📝 Detailed information
🏢 About the local organisation
Little village in the Massif of Pyrenees, between mountains and rivers, Montgaillard has enough to amaze you!
Montgaillard takes its name from the hill situated on the West of the municipality. This one supports the oppidum of "Eras Puyolas" built by the Romans. On this little mountain was built the church of Saint Hilaire.
Just like numerous houses in the village, the city hall with its grey stone frames and its monumental fireplaces corresponds to the typical architecture of the valley. The remains of a landscape formerly very marked by agriculture, reveals a whole system of irrigations and water control, offering to the municipality an important hydraulic heritage due in particular to the presence of ancient mills. Numerous washhouses punctuate the streets of the village, one of them is situated on the shores of Adour, letting appreciate the view on the oldest bridge of the village: the bridge of the Devil.
It is the first time the “Montgaillardais” host international volunteers, they are looking forward to meeting you!
💼 What the programme involves
You will restore a washhouse and a well from the XIXth century, located in the heart of the village. Both are falling apart and the aim of the workcamp is to rehabilitate these two constructions while respecting their former shape. You will participate in demolition works and restoration of lime coatings and use traditional techniques of construction for the well. You will also straighten the washhouse, build a low wall in pebbles inside it, and create a deviation to bring the water down to the drinking trough.
If you have time left after all this, you will be able to fill up the wall surrounding the alley leading to the church, with lime mortar and pebbles.
🏠 Accommodation on site
You will be accommodated under tents on a field behind a municipal building, 200m of the work place. You will have access to toilets and showers located inside the building.
📍 About the location
Montgaillard is a small municipality of the Hautes-Pyrénées, in the High Bigorre countryside. It is located in a plain, at the entrance of the valley of Haut-Adour and is crossed by the river Adour and numerous smaller rivers like the Douloustre or the Gailleste.
You will find the cookie factory Védère which today revives the old railroad line Tarbes-Bagnères thanks to the opening of a coffee shop and a bakery on this one.
Since 1998, every summer an outdoor festival of music named "Truca Taoules" is organised, enjoyed by numerous inhabitants of the valley.
ℹ️ Additional information
Bring working clothes, gloves and shoes (if possible waterproof in case of rain). Take both light and warm clothes. Bring a warm sleeping bag, trekking shoes, and don’t forget your swimsuit! Do not hesitate to bring specialties from home, photos, games, music instruments....
Foreigners belonging to the European Union must bring with them a personal EHIC (European Health Insurance Card), and everybody must, in any case, bring their insurance certificate. If health issues happen on the project, volunteers will have to pay for it, and be refunded once back home.