Cabane pastorale de l'Orri Soula Couloumé
The place
An unstaffed pastoral hut set at 2,198 m in the commune of Mérens-les-Vals (Haute-Ariège), 750 m northwest of the Refuge des Bésines (1,980 m). The name evokes the "orris" — small traditional dry-stone huts used for making summer-pasture cheese throughout the Pyrenean range. Reserved for shepherds during the summer grazing season from June to October. Free and requiring no booking during this occupation period. A remarkable location in the high Ariège valleys, in the transition zone between Haute-Ariège and the Pic Carlit (2,921 m). An exceptional mineral and lake landscape: subalpine meadows, glacial lakes (Étang des Bésines nearby, Pla des Bésines), mountain pine forests. Iconic wildlife: chamois, marmot (reintroduced in 1948), golden eagle, bearded vulture, capercaillie, Pyrenean brown bear occasionally reported. A stage on the trails of the Ariège Pyrenees Regional Nature Park and the HRP (Haute Route Pyrénéenne).
Getting there
From Mérens-les-Vals (Ariège), 750 m northwest of the Refuge des Bésines. Reserved for shepherds June-October.
The setting
Haute-Ariège (Mérens-les-Vals), near the Étang des Bésines, Ariège Pyrenees Regional Nature Park.
