After the severity of the Tourmalet, the Col d'Aspin is a gentler thing, a broad, grassy pass at 1,489 metres that feels more like a high meadow than an alpine crossing. The road, the D918, links the valley of Campan near Sainte-Marie-de-Campan with the Arreau side, and the climb through forest and open pasture is smooth and rhythmic, with wide bends, good visibility and a surface that is usually better than anything else in the area. It is a road for flowing riding, and a favourite with both motorcyclists and cyclists for that reason.
The Aspin often appears in the Tour de France alongside the bigger passes, and you will see fading painted names of riders on the tarmac, left by fans in the summer months. At the top, the ground opens into rolling pasture where cattle, sheep and sometimes semi-wild horses graze freely, wandering across the road with no regard for traffic. Watch for them, especially on blind corners, and give the animals plenty of room. A few cafés and stalls at the summit sell cheese and cold drinks in season.
The scenery is gentle but vast. From the summit you can look across to the peaks of the central Pyrenees, with the long ridge line fading into the haze, and on a clear day the high Néouvielle massif stands out, a granite landscape of lakes. Early morning brings the best light and the quietest roads, with a sense of space that is hard to beat. In July and August the road becomes busy, and the pass can close in winter with snow, so late spring to early autumn is the usual season. Mist on the northern slopes can be dense, so slow down if the visibility drops.
The pass is a natural link in a chain: ride the Tourmalet, then drop to Sainte-Marie-de-Campan, climb the Aspin, and continue to Arreau and the Peyresourde, and you have one of the great days in the Pyrenees.
For fuel and food, the nearest large town is Bagnères-de-Bigorre, about twenty kilometres from the pass, and Arreau, on the other side, has shops, cafés and basic services. There is no pump at the summit, so make sure the tank is full. Local cheeses, particularly those made from sheep's milk, are good to try if you find a farm stall open, and they travel well in a pannier.