In the heart of the Pyrenees National Park, the Gaube cable-car takes you up to the lake of the same name. It occupies an austerely harmonious site with in the distance the rock face of the Vignemale massif dotted with hanging glaciers. Follow the left bank of the lake after the Hôtellerie (Haute Route des Pyrénées trail) to see the Pique Longue du Vignemale, the highest point (3,298m/10,810ft) in this border range running from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, and for a fine view of the valley.