If there are any strong traditions in the Pyrenees, and which date back to very ancient times, this is the animal climb to the mountain pasture between the end of May and the beginning of June. At this time of the year, cow herds leave the valleys or the prairies surrounding the farms in piedmont plains to get to mountain pastures adorned with the verdant colours of Spring.
Historically a climb “on foot”, today sometimes partially by lorry, during which the cows, equipped with bells (called “esquire” in the local dialect), go back to these free, open natural spaces between the mountain peaks and the sky. A regional “migration” unchangeably taking place to the rhythm of the seasons, in which men climb side by side with the animals. A practice which finds its economic logic in medium-sized, family-fun farms as it gives value to the grass growing at high altitudes, a natural and inexpensive food source, and allows valley prairies to recover and produce hay for the upcoming winter.
From West to East, along the entire Pyrenees chain, there are over 30 000 Blonde d’Aquitaine cows that summer in the mountains and treat themselves to the scented flora of the pastures, a type of diet which gives the meat of these animals a particular leanness and taste, especially appreciated by food lovers and specialists.
The 2024 transhumance of the Blonde d’Aquitaine has already begun: while waiting for the photo report that we will publish at the end of the season, we share a preview of some pictures and views from previous years.
