# The Pyrenees - We saw Beamots!



## peejay (May 10, 2005)

Not long back from a 7 week trip abroad including a trip across the Pyrenees.

We stayed at Gavarnie and had a drive up to the Pic de Tentes mountain range that borders Spain. On the ascent we spotted a beaver and were amazed at our luck, then up a bit further and another one, then another, couldn't believe it. They are very shy though, as soon as you get the camera out they are off like a shot but I managed to get a few.

First photo, he's there somewhere...










Just before he scampered off....










First close up...










Best one of the day - on lookout....










Ok the photo's aren't brilliant but it was a real treat to see them in the wild.

.....oh, and who said aires are just overcrowded carparks? Our stoppover before the ascent....










....and the second evening down in the town....










Both stoppovers are in the database.

The Pyrenees is definately on the list for a return trip 

Pete


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## CandA (May 1, 2005)

*Beaver?*

Looks like a marmot to us? Right location for them too. Beautiful animals and good photos, so enjoy them whatever they are!


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

Thanks, as you can tell, i'm a bit of an authority on Pyrenean wildlife :lol: 

I googled it and thought they were European Beavers but what do I know, Marmots will do me, whatever they are they were brilliant to watch.

Pete


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## caulkhead (Jul 25, 2007)

Sorry to rain on your parade, but they are definately Marmots. Beavers rarely venture far away from water and fast flowing mountain streams are a long way from the kind of habitat that they need. Similar looking though and an easy mistake to make.

Caulkhead


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## rayrecrok (Nov 21, 2008)

Hmm.

Damn, wrong beaver!.. :lol: :lol: :lol: If it was in Sweden well...


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

Thanks all, I've changed the heading to cover all options 8) 

Ray - Beavers, divers, lets not go there :lol: 

Pete


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## CandA (May 1, 2005)

Hi again
They are lovely to watch - the alps are a good place to see them too.
Fantastic photos - makes us yearn for the Pyrenees.
CandA


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## crizatuk (Apr 20, 2011)

hiya nice picks, am going down to Spain in september but want to go over the Pyrenees whats the best route??


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## Andysam (May 10, 2005)

Personally, I'm shocked that you could mistake a beaver for anything else.


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## Codfinger (Jan 11, 2008)

Yup defo a Marmot I expect you heard their whistling calls? 
Chris


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

> hiya nice picks, am going down to Spain in september but want to go over the Pyrenees whats the best route??


Depends where in Spain you're heading I suppose, Our toll free route was (loosely)...

A16 down to Boulogne, get off autoroute and follow the D901 to Abbeville, A28 Rouen, D6015 around Rouen onto N154 Dreux, Evreux, Chartres, then N10/N910 Tours, Poitiers, Angouleme, then A630/A63 around Bordeaux.

From there you can continue down the west coast toll free or head inland via A65 and across via Pau.

We carried on down to Biarritz and meandered across the Pyrenees to the Med.

We tried to avoid tolls at all costs as we're not in a rush but theres probably much better routes to be had depending on where in Spain you're heading and depending on your toll budget.

Pete


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## Don_Madge (May 1, 2005)

CandA said:


> Hi again
> They are lovely to watch - the alps are a good place to see them too.
> Fantastic photos - makes us yearn for the Pyrenees.
> CandA


Hi C & A,

We took these pic back in 1992 at the Refuge de la Selle situated at 2673 metres in the Ecrins Nation Park above the Venion Valley.

We did actually hand feed the marmots but I can't find the photo's amongst the thousands we have stored in the loft.



















This is us before our "get up and go" went.

Safe travelling.

Don


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## barryd (May 9, 2008)

We first saw the marmots last spring at gavarnie (and your parked in our spot!) when I drove up the mountain one early morning on the scooter. Bloody great big one ran right out in front of the bike. 

They are lovely and wd saw loads. I think they live only above 4000ft.

In switzerland at luzern right now but haven't seen any yet as I suspect we are not high enough yet.


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## Avenonickname (Jan 25, 2011)

*Beaverymarmots*

Not assuming the mantle of David Attenborough here, but how could anyone confuse the two? They taste entirely different and even I couldn't eat a whole one.
David Attenborough


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## CandA (May 1, 2005)

Don Madge said:


> CandA said:
> 
> 
> > Hi again
> ...


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## peejay (May 10, 2005)

Thanks all, great video and photos, much better than mine.

Those Beamots at Gavarnie, no chance of feeding them, couldn't even get anywhere near them before they shot off. One did a spectacular bellyflop and dive into a bolthole behind a bit of leftover snow as soon as he saw us.

Pete


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