Family days out from Clos Mirabel Manor B&B, Pau, France
by Heather
3 minutes 40 seconds read.

POSTCARD FROM CLOS MIRABEL – Guest blog

When it came to ideas for fun family days out during our short break at Clos Mirabel Manor B&B and Holiday Rentals in the Pyrenees, we were literally spoilt for choice. There were so many things on our see-and-do list that we really needed three weeks instead of the three days we had.

That said, we managed:

A lovely walk around the medieval streets of Pau including the Boulevard des Pyrenees,

A visit to the Grottes de Betharram (the kids LOVED the “runaway train” ride at the end),

Several hours of splashing about at Caliceo Spa (warmer than your average bath) and

A wander round Lourdes where we discovered ice-cream that tasted exactly like Parma Violets!

The highlight of our stay, however, was taking our two young sons (aged 4 and 7) up their very first mountain for a spot of snow ‘sports’. I use the term ‘sports’ very loosely here.

My husband was a keen skier in his former life (aka pre kids) and had tried on many occasions to convince me of the virtues of whizzing down a mountain on two spatulas. The answer was always a resounding no. I don’t like heights. I hate being cold. And I can barely walk in a straight line. What hope would there be for me on a snow covered mountain?

However, given the proximity of Clos Mirabel to the Pyrenees mountains and the fact that our youngest son had never experienced snow we took the opportunity to head off to Gourette ski resort less than an hour away from Clos Mirabel B&B and Holiday Lets. Luckily we had planned ahead and packed snow boots, waterproofs, hats and gloves.

The journey from Clos Mirabel in Jurancon/Pau to Gourette was simply mesmerising. As the designated driver for the entire holiday I only got snatched glimpses of the mountains as they loomed ever closer but what I did see took my breath away. Who knew mountains were so BIG!?

Unfortunately things took a slight turn for the worse when we reached the mountain and I found myself navigating up a long narrow winding road with a sheer open drop to the right. Onwards and upwards we drove (nervously) along increasingly narrower dirt roads until we eventually hit a dead end.

The sat nav, it turns out, had no idea where it was going so (HORROR!) we had to make the same treacherous journey back down the mountain and find our way to Gourette the good old fashioned way, following road signs.

Thankfully Gourette is well signposted and we finally made it to the resort where our adventure began with a hair raising cable car ride up from the car park to the slopes.

The wonderful thing about Gourette is that it welcomes families with open arms. They have a beginner’s ski area called Happy Place with gentle slopes, fun installations, a conveyor lift and a chairlift. Here you can learn the ropes in complete safety.

For us, however, the day wasn’t about learning anything new. It was about having fun in the snow. So armed with a couple of sledges that we purchased at the resort for less than 10 Euros each, we headed for a toboggan slope and spent several wonderful hours just enjoying the snow. We built snowmen … then smashed into them at speed on our sledges amid squeals of laughter and glee. We threw snowballs, made snow angels and snow ramps and raced each other up and down the slopes. We had the best snow fun ever surrounded by the most exquisite backdrop of snow covered mountains. Gourette very quickly found a little place in my heart.

The only downer of the day was when we tried to book the toboggan snake or ‘Snake Gliss’ which we had been saving for last. The Snake Gliss is a series of single person sleds that fit together (like a train) so the whole family can whizz down the mountain together at speed! We should have booked a day in advance (d’oh) but we know for next time. And next time we’ll also book some dog sledding and some beginner’s lessons for the boys … and maybe for me too.

The ski season in Gourette runs from 8th Dec until the 15th of April (approx)Clos Mirabel Manor and Holiday Lets is open all year round