so it would be complicated to eat out (where do you leave the bikes, how do you get back in the dark) or do some shopping with rucksacks. That Sunday evening we were saved by Yann, who delivered a complete dinner (with the compliments of Josy) at the bergerie. Chicken with potatoes, bread, wine and a cake for dessert. In addition our hosts generously lent us a car, enabling us to do a huge load of shopping at the Intermarché in Tarbes. When finally the replacement car arrived we could drive to the mountains that couldn’t be covered by bike from the bergerie. And on Thursday we could pick up the repaired car, in time for the trip back home. Summing up: We enjoyed our bike rides in the mountains, the beautiful ever changing scenery, the majestic vultures, the quietness, the lovely, roomy house (in particular the well-equipped kitchen). But the warmth and help from Josy and Yann certainly made our stay extra unforgettable.
Thanks again!
‘Pein Amme Naet’, Alex, Martijn, Michael and Peter