Brèche de Roland
The gateway in the mountain wall above Gavarnie
A gap 40 metres wide and 100 metres high in the ridge at an altitude of 2 807 metres. According to legend the knight Roland cut it with his sword Durendal. A classic hike from the Col des Tentes.
Day hike
- Starting point
- Col des Tentes (2 208 m), above Gavarnie
- Distance
- approx. 12 km return
- Elevation gain
- 900 hm
- Time
- 6–7 h
- Level
- Hard
- Season
- July–September
Up via the Port de Boucharo and the Refuge des Sarradets mountain hut to the breach at 2 807 metres, with views straight down into Spain towards Ordesa. The final stretch crosses a snowfield that can be icy – crampons are often needed in early summer.
42.6969° N, 0.0306° W
Trails passing here
Nearby
Taillón2 km · One of the easiest 3,000-metre peaks, 3 144 m
Cirque de Gavarnie2 km · One of Europe's highest waterfalls- Gavarnie-Gèdre (Les Espécières)4 km · Vallée de Gavarnie, Hautes-Pyrénées
Monte Perdido6 km · Europe's highest limestone massif, 3 355 m
Cirque de Troumouse10 km · Gavarnie's quieter big brother
Ordesa y Monte Perdido10 km · The Spanish side's magnificent canyon- Cascada de Sorrosal13 km · A waterfall in the middle of the village of Broto
Vignemale13 km · The highest peak on the border and Russell's mountain, 3 298 m