Sources de l'Adour (Tourmalet, La Mongie)

La Mongie (massif du Pic du Midi de Bigorre)

Where does the Adour rise? The answer depends on which source one consults. According to Wikipedia FR, the river rises in the Pic du Midi de Bigorre massif, at the col du Tourmalet, at 2,150 m above sea level, near La Mongie. Wikipedia EN places it at 2,200 m in the commune of Aspin-Aure and calls the roughly 11 km of the upper course the Adour de Payolle. In reality, the river forms in the Campan valley through the joining of three torrents: the Adour de Payolle (Arbizon massif, 2,831 m), the Adour de Gripp (Pic du Midi de Bigorre, 2,876 m) and the Adour de Lesponne (Lascours massif, 2,588 m). The choice of the Tourmalet is therefore a convention. A study by the association Ligne de Partage, cited by Wikipedia, places the source furthest from the ocean on the Arros, a right-bank tributary (332 km), ahead of the Adour de Payolle (314 km): the question of the ‘true’ source remains open. The name itself is said to mean ‘spring’ or ‘watercourse’ in Old Gascon; the Basque Aturri is perhaps related to iturri, ‘spring’, without certainty. As for history, the Adour long changed its mouth (Capbreton, Soustons, Vieux-Boucau) before a diversion in 1578 fixed it at Bayonne. No legend linked to the source was found.

Getting there: The coordinates come from the infobox of the French version of Wikipedia (wikimonde copy): a point at the col du Tourmalet, on the La Mongie side. No precise point was verified on the ground. The col du Tourmalet is a mountain road, generally closed in winter (to be checked). A 4 km walk (1 h 25) from Campan (1,095 m) leads to the ‘sources de l'Adour de Payolle’.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound