Published by Lyn on 25 August 2015
We stayed with Caroline and Andy at Les Dix Arches B&B in Bagnères-de-Bigorre during last year's Tour de France. Here's why we liked it.
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Les Dix Arches (Allez Pyrenees)
2 Rue Emilien Frossard, 65200 Bagnères-de-Bigorre (Hautes-Pyrénées, Midi-Pyrénées)
Map
+33 (0) 5 62 91 21 98
Click here to book
Caroline and Andy both gave up successful careers in London to move to France, and it’s hard now to imagine either of them suited up and stressed out working 9 to 5 jobs.
It’s here in Bigorre-de Bagneres that you’ll find their friendly B&B and the steady stream of cyclists who use it as a base from which to ride the biggest and best cols on the Pyrenees.
They may have had the good fortune to find a place for sale in a town so synonymous with cycling that the Tour de France visits almost every year, but what they’ve done with it has nothing to do with luck and everything to do with hard work and foresight.
This is a place run for cyclists by cyclists – all the little boxes are ticked when it comes to keeping two-wheeled warriors happy: breakfasts are delicious and hearty evening meals are available on request, bike hire (and repairs etc) can be arranged locally, Andy’s workshop looks more like a bike shop than a garage, and maps are produced well before you can finished a sentence that starts with “Which way…?”
5 things we liked
1) Location! Tourmalet, Aspin, Hourquette, Peyresourde ... need I go on?
2) Privacy. The rooms all have their own access and keys, so you don’t feel like you’re coming and going through Andy and Caroline’s house all the time.
3) Bunting. There are no half measures if you stay with Caroline and Andy at Tour time (though book early as rooms fill up fast). Expect something like this:
And this:
4) There’s an outdoor spa/jacuzzi for tired muscles.
5) Caroline recommended the Il Capitello pizzeria and we went back (three times). The kids loved sitting at the outside tables and watching the pizzas being made through the window. Either go early or book, as it gets busy during summer (it also does takeout).
Les Dix Arches
2 Rue Emilien Frossard, 65200 Bagnères-de-Bigorre
+33 (0)5 62 91 21 98
Click here to book
More bike-friendly places to stay in France