The Pyrenees, France
If you opt for the Friday-evening hop from Gatwick to Toulouse, you will arrive just in time for a nightcap at the Hotel Mermoz. Early next morning, take the train (the only one of the day) south to Luchon, a spa town that sits just on the French side of the Pyrenees. It comprises a collection of country lanes, woodland tracks and mountain paths, and traverses the north-south flowing valleys, lifting you from one community to the next. The lift, of course, is provided squarely by your legs, which will be tested to their limits on the ten-hour haul to Fos (including summitting the 2,193m Pic de la Bacanère). But ample gratification is provided by the scattering of delicate blooms in an alpine meadow and the absurdity of hopping from one nation to the other as you walk along the Franco-Spanish frontier, and the joy of removing your boots, and tucking into cuisine de terroir at the end of the day. Rest weary limbs at La Petite Auberge de Luchon, which is much more comfortable than its name (and one-star rating) would suggest. Day two is up to you: either head north to enjoy Sunday in Toulouse, tucking into a cultural feast, then a good lunch, before catching the afternoon flight home. Or put in another ten hours of hard walking to the next valley. You end up in Eylie, an old mining town that is now hiking HQ, where you should find a ride to St Girons and an onward bus to Toulouse. Another overnight, another early start but with a 7.45am arrival at Gatwick, no one in the office should notice you’ve been on a high-altitude weekend.
Hours from London: Two and a half
Travel modes: Flight, bus and train
Number of nights away: Three
A double room at the Hotel Mermoz (+33 (0)61 63 04 04, hotel-mermoz.com) starts from €120 (£81) per night. Contact La Petite Auberge de Luchon on +33 (0)5 61 79 02 88. BA flies to Toulouse from London Gatwick. Visit ba.com
