Maison Garrigou

Superbly situated in the Barousse valley, our Bertren guest house is named ‘Maison Garrigou’ in honour of Gustave Garrigou, winner of the 1911 Tour de France, 5-time podium finisher and 8-time stage winner. Most importantly of all, in 1910 Garrigou became the first man ever to successfully summit the Col du Tourmalet without having to get off at some point and walk.

The property is a restored French farmhouse dating back to 1877. With six bedrooms, five bathrooms, a dining hall, separate guest kitchen/sitting room, TV lounge, free wi-fi access, a tooled bike workshop and generous patio area. It provides you with a stay that combines comfort, practicality and rustic charm in equal measure. The property provides single, twin, double and triple rooms, there is also a
 self-contained gîte with two bedrooms for a little more seclusion.

Based as we are, you’re not going to find yourself stuck near the summit of a ‘killer climb’ with no option other than to ride up and down the thing every morning & evening to get anywhere. Rather, you’ll be in a superb cycling valley, peppered with roads leading off either side towards some of the best climbs in the world.

There is plenty of space at the dinner tables, so mealtimes are usually a great social occasion where tall tales of riding heroism get exchanged over a good meal and a beer or glass of wine.

If you’d prefer a self-catering arrangement, or if you’d simply like to be able to boil a kettle or make a sandwich after a ride, then the self-contained guest kitchen provides a 4-ring gas hob and oven, two refrigerators, tea & coffee making facilities and plenty of cutlery and crockery. Plus a farmhouse dining table for four and comfy chairs for another four people who might just be chewing over the adventures of the day rather than using the TV lounge.