Tour of Aspe Valley

Osse-en-Aspe, with a current population of 333, is located in the Aspe Valley. The valley floor is at an elevation of 1300-1500 feet above sea level. Three other villages and a couple of hamlets share the valley. Bedous is the largest village with a population of 550, followed by Accous with 447, and Lees-Athas with 291. Coming south from Pau and Oloron-St. Marie on the highway to Spain one encounters Sarrance, a village of 251, about 4 miles north of Bedous and the beginning of the glacial valley of the Aspe River. Accous is about 2 miles south of Bedous and near the southern end of the small valley before one enters the narrow gorge of the river, leading to small hamlets like Cette-Eygun (pop.81) and Borce (pop. 174). The satellite map below shows only the valley with Osse, Bedous, Accous and Lees-Athas.

Satellite Osse-en-Aspe Image

The valley is surrounded by the Pyrenees Mountains and picturesque hamlets like Lescun (pop. 97), situated on a famous mountain hiking path, and Aydius (pop. 102) to the east of Bedous. The mountains near Aydius rise up to approximately 7200 feet and to the south of Lescun they reach 7900 feet.

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Looking east from north of Osse across the valley to Bedous(break in mountains to the east has a road leading up to the hamlet of Aydius).

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Looking east from Osse across the valley to the village of Accous,about 2 miles south of Bedous.

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Looking south from Osse down the valley to where main road going south to Spain enters the narrow river gorge of the Aspe River (on Satellite map E 134).

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Looking southeast from Osse across the valley. Note figure of a man cut into the grass. The jump off for parasailing is from the mountains to the right.

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Close-up of figure cut into the grass just north of Accous. Road to the right leads up into the mountains where parasailing begins south of Accous. The landing site for parasailing is in the foreground.

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Isolated farm near the pass of the narrow road going west out of Osse (on Satellite map D 442).

Views of Bedous

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Square in Bedous looking towards Catholic Church and Community Center (Church in foreground and Community Center with two towers in background. In a picture below is the Laclede home. The Laclede family was Catholic but provided protection to the Protestants of Osse. David Latourrette’s daughter Marie and sister to Jean Latourrette married Jean de Laclede March 5, 1685 in Osse. See story of David Latourrette on this site.)

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Another picture of church and community center in Bedous.

Laclede Lotissment

Ancient home of the Laclede Family of Bedous, France in which Marie Latourrette (b.ca.1661 in Osse-d. 1731 in Bedous), married to Jean Laclede (b.22 Nov 1660-d. 1 Jan 1725, both in Bedous)lived after marriage of March 5, 1685 in Osse.

The grandson of Marie and Jean, Pierre Leclede (b.1729, Bedous-d.1778 on Mississippi River) was the founder of St. Louis, MO.

Currently the Maison Laclede is a 4-5 Star B & B located on Lotissement Laclede, off a short street in Bedous. Lotissement Laclede (Housing estate of Laclede).

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Square in Bedous

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Market day (Thursdays) in Bedous square

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Original main road through Bedous. Now bypassed by E 134 to the west. See Satellite map.

Views of Aydius

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The entrance to Aydius at the end of the main road going east from Bedous. The street going off to the right from the parking lot returns in the center where there is a no entrance sign. Madame Gilberte Gaubil’s house is in the center of the picture to the right of the no-entrance sign. A small auberge (inn-restaurant) is to the left across the street.

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Aydius hanging on the side of the mountain. Son Marc walking across to parking lot.

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Curious building with lettering in Aydius.

Si le Seigneur ne bâtit Lui-même la maison, c'est en vain que travaillent les bâtisseurs. Psalm 127.

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The small Aydius church silhouetted against the mountains. (Note valley below.)

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A memorial seen in all these villages of the men killed in the two major wars. Twenty-six men in Aydius who died in WWI represent about half of the village’s men.

Southern End of Aspe Valley

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The Aspe River has it flows north out of the narrow gorge at the southern end of the valley.

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Hydro-electric plant at this location.

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Road going south to Spain entering into the Aspe River gorge.

Cette-Eygun

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Cette-Eygun is the combined hamlet of Cette and Eygun. Eygun is in the narrow gorge about two miles south of the hydro-electric plant (above). Cette sits on the mountain side several hundred feet above Eygun where about 40 people live.

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On the north end of Cette is a Catholic Church.

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On the south end of Cette is the small Chateau D’Arance.

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Looking south from Cette towards Spain and up the narrow gorge.

Lescun

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Just south of the beginning of the Aspe Gorge one can turn right and climb to the small hamlet of Lescun. The picture shows the rugged mountains just south Lescun.

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Looking out south from Lescun to the mountains.

The Spanish Border

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Going to the Spanish border where the roads separate and the old road climbs over the pass and the new road goes through a tunnel. Spain to the left and France to the right.