Lac d'Oô, ancien lac de Séculéjo

Oô

The Lac d'Oô lies in the commune of Oô, near Bagnères-de-Luchon, at an altitude of 1,505 to 1,507 m depending on the sources, just above 1,500 m. A glacial lake, it became artificial with a dam begun in 1918 and completed in 1921, which raised it by 10 m and brought it to 13 million m³ to supply the Oô hydroelectric power station. Until the 19th century, it was called the lac de Séculéjo. Its present name is said to come from the Gascon iu or èu, ‘high mountain lake’: ‘lac d'Oô’ is therefore, etymologically, a repetition. It attracted visitors from the 19th century. Professor Nérée Boubée conducted physical and geological experiments there and published accounts in 1831 and 1832. In 1834, the former soldier and painter Louis-François Lejeune gave a romantic vision of it, ‘if not a very exact one’, says Wikipedia, a painting kept in the musée des Augustins in Toulouse. The lake lies on the Oô summer pasture, where sheep and cows graze in summer.

Getting there: From the granges d'Astau (1,139 m, end of the road) by the GR 10: about 1 h (Wikipedia); 6.6 km round trip, 413 m of ascent, about 3 h (Geotrek 65). Summer shuttle from Luchon (Wikipedia). Mountain hike, check the weather. Coordinates: Wikipedia.

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

Ambient sound