The Ariège transhumance celebrates its pastoral heritage on the Beille plateau. Between cowbells and trails, a new 42 km route now links Ariège to Andorra, symbol of a still living mountain link. We tell you.Â
Ariège played one of its most emblematic traditions this weekend. This Saturday, June 6, the village of Cabannes kicked off the rise of the herds towards the summer pastures.
Head to the Beille plateau, perched at nearly 1,800 meters above sea level, where cowbells have echoed for centuries to the rhythm of transhumance. An ancestral custom which continues to make the heart of the Pyrenees beat and brings together locals and visitors alike.
“A culture of mountain people”
For Philippe Lacube, Gascon cow breeder and president of the Chamber of Agriculture, this meeting remains above all that of departure for the summer pastures. “The animals will spend four months there with those of the other breeders in the village. Like everywhere in the Ariège mountains, it is a collective transhumance which brings together cows, sheep and horses”, he wishes to point out. A traditional climb, symbol of an activity which shapes the landscapes and still gives rhythm to life in the Ariège mountains.
“It’s a culture, pastoralism. A culture of the people of these mountains, who have preserved values of respect for elders, listening and transmission. These are the values that we want to share”, summarizes Philippe Lacube.
So, from early in the morning, families, hikers and curious people gathered along the road to watch the herd pass by. Some accompanied the animals to the high altitude pastures, while others came to immortalize this scene which had become a real Ariège postcard. Everyone was there to bear witness to a mountain identity that is still very much alive.
Inauguration of a 42 km route linking Ariège to Andorra
In parallel with this climb to the summer pastures, another highlight took place this Saturday June 6 with the inauguration of the first cross-border itinerary “Chemin de la transhumance – Estives”, linking the Beille plateau to the Val d’Incles, in Andorra.
A project carried out jointly by the department of Ariège and the Andorran government, on the occasion of the International Year of Pastoralism 2026. Departing from the Beille plateau, this new hiking route extends over nearly 42 kilometers, with up to 2,500 meters of positive altitude difference. The route, which can be completed in several stages, includes the refuges of Rulhe, on the French side, and Juclar, on the Andorran side. It also crosses several remarkable natural spaces in the heart of the Pyrenees, offering hikers an immersion in landscapes shaped for centuries by pastoral activity.
“It is the herds that lead men”
“There have always been close historical links beyond the mountains. The men and women of these territories have always met, have always shared,” recalls Philippe Lacube, also president of the chamber of agriculture.
A vision widely shared by Christine Tqui, president of the Ariège departmental council. “It is the herds that lead the men, not the opposite. They shape the landscapes and the paths. This transhumance path connects Ariège to Andorra and concretizes our desire to carry out cooperation projects together,” she explains. “At the heart of this path, there is pastoralism, transhumance and everything that allows us to transmit our common history.”
“A link between two neighboring territories”
On the Andorran side, the heritage dimension of this route was particularly highlighted. Present at the inauguration, Guillem Casal Font, Minister of the Environment, Agriculture and Livestock and spokesperson for the Andorran government, sees in this project “a link between two neighboring territories which share the same mountains”.
“Long before being a hiking route, these passages were used by herds, but also by the inhabitants of the valleys, dozens, even hundreds of years ago. The ports of Siguer, Orlu and Incles have always been places of passage, places of connection and sharing. Today, this route raises awareness among the general public about pastoralism, essential to the preservation of mountain territories,” explains the minister.
