The Pyrenees is famous for its spectacular mountain scenery, postcard
perfect villages and rural way of life. Trekkers and climbers from around the
world travel here to explore its peaks and valleys. But the most extraordinary
hike in the Pyrenees is completely man-made. In 1660 Louis the 14th decided
to create a supremely powerful navy. Warships required wood and lots of it.
Traditionally the French imported wood for their ships from other European
nations but wars with the British and with the Dutch had dramatically forced
up the price of wood. So France turned to her own reserves here in the Aston Valley.
Three things were needed for a successful logging operation. Roads, rivers and
virgin forests and the ASP had them in abundance. Naval engineers constructed a
network of paths to enable the timber to be brought down from the high forests
and logging got underway in 1677. Woodcutters used ropes, oxen and sliders
to take the lumber down to the river. The timber was then lashed together to form
rafts. These rafts were floated downstream for several days to the port at
Bayonne. From there boats transported the precious cargo to the shipyards. All this
activity came to a crashing halt less than a century later when the logging
company went bankrupt. So the navy put engineer Paul-Marie Loire in charge of
the operation. One of the most important sections of a ship was the mast but only
the straightest and tallest trees could be used. In his quest to find perfect
specimens, Loire turned his attention to the untouched forest of pack between
Etso and Erdos. But before the first tree could be cut a way through the ravine
of Sescuay had to be established. Locals called it the Gorge of Hell. Naval
engineers quickly discovered that access to the trees was blocked by an
insurmountable cliff. So Loire came up with an ingenious engineering solution.
He instructed his men to cut a path into the side of the rock face. They called it
the Chaman de la Mature and when it was completed in 1772 it was over half a
mile in length. Six years later the French Navy cut its last tree in the
Asp Valley. There was nothing left to fail. It wasn't until the 19th century
that the forest recovered from the devastating deforestation wreaked upon
them by the French Navy. Today the Chaman de la Mature is a famous day-long
hike. It also forms part of the GR-10 long-distance footpath that runs the
length of the Pyrenees. It's been great to see all these hillsides covered in
trees again but for me the Chaman de la Mature is a permanent reminder of how
quickly nature's resources can be consumed and how long they can take to return.
