D918 is a challenging balcony road in France
D918 is an extreme high mountain road located in the Pyrenees, a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain. It’s one of the French balcony roads.
The winding asphalted road is 45.0 km long. It is bordered on one side by cliffs and on the other side by a drop of hundreds of meters (many hundreds of feet). It connects the town of Laruns, in the valley of the Gave d'Ossau, via Eaux-Bonnes (west) and Argelès-Gazost, in the valley of the Gave de Pau, via the Col du Soulor (east). This road is generally closed from December to June but it can be closed anytime when the access is not cleared of snow. The road crosses the extremely narrow Cirque du Litor, in the upper part of the Ouzom valley. It runs as a single track road along the mountainside for some distance with nowhere to pass another vehicle. Here one says a prayer that nobody is coming towards you until the road widens some kilometres further. he road was cut into the mountain in the early 1900s.
The road tops out by Col d'Aubisque, at 1.713m (5,620ft) above the sea level. This road is one of the most famous balcony roads in the country. A balcony road is a hair-raising lane cut into the sides of sheer cliffs. It’s a kind of road not for those who fear heights. There is little room for error on these roads. Drive with care as this is a mountain road with hairpin curves and narrow unlit tunnels. When you take this road as picturesque as it is narrow, with its many suprising meanders, drive carefully, and above all don't miss the parking spaces that have been provided.